CLIFTON CLUB IS THE NAME OF THE NEW WATCH LINE FROM BAUME & MERCIER, WHICH FOCUSES ON THE ACTIVE GENTLEMAN.
The watch manufacturer Baume & Mercier, founded in 1830 in Geneva, is well known for its timepieces. The new Clifton Club brings an air of youth to their collection with a sporty-elegant watch, suitable for any occasion all day.
Every sporty gentleman is familiar with the situation. During the day you wear a beautiful watch on your wrist, affording you an elegant appearance and attesting your good taste. But at the close of work the gentleman becomes a sportsman. He changes his timepiece for this activity and takes a more robust sports watch, because the classic model should not be subjected to too much water, impact and perspiration. After a refreshing shower, the sportsman gets ready for his evening date and again puts on his luxury watch. After all a gentleman wants to show himself at his best in the “wee small” hours.
However, what happens if the gentlemen and sportsmen – in short the «gentlesportsmen» – don’t want to change their watch for every different occasion? What if the gentlesportsmen among us just want to wear one beautiful watch that withstands every type of sport? Baume & Mercier design director Alexandre Peraldi and his team addressed this question and found the answer after roughly one year’s work. The result: Clifton Club. «Wide-ranging demands were placed on our new Clifton Club watch line: It should be cool and at the same time comfortable to wear as well as affordable. If you don’t notice that your watch is on your wrist after a while, then it is perfect. I believe that we have managed to create just such a masterpiece in our new collection.» The Clifton Club, in five alternative designs, exudes sporty elegance, which one would expect from a watch in the middle luxury price range. Two of the 42mm cases are made of polished satin-finished stainless steel and have a black or white dial. A calfskin strap with casual canvas embossing and orange coloured rubber coating on the base gives the Clifton Club a sporty look and at the same time make it extremely resistant. «The orange details such as in the second hand or the strap were the result of a mixture of yellow for creativity and red for love », explains the creative thinker with a mischievous grin.
Two other versions also have the polished satin-finished stainless steel cases and a black or blue dial. A steel strap lends these timepieces an urban touch. The fifth model is designed completely in black, including dial and case. The coating, according to Baume & Mercier, is extremely hard and makes the 10.3 mm high watch extremely resistant to scratches and impact. The black strap of vulcanised rubber is suitable for even the most strenuous sports thanks to its course structure.
A number of sports stars such as ice hockey player Eric Blum, snowboarder Pat Burgener, fencer Race Imboden or field hockey player Tom Boon have been won over by the suitability of the Clifton Club for everyday use. The capabilities of the Clifton Club with its mechanical Swiss clock mechanism, impact resistance up to 550 G and water resistance up to 100 metres depth are put to the test on their wrists. Creative watch designer Alexandre Peraldi sees this as confirmation that the twelve-month development period was worth it: «Our concept that the Clifton Club is sporty but not a sports watch obviously proves popular with the gentlesportsmen.»
