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| Baume & Mercier |
This company of long standing was founded by the Baume family in the western part of Switzerland in 1830. After merging with Genevan jeweler Paul Mercier in 1918, Baume
& Mercier made a name for itself as a manufacturer of sporty chronographs at a time when the wristwatch was becoming very fashionable.
Together with luxury brands Cartier and Piaget, Baume & Mercier forms the original core of the watch sector in the Richemont group. Today, this enterprise is represented in 75 countries and produces approximately 200,000 watches
yearly. Its most important markets are found in Europe, particularly Italy, Spain, and France. In Germany, the Baume & Mercier brand is distributed by 220 exclusive watch retailers. Last September, Baume & Mercier opened new production buildings in Switzerland's Les Brenets.
Within the last few years, Baume & Mercier has made a name for itself as a trendsetter, and by no means was this done solely on the strength of characteristically trendy watches. The Hampton line, named for the stylish resorts and high-society meeting places of the U.S. east
coast, defined a new watch style in the mid 1990s for both him and her, calling a great deal of imitators into the market. The Catwalk model plays with simple shapes, and a smooth-as-silk surface finish reveals the qualities of steel to advantage. By incorporating rubber links into the bracelet, this trendsetter was given a little something extra.
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Baume & Mercier is also in front of the pack regarding the trends of the last few years: TV Screen was the name of models popular in the 1970s, sporting arched edges similar to that of the televisions adorning millions of living rooms everywhere. And back in the early days of the new design trends of the '70s, Baume & Mercier was at the forefront with electronic tuning fork watches like the Tronosonic. Now current fashion trends have turned back to the seventies, and the Hampton Spirit is already there! This angular watch has been joined in 2003 by the more harmoniously shaped Hampton City model.
Today these dissimilar Hampton twins featuring dials in contemporary 16:9 TV formats have defined the concept of the TV Screen anew. The watches' technology, however, is oriented on vintage "mechanical" values such as longevity and endurance - something that at a second glance goes well with fashion trends: They tend to come back every thirty or thirty-five years as well.
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Baume & Mercier
c/o Richmont North America
Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street
New York, NY 10022
Tel: 2129096385
Fax: 2127537250
www.baume-et-mercier.com
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