Back in August, Baume & Mercier announced a partnership with Indian Motorcycles. We saw the first result from this partnership back in November with the Clifton Club Burt Munro limited edition and at SIHH this week we got the latest update with two new chronographs, aptly named the Clifton Club Indian Legend Tribute Chief and Scout Limited Editions.
Named after two of Indian Motorcycle’s most popular models, the Chief and the Scout both come in at 44 mm and are powered by the reliable Valjoux 7750 movement. The Scout has a partially open-worked black dial that differentiates itself from the Chief. These are masculine watches but you can tell a good bit of creativity went into their production. On the 19th day of each month, the date disc displays “1901” as a reference to the first year of production for Indian Motorcycles. This is a cool touch that demonstrates the level of commitment Baume & Mercier has to fleshing out this partnership.
Overall, there are many design cues shared between the two watches. Riveted indexes, SuperLuminova-coated indices, and speedometer-style subdials can be found across both models. The biggest difference — other than the Scout’s partially open-worked dial, meant to recall Indian’s midsize bike line — is the dial and strap. The Scout opts for a Horween Leather strap and opaline gray dial while the Chief has a black dial with red highlights and a three-row polished and satin finished stainless steel strap secured with a triple-folding clasp.
While these biker-influenced timepieces won’t be for everyone, the concept and execution would make these a satisfying purchase for even the most grizzled Indian Motorcycle purist. The Chief will cost $3,900 and the Scout $3,750.
Check out Baume & Mercier’s other SIHH highlight here.
Would love clarification on the water safety concerning the non screw down crown situation. Is it safe to swim with it? Or is just safe in the shower if that much?
Thanks