Heir to the rich watchmaking heritage of Baume & Mercier, this collection pays tribute to the traditional expertise and the spirit of innovation of which William Baume remains the symbolic guardian. The new William Baume collection is composed exclusively of models crafted in keeping with the finest traditions of Haute Horlogerie, produced in limited, numbered series and powered by complicated movements specially manufactured for Baume & Mercier.
The four new models in the collection renew ties with the brand’s origins by revisiting the complications inseparably entwined with its historical patrimony. Each of these models has its own history and most of them are inspired by iconic historical Baume & Mercier watches. Initially composed of three models last year, the William Baume collection now comprises four watches in all, including a brand-new Single Push-Piece Chronograph.
William Baume collection (2009)
1.William Baume Single Push-Piece Chronograph(click here to read more)
2.William Baume Flying Tourbillon (click here to read more)
3.William Baume Ultra Thin (click here to read more)
4.William Baume Retrograde Second (click here to read more)
179 years of watchmaking expertise by Baume & Mercier.
The William Baume Collection is a tribute to time and its measurement. Through four superb Haute Horlogerie models, it evokes the tradition of one of the ten oldest Swiss watch brands, Baume & Mercier, whose origins date back to 1830. This expertise was admirably embodied by William Baume, the mastermind behind the modern-day brand and its successful bid to earn the watch industry’s highest quality certification: the prestigious Poinçon de Genève, granted in 1921.
It was in 1830 that the “Frères Baume” watchmaking “comptoir” was founded in the Swiss Jura village of Les Bois. In 1918, the company became Baume & Mercier in Geneva under the leadership of William Baume, representing the third generation of a watch company that was one of the most important of its era. The Baume brand had indeed distinguished itself worldwide since 1830 by the excellence and innovation displayed in its timepieces. It won gold medals at the Universal Exhibitions in Paris, London, Philadelphia and Geneva with its complication watches – tourbillons, minute repeaters and perpetual calendars – and was repeatedly successful in what was then the most famous chronometry competition of them all: the one held by the Kew Teddington Observatory near London. In 1892, Baume won the absolute precision record – that was to remain unbeaten for 10 years – for its keyless chronometer with tourbillon escapement. Such is the rich horological heritage that the William Baume Collection now celebrates by offering contemporary reinterpretations of Haute Horlogerie models that are an integral part of the Baume & Mercier heritage.
William A. Baume (1885-1956)
Renewing ties with the origins of Baume & Mercier, this collection pays tribute to the watchmaking craftsmanship and the spirit of innovation inherited from William Baume.William Baume is the modern mastermind behind the Baume & Mercier brand. He ushered the “Frères Baume” company, founded in 1830 by his grandfather Louis-Victor Baume and grand-uncle Pierre-Joseph Célestin Baume, firmly into the 20th century.
An exceptionally talented watchmaker driven by the innovative ideas characteristic of the early 20th century, William Baume associated with watchmaker-jeweler Paul Mercier in 1918 to create the Baume & Mercier brand in Geneva. The new company successfully combined traditional and contemporary watchmaking, drawing inspiration from the latest technical and aesthetic trends that it interpreted in keeping with the noblest rules of watchmaking craftsmanship.
Loyal to his forerunners’ motto of “creating only watches of the highest quality”, William Baume was to perpetuate their know-how with passion and innovation.In the midst of the “années folles”– a period of sweeping changes marked by spectacular technical break-throughs and unprecedented creative effervescence – William Baume and Paul Mercier defined a brand philosophy that is now more modern than ever: mastering Haute Horlogerie in order to dedicate it to the cause of timeless design and elegance. Such is the founding philosophy of Baume & Mercier, now admirably illustrated in the William Baume Collection.
A few questions put to Alexandre PERALDI, Design Studio Director of Baume & Mercier
Where did you get your inspiration for this William Baume collection?
For this tribute collection to our horological expertise, we drew inspiration from our history by rediscovering certain models from our Historical Collection. This approach is pretty fundamental in that it enables us to preserve our brand DNA. The 1938 single push-piece watch and our exceptional chronograph from 1892 are the kind of creations that illustrate the rich watchmaking heritage cultivated by our company since 1830.
What are the specific features of this collection?
For this historically-inspired classic round watch, we were particularly meticulous about details. The Design Studio team devoted a lot of attention to the design of the lugs and the dial. The lugs were sculpted to achieve a highly contemporary result in harmony with craftsmanship traditions. With the dial, our aim was to create an aesthetic both imbued with history and extremely modern in terms of its purity. Moreover, the choice of complications was of course a decisive element in defining this collection, which had to be on a par with the tribute we wished to pay to the emblematic figure William Baume represents for Baume & Mercier.
How did you resolve the difficulties inherent to developing such a collection?
Largely thanks to modern technologies such as Computer Assisted Design, 3D printing, etc. These instruments enabled us to create a collection in a resolutely historical spirit while making the most of modern technical capacities. These techniques allowed us to explore several creative paths before finding the perfect final alchemist’s blend.
0 comments:
Post a Comment