The history of Baume Et Mercier Watches
In 1834, members of the Baume family founded the Societe Baume Feres in the village of Les Bois, in the Swiss Jura. The Baumes had already been active in watchmaking for many years. At first, the priority went to enameled pocket watches. In 1844 Joseph Celestin Baume went to England to set up business relations there. Watches signed “Waterloo”, “Diviko” and “Sirdar” opened distant markets in Australia and New Zealand. The family company gave convincing proof of its dedication to mechanical elegance and precision when one of its timepieces won the 1893 timing competitions at the Kew-Teddington Observatory with a score of 91.9 out of a possible 100. In 1912, William Baume met the watchmaker and jeweler, Paul Mercier, at the Geneva watch and jewelry shop in Haas. The meeting resulted in the signing of an agreement on the 26th of November, 1918, for the establishment of Baume and Mercier in Geneva. This proved to be a very successful enterprise, and in 1921 they were awarded the coveted Poincon de Geneve, official recognition of flawless quality products. Watches dating from this period are now rare collector’s pieces, worth thousands of dollars. In 1937 William Baume withdrew from active business. He was followed into retirement by Paul Mercier, and the jeweler Constantin de Gorski joined the company.
Post World War II
After World War II Baume and Mercier decided to concentrate on more conventional watches. Such as men’s watches, sports chronographs and ladies’ jewelry watches. In 1965 the Piaget family outbid international competition for control over Baume and Mercier. One of the world’s thinnest calendar watches with a mini rotor was produced under Piaget’s aegis. In the same year the new owners switched to electronic tuning fork movements, and from 1970 increased investments in quartz movements. At the end of the 1983, Baume and Mercier temporarily ceased production of mechanical watches. In 1988, Christian and Yves Piaget sold 60% of their stake to Piaget holding S.A, also selling Baume and Mercier S.A to Cartier Monde S.A in Paris. In 1993 the Cartier group became sole owners of both Piaget and Baume and Mercier.
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Recent Times
In September 2004 Baume and Mercier opened a new production building in Les Brenets, Switzerland. For the past few years Baume and Mercier has made a name for itself as a trendsetter, and by no means was this done solely on the strength of characteristically fashionable watches. Models such as the “Riviera” and the “Hampton,” named after the stylish resorts and high-society meeting places of the U.S East Coast, defined a new watch style in the 1980’s and 1990’s, for both genders.
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