Baume & Mercier

Baume & Mercier Men's 8692 Classima Automatic Chronograph Watch

• Quality Swiss Automatic movement; Functions without a battery; Powers automatically with the movement of your arm
• Scratch-resistant-sapphire crystal
• Case diameter: 42 mm

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The eye-catching elegance of the Baume & Mercier Men's Classima Automatic Chronograph Watch features both chronograph subdials and electric blue accents for increased functionality and style. Classima Executives watches are the heritage of Baume & Mercier's watch-making know-how. They offer a style derived from sobriety, a classical, elegant look. Classima Executives reinterprets the brand's watch-making tradition with mechanical movements with small, useful complications and refined finishings. Constructed with a stainless steel case, the timepiece includes a round stainless steel bezel, and a metallic-brown leather wristband secured with a deployment buckle. A scratch-resistant-sapphire window shields the textured silver dial, which features silver-dash hour markers, slim minute markers, and Arabic numeral indexes at five-minute intervals. The dial also includes two chronograph subdials with electric-blue detailing, a date calendar at three o'clock, and electric blue watch hands. Featuring Swiss-automatic movement, the watch is water resistant to 165 feet (50 M).

The Baume & Mercier Story

Baume & Mercier has a rich history in storied tradition of Swiss watchmaking, now over 170 years. In 1830, brothers Louis Victor and Pierre-Joseph-Celestin Baume established the Baume Freres Watch firm in the Swiss Jura region--the heart of the Swiss watch industry. As business flourished in Europe a grandson of the founder, William Baume met Paul Mercier, a great lover of the arts and in 1918 they created a business partnership. The contrast of the rigorous, precise Baume with the artistic, free thinking Mercier fused form and function to create the traditions of perfection, quality, and luxury that still exist today.

In 1964, Baume & Mercier registered the Greek letter PHI as its brand logo, and it continues to be present on all Baume & Mercier designs. A symbol of the golden ratio and Leonard de Vinci's theory of proportion, it represents aesthetic elegance based on "divine proportions" that remain the brand's cardinal values.

the designers at Baume & Mercier utilize the goldmine of the company's over 175 years of watch-making history--from the oval of a crown to the graphics of a dial--to create the aesthetic contours of new timepieces. Inspired by a rectangular pink gold watch introduced by Baume & Mercier in 1960, the signature Hampton line of watches was created as a blend of watchmaking tradition and contemporary design. And the company still lives by the original slogan of the Baume brothers when they started Baume Freres: "Accept only perfection, only manufacture watches of the highest quality."

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001K3IX4Q
• Item model number: 8692
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,026 in Watches (See Top 100 in Watches)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A few Details and Information, June 29, 2011

By 

RJ Stewart (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Baume & Mercier Men's 8692 Classima Automatic Chronograph Watch (Watch)

Watch reviews are subjective and this one is no different, here is some information that I feel would be useful to know before purchasing
* The watch face is light silver but it looks almost pure white. The watch face detail and blued hands are the best features of this watch
* The watch wears big because there is no bezel and because it is very thick / tall.
* This watch has no active second hand; the only second hand is the chronograph function.
* The Valjoux 7750 movement in this watch keeps great time but it is fairly loud and wobbly - I have read some reviews where people say they like to hear and feel the watch winding on their wrist but I would prefer a quieter movement.
* The band and clasp are excellent. The color is very dark brown, almost black. The clasp can be used with any standard replacement strap.
Conclusion: I wanted a classical looking dress watch with a chronograph feature to add little character and this watch fits the bill. The movement is "energetic" but it is growing on me.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a fan of the clasp or the support contract..., June 4, 2011

By 

Paul Hanley - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Baume & Mercier Men's 8692 Classima Automatic Chronograph Watch (Watch)

Nice dial, love the blue hands. Decent casing, but an ebauche 7750. Not too bad for the money, certainly nothing original really. However, the clasp isn't the greatest. Be wary that the design of the clasp system can endanger the safety of this piece. The primary buckle merely pushes through the strap holes, but there's nothing to secure it there other than the friction of metal on leather. My Hamilton (H32616553) has a clasp that is more secure. B&M can do better. For another $1k you can pick up a Sinn, or for another $2k, a Glashutte Original. Other than this, a fair piece for the price.

Edit: A little over a month of ownership and the watch has stopped operating. I was going to mention how loud the movement is, but another poster mentioned this, so I assume it's normal for this watch. Stunner, I'm less than one week outside of the return/exchange policy for Amazon. Will call B&M tomorrow and update the review.

Edit (Update): Amazon is using a 3rd party to repair the watches; as you might expect. However, I'm now sending it back to them a preposterous 3rd time to repair what seems to be a misaligned stem. The first time, they did absolutely nothing, and it was clear. The second time, they must have made an attempt to repair something, and it did decrease the occurrence of the problem, but it is still not fixed. Bottom line: you get what you pay for. B&M will not support watches bought through Amazon, they are not an authorized dealer. In the past, Amazon has been stellar. However, their arrangement with this repair shop has left me completely dissatisfied.

This is unfortunate, since the watch is quite appealing, and the 7750 is known for reliability given its complexity.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid and nice, July 13, 2011

By 

Egidijus Drobavicius "Egidijus" (Litauen) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Baume & Mercier Men's 8692 Classima Automatic Chronograph Watch (Watch)

The watch looks and feels really solid. Simple design and classical colours make this watch even better - it does not need any whistles and many dials to show off.
The bracelet lock could be better though - in summer time it sometimes even irritates the skin.
I was wondering how the blue colour of the hands will look like. They are deep blue and they do look beautiful - in most cases you wont notice they're blue, but when you do notice, it just makes watch look even more solid.