The Baume & Mercier Watches History

Coming from a small town in Switzerland, Paul and Jean Baume founded, in 1610, on of the biggest Swiss watchmaking companies. Baume & Mercier trade mark was officially registered in 1920 at Geneve. The company comes into being with the encounter of two men: William Baume, a talented watchmaker and grandson of the founder, and Paul Mercier, the son of a Tsarist officer and a great art-lover.

The Baume family settled in Montagne des Bois (Swiss Jura) coming from a small town Baume-les-Dames. In 1610, Paul and Jean Baume found the parish of les Bois nearby La Chaux-de-Fonds, which has nowadays become one of the principal Swiss watchmaking localities. Thanks to a longstanding watchmaking tradition, Louis Victor and Pierre Joseph Célestin Baume establish, in 1830, the “Société Baume Fréres” which they officially registered in 1834. Their pledge to quality and innovation remains uncontested at the beginning of the third millennium.
In 1855 The Baume Brothers introduced the Lépine calibre in the Jura region. Because of their interest in state-of-the-art innovations, the Baume brothers quickly understood the merits of the new calibre developed by Jean Antoine Lépine in 1760. Thinner, more elegant and more precise, it is still the basis of the calibre that is currently used. In the period of 1890’s the Brume’s company distinguished itself at chronometer competitions organized by the Kew Observatory in England. In 1887, it obtained the highest score for a split-seconds chronograph. 1893 was an unprecedented year with a 91,9 out of 100 score awarded to a Baume chronometer with a tourbillion movement. Until 1910, Baume watches continue to receive numerous awards, including 5 gold medals won at diverse universal exhibitions. Baume & Mercier trade mark is officially registered in 1920 at Geneve.
The company comes into being with the encounter of two men: William Baume, a talented watchmaker and grandson of the founder, and Paul Mercier, the son of a Tsarist officer and a great art-lover. On 10 March 1921, less that one year after registering the brand, the Geneva Canton awards Mr Baume and Mr Mercier with a diploma certifying that their watchmaking house holds a record for the highest number of stamped Hallmark pieces by the Official State Bureau. Baume & Mercier creates international well known models, such as the Marquise. The concept of being a bracelet before being a watch has inspired the brand once again in 2002 for its new collection, a watch and a bracelet dressed in gold and diamonds.
In 1972 Baume & Mercier creates the Riviera. 12 sides for the 12 hours, this dodecagonal watch originated a revolution according to the watchmaking aesthetics criteria of its time. In 1987, the Linea watch was created, a genuine watchmaker’s jewel. This watch, that firmly inscribes itself as a worthy asset to the brand’s heritage, continues to be the most sought after models. In 1994 Baume & Mercier produced the Birth of the Hampton model. It success made of it a watch a myth in less than a decade. Faithful to its traditions, Baume & Mercier launched the CapeLand in 1998, which strongly affirmed itself among the highest quality automatic chronographs. In 2000, the Hampton family enlarged with the birth of a new gold watch that featured a more curved shape camber, the Hampton Milleis.
The big-screen era, doted with a panoramic 16/9-watchcase format, the new Hampton Spirit pays tribute to the all-pervading presence of media and television screens in 2002.
The Hampton City collection introduced an innovative design inspired directly by the latest architectural creations achieved in major cities in 2003. 2004 was the 10th Anniversary Special Hampton collection.
The Hampton line celebrated its 10th birthday with the creation of the “Special Hampton 10 years’ Collection’, which highlighted the ties among the four Hampton families: Classic, Milleis, Spirit and City. For over 150 years, the Baume brother’s watchmaking legacy has been enhanced with the introduction of a great number of models that have each identified their time. Today, Baume & Mercier remains firmly dedicated to its secular know-how to enter with the same standards into the third millennium.