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Baume & Mercier Petite Promesse Ladies Watch
Ref. M0A10290
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Stepping up in Baume & Mercier's range
The Promesse line has always sat at the quieter end of Baume & Mercier's catalogue — understated geometry, a feminine proportion, nothing competing for attention. The Petite Promesse takes that brief and reduces it to 22mm, a diameter that sits closer to a bracelet charm than a conventional watch face, and is worn in exactly that spirit. At that scale, the black dial reads as a dark ground for the hands rather than a surface to study, and the bronze leather strap does more visual work than the case itself. The butterfly clasp keeps the underside uncluttered, which matters on a wrist where the watch is essentially jewellery with a movement inside.
- Reference
- M0A10290
- Brand
- Baume & Mercier
- Case size
- 22mm
- Case material
- Two-tone
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Unidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Solar
- Functions
- Chronograph, GMT, Day-date, Small seconds, Moonphase, Power reserve indicator, Tachymeter, Skeleton dial
- Bracelet / strap
- Mesh bracelet
- Strap colour
- Bronze
- Clasp
- Butterfly clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Learn more about Baume & Mercier
The Baume brothers opened a watchmaking business in Les Bois in the Swiss Jura in 1830, and built a substantial export operation through a London office. The company won significant honours at nineteenth-century observatory trials, including a record for a chronograph tourbillon at Kew that stood for years.
The modern company dates from 1918, when William Baume partnered with Paul Mercier in Geneva. Mercier brought design sensibility, and the house's Art Deco pieces of the 1920s — shaped cases, jewelled dials, and the Phi emblem representing the golden ratio — established a decorative direction it has largely kept.
Baume & Mercier was among the founding members of the Geneva Seal system and produced complications including minute repeaters and perpetual calendars in its earlier decades.
Its modern position is deliberately accessible: classical Swiss watchmaking at prices below the group's luxury tier, with the Clifton, Riviera, and Hampton collections covering round dress watches, integrated-bracelet sports watches, and rectangular Art Deco shapes respectively. The Riviera, introduced in 1973, was among the first steel luxury sports watches with an integrated bracelet, arriving a year after the Royal Oak.
The house has been part of Richemont since the group's formation, and produces around two hundred thousand watches annually.
- 1830
- The Baume brothers begin watchmaking in Les Bois.
- 1892
- A Kew observatory record is set with a chronograph tourbillon.
- 1918
- William Baume and Paul Mercier partner in Geneva.
- 1973
- The twelve-sided Riviera launches.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Watches Under 37mm (1,363), Women's Watches (1,251), Chronograph Watches (1,010), Skeleton Watches (245), GMT Watches (200) and Mesh Bracelet Watches (175).
What the specifications mean
Strengths
- 22mm wears small and slips under any cuff
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Second time zone for travelling
Baume & Mercier Petite Promesse alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | M0A10290 | L21284786 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,650 | £1,800 |
| Case size | 22mm | 25.5mm |
| Water resistance | — | 30m |
| Movement | Solar | Solar |
| Strap | Mesh bracelet | Mesh bracelet |
| Power reserve | — | 45 hours |
| This watch |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It charges from light, and the cell behind that is designed to last a decade or more.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as women's.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference new, at £2,650. There is nothing to compare it against today.
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