Baume et Mercier came along with Piaget when the latter was bought by Vendome, and then B&M became the forgotten step child living under the stairs. But in 2011 B&M was one of the highlights of SIHH. Not because of the watches themselves, which were attractive but still ordinary, but because the brand has been revamped.
The second of the brands overseen by IWC CEO Georges Kern (the first being Roger Dubuis, another turnaround story), B&M now has more coherent brand identity – beaches and the Hamptons – which will be in advertising everywhere soon, along with a tighter and improved watch line.
Though B&M watches are still made for an accessible price point, the quality has improved, most notably with the case finish.
The highlight of the 2011 collection is the Capeland range of chronographs. At the top of the line sit a pair of retro-inspired chronographs with La Joux-Perret modified 7750 flyback movements.
In gold or steel, these are 44 mm with domed sapphire crystal. Its size gives it more punch than this genre of telemetric-tachymetric dial normally possesses.
Though the date window gets in the way of the very well coordinated vintage look, this design is a winner, especially in steel with the blue hands. This is a watch that people will remember, quite a contrast from past B&M watches which no one could remember, ever.
At the entry level the Capeland chronograph is available in a range of colours and leather straps with stitching accents. Not extraordinary but nice looking with well made dials and cases (well executed contrasting brushed and polished finishes) making them excellent choices for this price point.
B&M also introduced a new Linea for ladies. These feature a clever clasp on the case allowing the bracelet or strap to be unlocked and swapped easily. Aside from that, however, I find them boring.
The Capeland chronograph is a leap forward compared to previous B&M for men, while the Linea is a mere step. Nevertheless B&M is finally going somewhere, after going nowhere for a very long time.
- SJX
This message has been edited by SJX on 2011-01-30 06:39:15 This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2011-01-30 16:16:40