Henry Ford once said: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” But the inventor trusted his instincts, and rather than faster horses, he gave us the car. The first Ford Model T rolled off the production line in 1908, thanks to the conviction of a man who didn’t listen (only) to his clients.
One hundred and ten years later, Ford’s observation is still as relevant as ever. It was the inspiration behind Baume & Mercier’s main announcement at the SIHH 2018. The company’s first in-house movement, the Baumatic, was inspired largely by what was coming back to the workshops for after-sales servicing. The aim was to identify the main issues with the movements they had been using, and solve them. It might seem obvious, but it wasn’t straightforward. Baume & Mercier is not a manufacture, so it had no input into the development of the calibres it uses.
Leading trio
It’s 2018, and Baume & Mercier is still not a manufacture. But it has brought three elements together: the manufacturing capacity of ValFleurier (a movement production company in the Richemont group), its own Research & Innovation division, and membership of the Microcity innovation cluster.
On the strength of these synergies, Baume & Mercier issued a brief for a watch movement that would achieve four things: it would be anti-magnetic, more precise, with a better power reserve and requiring less servicing. The brand’s positioning implies a fifth requirement: an affordable sales price.
Clifton Baumatic © Baume et Mercier
Silicon sorcery
The Baumatic meets every one of these criteria. Magnetic sensitivity has been greatly reduced thanks to a procedure that is now increasingly common: the use of a silicon escapement – pallet, pallet wheel and balance spring. The pallet is made by Valais company Sigatec, and the balance spring is produced by a newcomer to watchmaking – Tronics, a subsidiary of TDK.
The balance spring uses Twinspir technology, which incorporates two layers of silicon aligned at 45° to each other, sandwiched together with a layer of silicon dioxide, which also provides temperature compensation. The Baumatic movement can also withstand magnetic fields of up to 1500 Gauss, which is ample for everyday use.
An impressive power reserve
The calibre owes its precision to a number of factors, which include the Twinspir technology, but it also has a new gear train design and optimised movement architecture. The Baumatic also complies with COSC chronometer certification.
But for the end client, probably the most obvious improvement will be the increased power reserve. Here there are no half measures – Baume & Mercier guarantees a full five days! These 120 hours are supplied by a completely redesigned barrel which is just 0.6 mm wider. The space occupied by the Nivaflex mainspring is optimised, but the number of coils (15) is the same as you’ll find in most production calibres. Unofficially, the Baumatic can even go as high as 130 hours of power reserve, with excellent isochronism for 80 hours – at which point most other movements would already have given up the ghost!
More reliable, less maintenance
Finally, the service interval has been optimised through better use of lubricants. The movement uses four oils, three of which were completely redeveloped for the Baumatic. Unusually for a modern watch, oil is even used in the escapement. Use and wear will show whether this innovation stands the test of time.
The inaugural Baumatic collection will be a Clifton (40 mm). There will be two versions, one COSC-certified and the other not. The former will be priced at €2,600 incl. VAT, the latter €2,450 incl. VAT (€2,600 on a steel bracelet). A fourth version will be offered with a gold bezel, for €3,100 incl. VAT. These models will be available in the new year. As an added bonus, given that the movement measures 28.2 mm in diameter for 4.2 mm deep, a women’s version is a distinct possibility.
Baume et Mercier will surely continue their relationship by adding followup restricted and specific variations in the future alongside sponsoring more bike events and other sports. The Clifton Club watch is a fantastic value proposition piece that may be the double duty workhorse a lot of men and women are looking for. A number of the races over this Wheels and Waves California occasion were “run what you brung,” so the only thing holding back you was you. No red tape, no actual testimonials, just rushing at it’s purest, and that is where I feel the Clifton Club really stands out. The watch is not crying “look at me and all of my pedigree and mechanical invention and legacy and best of the and that,” it is only a good looking and working watch.One of the first things I heard on this trip was from Fred Martel, President of Baume et Mercier, during our car trip from airport. The conversation nicely summarized the event. Baume isn’t attempting to become an expert watchmaker or an competitive performance-driven brand that strives to beat the contest, but a brand that embraces life and its own achievements all while appreciating the ride.Well constructed and created to get the weekend warrior, costs for the Clifton Club beginning at $1,950 for the stainless steel version, up to $2,250 for its whistles and bells, rubber wrapped DLC version. The Burt Munro Tribute Limited Edition is available for pre-sale with a cost of $3,750, restricted to 1967 pieces.
Clifton Baumatic : the plus factors © Baume & Mercier
