Hands-On The Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Ice Blue Limited Editions

Photos by Nick Kenyon

That’s a long preamble without mentioning the watch in the headline of this article, but just as Baume & Mercier was making seriously value-driven watches in 2019, they’re still doing it today, and the recently released Clifton Ice Blue Editions – a time-only model and a perpetual calendar – are proof. Plus, there’s a good argument to be made that they’re better-looking too. 

First, taking a closer look at the time-only reference, we have a 39mm stainless steel case that measures a reasonably slender 11.22mm in thickness. If you’ve kept an eye on the collection over the last half-decade, you’ll know 2025 was a big year for the design of the range as it underwent a relatively significant aesthetic overhaul. The fully polished case was replaced by an articulate blend of vertical brushing and polish that better accentuates the lines of the case and lugs; the bezel and lugs were thickened slightly to better frame the dial and show the brushed finish, respectively, and the crown was recessed into the case slightly to make for a cleaner top-down profile. These 2026 references have carried that redesign forward, with the same sharp case lines, strong lugs, and a nicely integrated crown.

The dial also takes a few cues from the 2025 update, but instead of the flat, lacquered tones of last year, it arrives with an icy blue shade decorated with a fine guilloché pattern. Otherwise, we’ve got the same hands and applied hour markers, cross-hair dial, and symmetrically placed date window at 6 o’clock as the previously released references. In short, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, with the dial format being open, legible, and significantly more complex to produce thanks to the addition of the delicate guilloché surface. 

Powering both the time-only and the perpetual calendar is the same Baumatic BM13-1975 (more on the slight differences in a moment), which offers a five-day (120 hours) power reserve and is equipped with a silicon escape wheel and lever that not only improves its resistance against magnetism, but also the energy transfer to the gear train. Just as I thought back in 2019, that’s a helluva lot of watch for the money.

Finally, the time-only reference is paired with an attractive three-link stainless steel bracelet that’s finished with polished outer links and the same vertical brushing on the case for the centre link. It does bear a passing resemblance to another precious metal bracelet associated with Presidents, but that famous length of gold has polished centre links and brushed outer links, as well as slightly different proportions. The bracelet is secured with an invisible double folding clasp, which can be opened via a pair of unobtrusive side buttons.

Arriving at the perpetual calendar, it’s the first time in a while the Clifton Baumatic line-up has seen such a complicated watch, following the brand’s decision to offer perpetual calendars in the Riviera collection over the last few years. In comparison to the last Clifton Baumatic perpetual calendar from 2019, the 2026 reference is almost an entirely different watch – shrinking from 42mm to 40mm (while gaining 0.8mm in height), updating the dial, and enjoying the same clean case redesign as its time-only sibling. Both the perpetual calendar and the time-only model enjoy an exhibition caseback and are water-resistant to 50m. 

Also like its time-only sibling, the Clifton Baumatic Perpetual Calendar has an ice blue dial with a concentric guilloché pattern, the only difference being it’s slightly harder to appreciate thanks to the calendar subdials and a quartet of Arabic numerals taking up a chunk of dial real estate. The classic proportions of the dial layout are beautiful, with four subdials arranged at the cardinal points communicating the month and leap year, date, moon phase, and day. Each of the calendar functions can be adjusted using push buttons on the flanks of the case.

As mentioned, the perpetual calendar also houses a Baumatic BM13-1975 movement, but one that’s been levelled up to fit a perpetual calendar module made by Dubois-Dépraz. Not only does this ensure its price remains at a relatively affordable end of the spectrum, but it also keeps the five days of power reserve – a spec sheet line that’s even more important with a can-be-tricky-to-set perpetual calendar watch. What’s arguably even more impressive is the fact that the addition of the Dubois-Dépraz module only adds another 1.68mm of case thickness, making for a 40mm by 12.9mm profile that’s genuinely capable of slipping under a cuff.

All considered, the cases are nicely finished with sharp lines that play with the light; the dials have been elevated even further this year with the arrival of guilloché finishing, and as has arguably been the backbone of the collection for more than half a decade, the five-day power reserve movements are still ticking strongly. 

Perhaps the only point of criticism would be on that final point – the movements – which in 2025 lost their COSC-certified status to guarantee accuracy of -4/+6 seconds per day. This move did see a price drop of A$250 compared to the previous generation, but as Baume & Mercier continues to iteratively refine and improve the Clifton Baumatic collection in the years to come, it would be nice to see this return to the line-up.

On the subject of price, the Clifton Baumatic has an RRP of A$5,400, while the Clifton Baumatic Perpetual Calendar is priced at A$32,500. For the time-only Clifton Baumatic, the price has remained the same as in 2025 despite the addition of the more complex guilloché dial, and while A$32,500 for the perpetual calendar is significantly more expensive than you might expect to find for a Baume & Mercier, it’s much more affordable than almost all perpetual calendars on the market. The Frederique Constant Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture is A$20,495, though with a slightly dated design and a less impressive movement, and comparisons to former Richemont stablemates include the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 for A$42,400 and Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar for A$50,000 (both of which have approximately half of the power reserve).

There isn’t a massive gulf between the newest members of the Clifton Baumatic family and the references that came before, but in my experience, that’s a very good thing. Massive swings from year to year generally indicate a brand or a collection that’s lost its way, and it's clear that here, the team at Baume & Mercier are confident in the direction they’re taking this core pillar of the brand. It remains to be seen what the next few years will bring, but if this pair of Clifton Baumatic references is anything to go by, there’s plenty to look forward to.

Brand: Baume & Mercier
Model: Clifton Baumatic, Clifton Baumatic Perpetual Calendar
Reference Number: M0A10870, M0A10872
Diameter: 39mm, 40mm
Thickness: 11.22mm, 12.9mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial: Ice blue guilloché
Indexes: Applied and rhodium-plated
Lume: No
Water Resistance: 50 meters (5 bar)
Strap/Bracelet: 3-row polished and satin-finished stainless-steel bracelet, blue alligator strap with matching stitching

Calibre: Baumatic BM13-1975-1975 A, Baumatic with Dubois-Dépraz perpetual calendar module BM13-1975-1975 AC2
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date (Clifton Baumatic); hours, minutes, seconds, perpetual calendar with moonphase (Clifton Baumatic Perpetual Calendar)
Power Reserve: 120 hours (5 days)
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 4 Hz
Chronometer Certified: No

Price: A$5,400 (Clifton Baumatic); A$32,500 (Clifton Baumatic Perpetual Calendar)
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: Yes

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