Hands-on review of the Baume & Mercier Riviera Baumatic Moonphases with pictures, specs and price. €5,200. Recensione Riviera Baumatic Fasi Lunari
The latest one is the Riviera Baumatic “Moonphases” 10682 which adds a fascinating "moonphases" complication to the luxury steel watch of the brand.
We recently had the possibility to spend a few days with this model and we are now delighted to share our live pictures and impressions.
The Riviera Baumatic “Moonphases” 10682 comes in a 43 mm x 12.34 mm stainless steel case with a dodecagonal – twelve-sided – bezel that is inspired to the original Riviera from 1973 and enhanced by four screws which add sportiness to the ensemble.
Most surfaces are satin-brushed with polished chamfers to highlight to refined and dynamic design of the watch.
The octagonal crown is engraved with the Greek letter Phi, symbol of the golden ratio or divine proportion and the brand's logo. Even without a screwed crown, water resistance is guaranteed up to a pressure of 10 bar (approximately 100 metres / 330 feet).
Well protected by a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, the eye-catching sun-brushed dial is built on several levels with open-worked hour and minute hands, riveted indexes at 3 and 9 o’clock, and a Roman numeral at 12 o’clock.
Positioned at 6 o'clock and framed by a date ring, the moon phase display is particularly captivating with its polished rhodium-plated moon which stands out against a black lacquered background and is revealed through a grey transparent sapphire aperture.
The seconds hand with a counterweight in the shape of the Phi symbol is green, a colour that we also find on the minutes track for the 5, 15, 25, 35, 45 and 55 numbers.
The hour markers and the tips of the hands are coated with white Super-LumiNova emitting a blue glow if the dial was previously exposed to artificial or natural light.
The self-winding Baumatic BM14 1975 AC1 calibre and its open-worked oscillating weight, personalised with "Côtes de Genève" and snailed decors, are showcased through the sapphire crystal caseback secured with 4 screws.
Beating at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour), this innovative self-winding Manufacture movement offers a remarkable power reserve of 5 days or 120 hours, a performance which is very rare to find in an automatic movement.
The Baumatic offers truly excellent performances in terms of magnetic fields, autonomy, precision, and durability while remaining affordable. Its silicon balance-spring is antimagnetic, three times lighter than the ordinary alloys used for hairspring, resistant to corrosion and less sensitive to small impacts and repeated vibrations.
Moreover, the high-performance escapement was designed with an unusual geometry to reduce losses relating to friction and improving the torque transmission between the components, thus ensuring a 30% higher autonomy.
The model used for our review was fitted with a smoothly integrated three-row stainless steel bracelet featuring satin-brushed and polished surfaces. A triple folding buckle with security push-pieces secures it to the wrist.
Thanks to the proprietary Fast Strap interchangeability system, it is possible to change the bracelet, quickly and easily, with other straps in the Baume et Mercier range that are optionally available.
Well proportioned, the “Moonphases” Riviera Baumatic offers a casually elegant style that makes it possible to wear it in almost any daily situation.
Combining an attractive look with high-quality finishes and an advanced manufacture movement, the Baume et Mercier “Moonphases” Riviera Baumatic has a suggested retail price of Euro 5,200 / US$ 5,200 with its steel bracelet or a Euro 5,050 / US$ 4,850 when matched to a rubber strap.
A lug to lug measurement would have been nice!
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