Baume & Mercier Hampton Chronograph Bronze (10031)

A Tribute to Time
The new William Baume Collection is a tribute to time and its measurement. Through a splendid array of haute horlogerie models, it evokes the noble traditions of one of the oldest Swiss watch brands, Baume & Mercier. This time-honored expertise is admirably embodied by the figure of William Baume, the man who forged the company's contemporary destiny and was instrumental in earning it the prestigious Poinçon de Geneve in 1921, the seal acknowledged as the highest watchmaking quality certification.

180 years of watchmaking expertise by Baume & Mercier
It was in 1830 that the "Freres Baume" watch comptoir horloger (watch dealership) was founded in Les Bois, a village in the Swiss Jura region. In 1918, the firm was renamed Baume & Mercier and relocated to Geneva, under the leadership of William Baume, representing the third generation of one of the most important watchmaking Houses of the era.
Right from the time of its founding, the Baume brand distinguished itself by the excellence and innovation of its timepieces. It won six gold medals in the World Fairs of Paris, London, Philadelphia and Geneva with its complication watches - tourbillons, minute repeaters, perpetual calendars - along with a number of prizes in the timing competitions held by the Kew Teddington Observatory near London, the most renowned of the period. It was there that in 1892, a keyless chronometer with tourbillon escapement by Baume won the absolute precision record that was to remain unequaled for ten years. Such is the rich watchmaking history that the William Baume Collection now celebrates by offering a contemporary expression of the haute horlogerie models that are an integral part of the Baume & Mercier heritage.
William A. Baume (1885-1956)
William Baume shaped the modern destiny of the Baume & Mercier brand by resolutely leading the "Freres Baume" company, founded in 1830 by his grandfather Louis Victor Baume and his great-uncle Celestin Baume, into the 20th century.

An exceptionally talented watchmaker brimming with innovative ideas in the early 20th century, William Baume joined forces in 1918 with Paul Mercier to create the Baume & Mercier brand in Geneva. The new company brilliantly combined traditional and contemporary watchmaking, drawing inspiration from the latest technical and aesthetic trends that it interpreted in complete harmony with the rules of watchmaking craftsmanship.
Loyal to his forefathers' determination to "create only watches of the highest quality", William Baume perpetuated their expertise with passion and innovation, while giving a new dimension to their horological heritage through the contribution of Paul Mercier. The latter, a cosmopolitan aesthete and an astute businessman, admirably complemented William Baume's watchmaking know-how. At the heart of the 1920s, a period of dramatic change characterized by major technical breakthroughs and unprecedented creative effervescence, William Baume and Paul Mercier defined a brand philosophy that is as modern as ever: mastering watchmaking and placing it the service of timeless design and elegance.
Geneva, 1920 - "Capital of Nations"
The 1920s in Geneva were a period of intense activity and openness towards the world. On November 15th 1920, Geneva welcomed delegates of the Assembly of the newly constituted League of Nations, the first international organization in history and the forerunner of the UN. In 1920, so as to host delegates and diplomats from around the world, the "capital of nations" on the shores of Lake Leman acquired an "air field" that was to become Switzerland's first international airport. This mood of modernity and open-mindedness doubtless inspired William Baume's decision to transfer the Freres Baume watch company from Les Bois to Geneva, in order to establish the Baume & Mercier brand in partnership with his associate Paul Mercier.
William Baume Collection 2010
The William Baume Collection is exclusively composed of models crafted in harmony with the purest watchmaking tradition and housing complication movements.
All models in the collection, which is annually renewed by limited editions, revive the brand's origins through haute horlogerie movements closely linked with its historical heritage.
In 2010, Baume & Mercier is adding a new complication to the William Baume Collection with a Jumping Hours model featuring a silver-colored or black dial and boasting the extremely refined finishing and retro-contemporary design that are characteristic of the William Baume Collection.

Jumping Hour, the first "digital" watch
Jumping Hour is a complication that displays the hours in the form of numbers appearing through an aperture, instead of showing them with a hand. Jumping Hour models are thus referred to as the first "digital" watches in horological history. Printed on a rotating disk, the numbers instantly "jump" when the hour changes, while the minutes and seconds are generally indicated by hands.

The first known jumping hours watch is a pocket-watch made by French watchmaker Blondeau for the King of France in around 1830 - the exact founding date of the "Freres Baume" company that was to give rise to Baume & Mercier.
William Baume Jumping Hour watches
Newly launched in 2010, this interpretation of the William Baume Collection displays the hours in an aperture at 12 o'clock, while the minutes and seconds are indicated by red gold hands on two separate subdials. The silver-colored or black dial is adorned with a crossweave guilloche motif and sunburst satin-brushed finish on the subdials. The self-winding movement is visible through the large opening in the sapphire crystal case-back, enabling one to admire the circular-grained and snailed finishing on the mainplate and bridges, as well as the openworked oscillating weight with Côtes de Geneve decoration.

The XL sized (41 mm) case is crafted in 18-carat red gold with applied lugs. The hand-sewn black or chocolate brown alligator leather strap is enhanced by a red gold pin buckle. These two new William Baume models will be launched in limited numbered series of 40 for each dial version.
William Baume Retrograde Seconds
The retrograde seconds hand counts off 30 seconds across a graduated arc of a circle and then instantly returns to its point of departure to measure the 30 following seconds. This retrograde interpretation of the William Baume Collection highlights the small seconds by "serpentine" red gold hand. This model also comprises a large date display at 12 o'clock showing the date by means of large numerals appearing on separate tens and units disks. The mechanical self-winding movement can be admired through the broad sapphire crystal pane on the case-back, revealing the circular-grained finish on the mainplate and bridges, the snailed barrel, the blued steel screws and the openworked oscillating weight adorned with Côtes de Geneve and stamped with the Baume & Mercier "Phi" emblem.

The black or silver-colored dial bars a crossweave guilloche motif. The 18-carat red gold case is XL sized (41 mm). The hand-sewn black or chocolate brown alligator strap is fitted with a red gold pin buckle. These two models are issued in limited and numbered series.
William Baume Ultra-Thin
Ultra-thin watches have always been synonymous with superior elegance and technical sophistication. Baume & Mercier is providing a modern take on its historical expertise in the field with this ultra-thin model from the William Baume Collection.

Measuring a mere 6.2 mm thick, this timepiece is equipped with a Manufacture Valfleurier hand-wound movement with a generous 60-hour power reserve. The XL size (41 mm) case in 18-carat red gold is fitted with a transparent back providing a fine view of the finishing on the plates and bridges adorned with Côtes de Geneve and featuring blued screws. The silver-colored dial is enhanced by a crossweave guilloche pattern providing an admirable background for the elegant "spear-shaped" red gold hand. The hand-sewn chocolate brown alligator leather strap is fastened by a red gold pin buckle. This model is issued in a limited, numbered edition.