Racing would ensue, the thunder of pistons bashing away as the riders pinned back their throttles at the beginning line, hammering their brakes a 1/4 mile afterwards, then ripping through the gears again back to where they’d started from. A blend of drag racing and barrel racing; every rider would start in neutral with their left hand on their own helmet, and when the flag dropped, they would change into gear, race down to the barrel, whip a u-turn and return-to-home as fast as they had left it, all while riding side by side with their competitor.In involving all of the racing would be an simple, spirited, peg dragging 3 hour joy ride starting along HWY 101 then into Templeton, Paso Robles, and Big Sur.The weekend could be all about the Clifton Club set of watches and, later in the weekend, the unveiling of this Burt Munro Tribute Limited Edition. I was looking forward to trying out this collection as I had to get some hands on time with these watches. I’m a sucker for everyday use sailors, so my very first watch of the weekend was that the stainless steel Clifton Club with a sunburst satin-finished blue dial, strapped into a textured orange rubber NATO. The daring colour combination was fitting to the coastal city setting as it reminds me of the sea and the sun reflecting off the water’s surface. The rubber NATO was a fantastic bit as it felt just like a mini hi-viz wetsuit around my wrist and it was surprisingly comfortable, since the material would provide a bit during small vibrations and impacts with continual wear. The 42mm case size and the 10.3millimeter thickness fit snuggly around my 7.25 inch wrist, fitting comfortably under my riding gloves during long miles and hours of street vibrations. The Sellita SW200 movement isn’t glamorous, but it is reliable and with all the street vibrations being subjected to it over this weekend, so I would not have wanted it to be a in-house, handmade marvel.
On August 15th 2017, Mr Porter launched eleven timepieces from the Clifton Collection. Standout models include the newly released Clifton Club models, such as the Clifton GMT and the Clifton Club Shelby Cobra Saytona Coupe.
A limited edition of the Flyback Chronograph, of which only 196 pieces have been produced, will be launched as well as two timepieces from the Classima Collection featuring both Classima Automatic and Quartz novelties.
(…)Mr. Porter shares the same values as our Maison in proposing iconic design and contemporary aesthetic, never compromising on the highest quality. With the Classima and Clifton collections, including our iconic Clifton Club Cobra, inspired by the original Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, and the Clifton Club models, built for adventure, we offer timepieces which will please all gentlemen, whether seeking a bold and sporty watch or an elegant yet athletic line, says Alain Zimmerman, CEO, Baume & Mercier.
On August 17th, there will be a dedicated feature on Baume & Mercier’s iconic Clifton Club Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe in the MR PORTER Journal.
Prices range from €990 to €7450
Before this year, Baume et Mercier introduced its Clifton Club “hero” set of sports watches at SIHH using its CEO, Alain Zimmerman, stating that they’re focusing on younger clientele. If you haven’t seen the motto “Gentle Sportsmen,” the market for this watch is your bicycle polo playing, big wave grabbing, vintage vehicle driving, alternative sports athlete that wears well tailored, slim-fitting suits to casual parties and club meetings. I wear a suit fairly frequently, and never once did I feel as though it was great apparel to ride a bike, push a skateboard, or catch a wave. Although, when it comes to driving a car with its top down and feeling just like James Bond, well, I’d have to give them a gentlemanly nod.In my head, Baume et Mercier didn’t have a client demographic which was youthful, daring, or sporty, and certainly not a part of the counter culture that’s cafe racers and classic customs. I thought of them as a watch companion for anniversary presents, a thank you gift you purchase for your own parents following your first “real” paycheck, a fashion watch for a girlfriend or partner, possibly a graduation gift. The cost point for a Baume et Mercier is about a couple thousand; only about the expense of a vintage fixer upper. So, why buy a watch when you might be wrenching on a Harley, Norton, or even Ducati?The promoting relationship between “Gentle Sportsmen” and collectible classic cars, like the Shelby Cobra, makes sense, but to be linked to cafe racers, super hooligans, grassroots racers, dirt drifting maniacs, and leather clad club members was a theory I had to get my head around. Sure, even if they were attempting to break into the MotoGP audience with a less expensive timepiece, it’d be a no brainer, but a Wheels and Waves motorcycling event filled with kickstarts, bandanas, and tattoos, sounded a little odd.
The McCall’s Annual Motorworks Revival serves to kick off the Monterey Car Week which sees thousands of motor enthusiasts gather annually for classic automobile auctions and racing at the famed Laguna Seca Raceway. So what makes these models unique? Every one of those four Baume & Mercier Legendary Driver Capeland Shelby Cobra watches feature a daring 44mm case size and you will find two different substance variances in both stainless steel or ADLC-steel for a smokier, sleeker finish. Still current beneath the crystal, of course, is your tachymeter around the dial, and naturally there is the cobra emblem forged right into the seconds hand’s counterweight to remind it means company. The small-seconds subdial on each of these pieces has been outfitted with a number representative of motorists of the Shelby Cobra CSX2118: No. 15 (Dan Gurney), No. 50 (Ken Miles), No. 97 (Dave MacDonald), and No. 96 (Allen Grant), respectively. In addition to this number, every one of the four bits have been dressed in similar aesthetics of the winning cars.No. 15 features a hot-yellow spin on the tachymeter dial using a yellow-lined black alligator-leather strap and even the flip side is yellowish with this particular model. No. 97 additionally features a yellow cobra seconds hand and pairs the watch with a slick black rubberized strap. No. 97 and 96 include the stainless steel casings with No. 96 getting the loudest of their straps, a vibrant yellow alligator leather strap with black stitching and lining. A little something for everybody’s tastes with these models.
