At the source of the tourbillon

This new model included in the Clifton collection gives a fair idea of the true measure of Baume & Mercier’s art, expressed in its motto since the Maison’s founding in 1830: «Accept only perfection and only manufacture watches of the highest quality.» This timepiece, with its exclusive hand-wound caliber is the epitome of Haute Horlogerie.

The name of this high precision watch, regulated by a flying tourbillon, refers to the history of the Maison that won 10 grand prix and seven gold medals at various international exhibitions during the nineteenth century, won prizes in chronometry competitions and shone throughout the twentieth century with the quality of its construction and the aesthetics of its creations. But this very exclusive model is also an example of Baume & Mercier’s excellence in the art of etablissage, an ancient watchmaking practice dating back to before the first manufactures.

A Historical Tourbillon

This approach to designing and producing watches is historic and inherently legitimate for Baume & Mercier. The construction method enabled the Swiss watchmaking house to create a keyless winding watch in 1892, with a caliber regulated by a tourbillon. This sophisticated mechanism, consisting of a cage revolving once a minute and whose rotation has the effect of cancelling imbalances of the balance wheel was an incredible rarity at the time, and it was to significantly improve the accuracy of watches equipped with it. Complex to manufacture and delicate to regulate, tourbillons were the preserve of the best Maisons that saved these devices with their bewitching charms for their very best timepieces, usually destined to enter chronometry competitions.

Alcide Baume presented the Tourbillon watch in 1892 at the Kew Observatory in England, a country where the brand had established a branch run by C.lestin Baume (brother of Louis-Victor). The watch won with a remarkable score of 91.9 percent. With this incredible result, this wonder of watchmaking remained the world’s most accurate watch for 10 years.

In tribute to this exceptionally accurate timepiece and in memory of its own glorious past, Baume & Mercier created the Clifton 1892 Flying Tourbillon watch in a limited edition of 30 copies. In its own way and with great subtlety, this model embodies all the values of fine watchmaking and serves as a stylish reminder that in the past, Baume & Mercier, which today embodies the image of an accessible luxury brand, once appeared in the Davoine official watch industry directory, the benchmark register of watchmaking companies, as one of only four Geneva-based manufacturers.

A piece to make your head spin !

The Clifton 1892 Flying Tourbillon watch in 18K red gold stands out as an exceptional piece in the heart of the collection whose name it bears.

Driven by an exclusive manually wound mechanical caliber (P591) controlled by a flying tourbillon produced by the Val Fleurier manufacturer, this piece revives the tradition of the house offering visually attractive and highly accurate complication watches manufactured in the pure tradition of Swiss watchmaking. Its finish of the highest quality, with a winding ratchet wheel inspired by those on traditional pocket watches, the côtes de Genève decorations on the bridges, beading on the main plate as well as traditional finishes of the various components, all assembled by the same watchmaker, are all displayed through the wide transparent sapphire glass.

This traditional timepiece, made following the rules of the art, has been designed to be perfectly adapted to the modern world. It has a power reserve of 50 hours. An opening at 9 o’clock in the silvered opaline dial, with its riveted 18K red gold numerals and indexes, offers a view of the delicate flying tourbillon carriage rotating once a minute, unobstructed by any bridge.

In creating the case for this large caliber, Baume & Mercier’s Design Studio made sure that this generously proportioned watch - 45.5 mm - fits perfectly on the wrist. The “chev.” shaped glass and curved lugs give a refined elegance to the studied style of the piece, matching the spirit of the collection. Complex and understated at the same time, the watch comes in a limited edition of 30 with a hand-sewn alligator strap, closed by a buckle. Enough to turn the heads of Haute-Horlogerie aficionados.