Before we start talking about this fantastic watch, we need to take a pause and mention how impressed we are with the new timepieces from this legendary manufacture. From their Capeland Worldtimer to their Clifton Annual Calendar with Moonphase and now this Flyback Chronograph, Baume & Mercier definitely got its groove back.
This beautiful Baume & Mercier Capeland Flyback Chronograph in stainless steel ref. 10006, is inspired by a model released in 1948 but with some subtle differences. Featuring the now traditional pebble-shaped case measuring 44 mm in diameter and a domed sapphire crystal, this watch has an unparalleled vintage look. The satin-brushed finished case along with the polished bezel, crown and pushers create a perfect horological symphony in all the sense of the word. The crown is nice and big, easy to use and the pushers offer the right resistance to pressure when activating the chrono function.
The watch is fitted with a beautiful but somewhat busy off-white dial displaying two registers —one for the running seconds and the other a 30-minute chrono register—, a date aperture between 4 and 5 o'clock and two graduated scales —one is a tachymeter and the other a telemeter. The contrast created by the anodized Breguet style blue hands against the off-white colored dial is perfect and also a great match to the blue concentric tachymeter scale on the center of the dial.
A telemeter chronograph allows the user to approximately measure the distance to an event that can be both seen and heard —i.e. lightning—using the speed of sound. The user should start the chronograph at the instant the event is seen and stop it at the moment the event is heard. The chrono seconds hand will point to the distance measured on the scale around the edge of the face. The telemeter scale shows kilometers in the case of this watch. A flyback chronograph is a chrono where the user can reset the chrono on the fly —by pushing the reset pusher— in order to take a second time measurement without the need to stop the chronograph first.
The display case back allows for full view of the La Joux Perret 8147-2 automatic movement with flyback chrono function and 27 jewels that provides a power-reserve of 42 hours when fully wound. The movement is nicely decorated with 'Côtes de Genève' and 'perlage'. The rotor features a cut-out with the Baume & Mercier Phi symbol and the brand's name.
The watch wears very comfortably as it is fitted with a black alligator strap with pin buckle. As you can see in the pictures, the watch wears larger than its size and more like a 46 mm due to the pebbled-shape of the case and the thin bezel. It's also important to mention that the watch sits high on the wrist —16.5 mm in thickness— but not in an uncomfortable way. The vintage look and feel of this timepiece is unparalleled and it's a perfect watch that can be worn dressed up or dressed down.
Sticker Price $7,500 USD. For more info on Baume & Mercier click here.
