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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Geneva, Not recorded

Baume & Mercier

Partially verified

Luxury wristwatches and shaped timepieces

History

The business originated in 1830 when brothers Louis-Victor and Célestin Baume opened a watch dealership in the Swiss village of Les Bois.

Expanding into international markets, the firm established a London branch under the name Baume Brothers in 1851. In 1918, William Baume and Paul Mercier partnered in Geneva to establish the company under its current name. The brand gained early acclaim for its watchmaking excellence, receiving the prestigious Geneva Seal in 1919.

Throughout its history, the company was known for creating unconventional shapes and modern collections for both men and women. Following a long tenure within the Richemont luxury conglomerate, the company was sold to the Damiani Group in 2026.

The extended history summarises the open references listed under Sources; each statement was checked against the cited passage. Confirm key dates in period documents before relying on them.

Current watchmaking & later fate

  • The brand currently offers several collections, including Clifton, Classima, Hampton, Capeland, Linea, and Promesse.

As stated in the references listed under Sources, retrieved 2026-11-03. Ownership and collections change; check the maker's own announcements for the latest position.

Key models

Riviera
The Riviera was launched in 1973 as one of the earliest steel sports watches.
Galaxie
The Galaxie was one of several shaped timepieces introduced by the brand in the 1970s.
Stardust
The Stardust model was part of the brand's 1970s collection of shaped watches.

Major innovations

  • The company introduced the Riviera in 1973 as one of the world's first steel sports watches.

Known markings

  • The company has utilized the Greek letter Phi as its emblem since 1964.

Serial numbers

No serial-number system for this maker is recorded in the cited references.

Collecting significance

The catalogued pieces listed on this page show the kinds of objects auction houses, dealers and museums attribute to this maker; each attribution is the source's own.

In the object catalogue

5 catalogued objects are recorded under Baume & Mercier. Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.

Diagram

12345let downstripcleanoilregulateorder of work; never skip letting down the mainspring
Schematic: order of work at the bench. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

  1. Baume et Mercier, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  2. Baume & Mercier, Wikipedia (German), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  3. Baume & Mercier, Wikipedia (French), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.