Review – Baume HRS Limited Edition Automatic – When Richemont goes Microbrand-Like
When you hear the word Baume, most would assume it’s referring to Baume & Mercier, a popular luxury watch brand dating back to 1830 and now part of the Richemont Group. And they’d be partially correct. Baume is an offshoot of Baume & Mercier with Marie Chassot (Product Marketing Director for Baume & Mercier) coming in as the lead, along with several other executives from the parent company. Baume is, however, very much an independent company with different design philosophies and strategic guidance, and a strong focus on sustainability.
The story in a second: A rare case of quartz having legit enthusiast appeal, albeit in a clever, and very novel, fashion. Say “it’s quartz” and countless watch nerds cringe; however, there have been some exceptions to the rule over the years. Of course, Grand Seiko Spring Drive calibers get a pass on account of the brand’s epic design and finishing, as well as the fact that they run a quartz oscillator in the place of the balance wheel, but everything else is done mechanically (to state things as simply as we can). And then there’s the F.P. Journe Elegante 48, which is a completely different animal. Longines has also been toiling away in the battery-powered department, and their V.H.P. calibers, which were refreshed in 2017, carry with them some impressive specifications. Accurate to +/-5 seconds per year, Longines integrated a special functionality to these calibers that allows for internal correction for magnetism or shock via a “gear position sensor” that effectively can tell if things are out of whack and adjust the caliber as required. Weird, but clever for sure. With the GMT Flash Setting model, the brand pushed a step further and have basically created the most idiot-proof…
The story in a second: A classy calendar for the life aquatic. Expanding on a dive watch collection — especially one with such a rich history as the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms —is a challenge at the best of times. Do you stick to classic tool watch roots? Do you step outside the box with a complication or design with more commercial appeal? Do you start toying with unorthodox case materials? There are a lot of ways to go here, and as we’ve seen year after year, the results can be fantastic, just as easily as they can be questionable. We’ve seen Blancpain take some interesting approaches with the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe collection recently, including the blue ceramic-cased flyback chronograph Ocean Commitment II, but for 2018 we were presented with a couple of very unexpected dive watches from the longstanding brand. The most curious is the annual calendar moonphase (Quantième Annuel Phase de Lune, per the brand), taking the classic 43mm satin-brushed Bathyscaphe case, and fitting it with a very vintage-y dressy-feeling triple calendar moonphase complication. It’s weird, it’s confusing, it’s the first and only diver with this complication, but it also makes the mind roam to the much-loved phrase: “That’s…
I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the Aquaracer. To my mind, it’s something of an unsung hero in TAG Heuer’s chronograph-heavy line-up. But the modern diver looks the business and, in a water-loving country like Australia, makes sense. It’s also quite a youthful feeling watch, which makes a nice changeup from the current litany of heritage-inspired offerings. And while the Aquaracer has never been particularly colour-averse, it’s somewhat ironic that this stealthy, blacked-out option is all about the colour. It’s offered in three variants, with blue, rose gold or yellow detailing, and today we’re having a look at this not-so-mellow yellow fellow. Fundamentally, it’s a watch that’s pretty familiar: 41mm across, with a case made from lightweight titanium coated with a black PVD, and fitted onto a lovely sailcloth-style nylon strap. The high-carbon content comes into play on the bezel and the dial. That distinctive shaped bezel has a carbon fibre bezel insert, replete with subtle whirls and swirls. The dial bears a similar pattern of carbon fibre-like flecks, but, interestingly, the dial isn’t actually made from carbon fibre, but rather rendered in an ersatz carbon fibre pattern, which still looks cool, especially with the grey…