Baume & Mercier is using its 195th year to revisit one of its strongest pillars: the Clifton. The collection, launched in 2013, has always been about timeless proportions and gentlemanly refinement, but the new novelties presented at Watches & Wonders 2025 are arguably its most convincing throwback yet. Inspired by mid-century design codes, the redesigned Clifton wears smaller, sharper, and more nuanced than before — a watch that embraces understatement while quietly flexing the best of modern watchmaking.
A Slimmer Case, a Sharper Dial
The headline change is the shift to a 39mm case size, a first for Clifton’s three-hand models (previously offered at 40mm). The round case has been refined with tauter lines, polished and satin-brushed finishes, and a domed sapphire crystal that evokes 1950s dress watches. Dial details include the return of an Arabic numeral at 12, a crosshair motif at the centre, and a neatly integrated date at 6 o’clock. Depending on the model, you’ll find grained off-white dials with 5N gold accents, smoky blue degradé lacquer finishes, or the particularly charming opaline salmon limited edition of 350 pieces.
The Baumatic Movement
Beneath the vintage skin beats something wholly contemporary: Baume & Mercier’s Baumatic calibre BM13-1975A. Developed in Les Brenets and unveiled in 2018, the automatic movement delivers 120 hours of power reserve, resists everyday magnetic fields up to 1,500 Gauss, and runs at 4Hz for modern reliability. Viewed through a sapphire caseback, the finishing is a cut above what you’d expect at this price point — circular graining, sandblasting, snailed plates, and an openworked rotor decorated with Côtes de Genève.
On the bracelet/strap front, Baume & Mercier has been unusually attentive. Alongside new alligator options in brown and blue, the maison introduces a metal bracelet designed specifically for this case — a three-link affair with short, semi-circular links that drape more fluidly on the wrist. Both strap and bracelet options come with quick-release systems and folding clasps, making them genuinely versatile for everyday wear.
Six models launch this September: the Clifton Baumatic M0A10802 in rose gold with off-white dial; the salmon-toned M0A10778 (LE of 350); the blue-lacquer M0A10771; the dual steel-gold M0A10773; the blue gradient M0A10792; and its bracelet-toting sibling M0A10793. Each references Baume & Mercier’s mid-century roots while firmly staking a place in the 2025 landscape. The Clifton has always been about balance — of proportion, of elegance, of heritage and modernity. This refresh doesn’t just nod to the 1950s; it sharpens the line into a compelling, well-judged package for the present.
Price on request for all models.
