Baume et Mercier Baumatic

The Baume et Mercier Baumatic is what the brand calls their manufacture or “in-house**” movements. Swiss made, automatic, beat rate of 28,800bph, 21 jewels, 120 hours power reserve. Read on…

5 Days Power Reserve for a 5 day work week:

Baume et Mercier is hopping on the bandwagon of more power reserve, offering up to 120 hours (5 days) in their Baumatic line. Here is how Baume describes it:

“The power reserve of a standard watch movement ranges from 40 to 70 hours when it is fully wound. So if the owner removes the watch on a Friday evening, it will have stopped or lost precision when picked up again on a Monday morning.” –source

We can all agree that the move towards runtime longevity is a good thing, but it’s amusing to see some brands so desperate to pitch the feature this way. Why do brands market their watches as something the owner will not want to wear on the weekends? And do they not realize that they are diminishing all of their other 99% of watches that have been on the market for the past several decades?

Powerscape Escapement:

Baume et Mercier states that their ability to offer such an extended power reserve is thanks to their Powerscape technology. Here is how they describe it:

“The new high-performance escapement equipped with Powerscape technology comprises an anchor and escape wheel in silicon, featuring a thoroughly optimized geometry. Its new design based on complex shapes serves to: Improve torque transmission between the components / Drastically reduce losses relating to friction = increase efficiency / Thus ensures 30% higher autonomy.” -source is the same as above

Twinspir Hairspring:

As you continue reading the marketing for the Baumatic, you will notice that they are willing to trash talk their other watches in an effort to push Baumatic, going as far as stating:

“Mechanical watches are not always very accurate, and are even less so when their power reserve runs low.” -same source as above

Great, so we’ve all been buying Baume et Mercier watches all these years while they knew all along that we were buying inaccurate timepieces? Well, the Baumatic makes up for all of that with their new TWINSPIRI

“The new hairspring is endowed with the TWINSPIR technology: a composite structure, combining two cores of silicon, alternately set at a 45 degree angle and bound by a silicon dioxide layer that also plays a roles in ensuring thermocompensation.

Combined with a newly shaped variable inertia balance wheel, it delivers the following benefits: Improved accuracy of the movement in various positions and over the long run / Reduced sensitivity to magnetism / Greater resistant to small impacts and repeated vibrations.” – source

Caliber Confusion:

Another one *DJ Khaled voice*. Yes, another “in-house” movement with unorganized designations. Is it the Baume et Mercier caliber Baumatic? Or the Baume et Mercier caliber BMXX-XXXA? Or the Baume et Mercier Baumatic caliber BMXX-XXXXA? They printed Baumatic on the dial but not on the movement. One would think (especially after spending any amount of time reading Caliber Corner) that a brand going through the efforts to design an produce a movement “in-house” would also employ a team to help them better communicate the movement to the watch community. Unless… could it be that brands create such confusion intentionally? Smoke and mirrors!

So you have a calibre BM13-1975A, which is a basic 3-hander with a date, silver tone rotor on the movement. Then you have a BM13-1975AC1, which is a triple-date moonphase perpetual calendar complication, then it’s an in-house movement with a Dubois-Depraz 55102 module attached, gold rotor. *face palm emoji* Why are they obsessed with the number 13? Did nobody think to make the 3-hander a caliber BM31 and perhaps the perpetual calendar a BM365? Or, even a BM13, BM14, BM15, BM16 would suffice.

To make matter worse, in Baume and Mercier’s online store, they do not specify the caliber number of the specific model. So for example, on this Clifton 10699, the movement section only lists Swiss Made, Energy: Automatic, self-winding, and Frequency: 28800.0vph/4.0hz. It seems odd that a watch brand with their own in-house movement (which do not contain clear and concise caliber labeling conventions), do not add this to the Movement section of their product page. But wait, there’s more! The official user guide also fails to name the caliber number and simply refers to the movement as: BAUMATIC – HOUR, MINUTE, CENTRE SECONDS, DATE. Price of the watch: $3,250 USD.

Baumatic Family Calibers:

BM12-1975A

Automatic, 21 jewels, basic 3-hander with a date at 3:00, COSC certified.

BM13-1975A

Automatic, 21 jewels, basic 3-hander with a date at 3:00, COSC certified.

BM14-1975 AC2

Automatic; also 21 jewels?; certified chronometer; 120 hours power reserve. Functions: pointer date subdial at 6:00, moonphase indicator at 6:00, day of the week subdial at 12:00. This movement is found in the Clifton Baumatic Day-Date/Moonphase watch announced on September 5, 2022. Not COSC certified?

“This Clifton timepiece combines the superior precision of the Baumatic manufacture self-winding calibre with a clean and subtle style. A traditional moon-phase complication at 6 o’clock balances the pure appeal of a white dial paired with stainless steel.” –source

BM13-1975 AC2

Automatic; also 21 jewels?; certified chronometer; 120 hours power reserve. Functions: perpetual calendar with pointer date subdial at 3:00, day of the week subdial at 9:00, month subdial at 12:00, year at 12:00, moonphase at 6:00. This movement is found in the Clifton Baumatic Perpetual Calendar timepiece announced on September 5, 2022.

In Baume’s own words:

“With the manufacture Baumatic BM13 movement and a power reserve of 5 days, this perpetual calendar wristwatch offers precise timekeeping and elegant functionality. It features a polished 18K pink gold case and a gilt moon-phase disc with a blue lacquered finish.” –source

Is the Baumatic Really an In-House Movement?

Any time a watch brand announces the launch of their in-house movement, there is skepticism, and a bit of eye-rolling mixed with sighs and knowing the road of research ahead will likely lead to disappointment and cynicism, and eye-rolling at all of the other watch publications capitalizing on the opportunity to pack articles with the term “in-house” as many time as possible without actual verification or proof beyond a press-release. But then there are the **. On the official Baume et Mercier Riviera Baumatic page, they have two asterisks next to the phrase in-house BAUMATIC caliber**. What’s interesting (and uncomfortable), is that those two asterisks lead nowhere. In other words, there is no other information or note about the in-houseness or what the ** is referencing. What does it mean!?

“The Riviera also docks at the marina to showcase a luxury version equipped with the in-house BAUMATIC caliber**, which has been known and acclaimed for several years, particularly through its success with the Clifton collection. A technical jewel, the BAUMATIC Riviera clearly intends on addressing the expectations of future watch owners seeking excellence and irreproachable quality.” –source

On another page, B&M refers to it as a manufacture movement…

“Our Baumatic manufacture movement combines understated elegance and technical reliability, thanks to the latest generation of the Baumatic calibre – the BM14 – certified by the COSC (Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute) and resistant to the magnetic fields encountered in daily life. The Baumatic movement is the essential companion for aesthetes with assertive tastes in perpetual pursuit of performance and innovation.” –source

Baume & Mercier has been owned by the Richemont Group watch conglomerate since 2001. The Baumatic is produced by Manufacture Horlogère ValFleurier, a branch Branch of Richemont International SA.

Recommended Service Intervals:

Baume et Mercier claims that their Baumatic powered watches can go more than 10 years without service. Allow them to explain how this is possible, in the most Swiss watch marketing way possible:

“Through fine understanding of wear conditions, intense laboratory investigation and modeling, lubricant formulations have been adjusted to fulfill their long lasting mission under sever strains.

Each key function is being thoroughly tested with new procedures and test benches developed specifically to account for strains that our watches encounter. These stress tests not only include thousands of repetitive cycles to stimulate more than 10 years of intense use, but also newer tests reflecting more accurately today’s activities and lifestyles.” – source

The standard Baume et Mercier international warranty is 2 years, however, if you get a Baumatic powered watch, the warranty is extended an extra year… but no worries since it should last 10+ without a service. The cost of sending a watch to B&M for service starts at $380 USD for a basic automatic watch, with a leadtime of 5-6 weeks. There is no indication that the Baumatic service prices are any different than the other calibers used by the brand, as per the official price list.

Dial Side:

Clifton Baumatic Video:

Additional Resources:

• Official instructions for the Baumatic BM13-1975A (pdf)