After the highly successful introduction of the Clifton Baumatic line last year, the collection has returned with the launch of the first complication bearing the Baumatic designation. The Baumatic was regarded as a strong step forward for the accessibly priced Richemont brand when it was launched at SIHH 2018. Boasting a five-day power reserve, the original Baumatic was able to immediately claim the title as the most technically advanced timepiece in the brand’s catalog while maintaining Baume & Mercier’s approachable reputation. The Baumatic BM12.1975A movement also enabled a precision of –4/+6 seconds per day throughout its power reserve period and the ability to resist magnetic fields of up to 1,500 gauss. All of these details combined to make the Baumatic a potent reminder of the brand’s horological capabilities as well as its commitment to creating watches with a broad appeal.
The introduction of a Perpetual Calendar as the next step to the collection makes sense. Where the first Baumatic featured a streamlined design and a notable lack of pretense, the Perpetual Calendar ups the ante a bit while still putting a focus on user-friendliness. Three open counters with blued hands demonstrate the perpetual calendar’s function: the first at 9 o’clock for the day of the week, the second at 12 o’clock for the month and leap year cycle, and the third at 3 o’clock for the date. The moon phase is shown via an aperture at 6 o’clock. The dial resembles the porcelain-like white dial found on multiple of last year’s releases and is further enhanced by the gold-tone lancet hands and faceted hour markers.
The new caliber inside the Baumatic Perpetual Calendar is an evolution of last year’s Baumatic BM12.1975A. The upgraded movement is given the name Baumatic BM13.1975AC-1 and, of course, utilizes a perpetual calendar module. It features various finishes such as circular graining on the bridges and a sandblasted and snailed baseplate. The gold-plated and openworked rotor features quintessential Côtes de Genève detailing with additional snailing. The movement is visible through an anti-glare sapphire crystal.
One noteworthy difference between last year’s time-and-date only releases in stainless steel (other than a single two-tone model) and this year is that the Baumatic Perpetual Calendar comes in a satin-finished 18K red gold case. It’s similarly compact with measurements of 42 mm by 12.1 mm compared to the 40 mm by 10.3 mm construction of last year’s releases. The new watch comes on a black alligator strap with an 18K red gold buckle.
The Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Perpetual Calendar is priced at $24,500.
Baume Mercier is adding some new interesting Baumatic powered watches to their Clifton collection, and we will cover them all. However, we d like to start with the boldest of them first (although there s also a red gold three-hander): the red gold Baume Mercier Clifton Baumatic Perpetual Calendar. It is one of the most interesting complications to us, besides a chronograph (we don t care much about tourbillons, to be honest, Baume Mercier actually did one in 2014 for their Clifton collection).