Baume & Mercier Dual Time 18KSG Big Square Case 1970s¥1,210,000
The story
About this watch
The watch presented here is a Baume & Mercier Dual Time Ref.32001 from the 1970s, a square 18-carat gold watch that shows the time in two places at once.
The story of the house begins in 1830, when the brothers Louis-Victor and Célestin Baume set up a watchmaking workshop in the Swiss Jura. The Baume family built its name on precise watchmaking and went on to sell its watches abroad. In 1918 William Baume joined forces with Paul Mercier, and on 27 August 1920 the two formally founded Baume & Mercier in Geneva. From then on the brand combined traditional Swiss watchmaking with a strong sense of design. It used square cases and inventive shapes to turn the watch from a simple timekeeper into an ornament for the wrist.
Today the range is built around the round, simple Classima, the rectangular Hampton, and the twelve-sided Riviera, a shape that belongs to Baume & Mercier alone.
From the 1950s, as exports to a booming America grew, many watchmakers released dual-time watches that showed the hour in another country. By around 1970 some models displayed three or even four time zones.
This watch comes from that period. Inside the case are two hand-wound movements, both Baume & Mercier's caliber BM550, one for each dial. Each time zone is set with its own crown, one on either side of the case. On the navy dial sit two square sub-dials with textured gold chapter rings and black Roman numerals, echoing the shape of the case.
Above all, it is the 31mm square case in solid 18-carat gold that draws the eye. Its size gives it real presence on the wrist. The surfaces are covered with a fine mesh-like engraved texture, while the sides of the lugs and the corner lines of the caseback are polished to a mirror finish. That contrast lets the gold case itself carry the sense of luxury, and the generous engraving brings it close to a work of art.
For anyone who keeps an eye on another time zone, or who simply wants a gold watch with more to look at than most, this is a piece well worth owning.
- wrist size in our picture is 17cm circumference -
Specifications
Specifications and condition
Brand
BAUME & MERCIER
Ref.
32001
Year
1970s
CONDITION
good overall condition, showing traces of use.
light scratches on the caseback
DIAL
navy dial with two square sub-dials, textured gold chapter rings and black Roman numerals
dual time display, each time zone set independently with its own crown
STRAP & BUCKLE
navy leather strap fitting up to 18cm (not original to the watch)
20mm lug width
CASE
18K solid yellow gold, mesh-like engraved finish with mirror-polished lug sides and caseback edges
31mm(excluding crown) / 38.5mm(lug to lug)
MOVEMENT
Hand-wound Cal.BM550 x 2 (one for each time zone), 17 jewels
BOX & PAPERS
"PRINCIPE PRIVÉ" certificate of authenticity documentation card
"PRINCIPE PRIVÉ" box
Make it yours
The next chapter of this watch is yours.
Baume & Mercier Dual Time 18KSG Big Square Case 1970s
