THE NEW RIVIERA CHRONO - THE ALLIANCE OF TITANIUM AND GOLD TONES

BAUME & MERCIER: A NEW RIVIERA CHRONOGRAPH IN STEP WITH THE TIMES

First released in 1973 and recently reinterpreted, the Riviera watch expresses the Brand’s design expertise and its exquisite use of materials. A Baume & Mercier lifestyle icon, this timepiece with pure, slender lines and an immediately recognizable twelve-sided bezel today asserts its full maturity. It is now available in a 43-mm sport-chic chronograph version in a bicolor mode with a totally stealthy look.

Baume & Mercier Riviera Chronograph M0A10722: back to basics

The Riviera has been keeping pace with the times for more than 50 years. Inspired by the carefree lifestyle of the French Riviera, this is the watch of casual elegance symbolizing an easygoing view of refined watchmaking. It was first developed in 1973 and has adapted to every era, year after year, while staying true to its own special style. Its steel adornments and strong shape have always represented a form of freedom and an offbeat elegance. And now it represents renewal.

In 2021, Baume & Mercier presented the fifth-generation Riviera, which continues to uphold the Brand’s expertise, capturing the signs of our modern times to better revisit them. Since then, the Riviera has revealed a number of variations. Starting in the ’90s, the first Riviera chronographs brought continuing development to the collection and reflected the new codes and trends of each passing year. The story continues this year with three variations of the brand-new Riviera chronograph in a 43 mm diameter. In 2023, the Riviera chronograph complication translates into a distinctive new bicolor model thanks to a combination of titanium and gold-tone PVD.

Riviera M0A10722, a self-winding chronograph with a strong personality

Certain watches are better than others in taking on board the genetic codes of a collection and the stylistic markers of a Brand. The latest self-winding Riviera chronograph is unquestionably one of those. With its 43-mm steel case and its dodecagonal bezel in sand-blasted titanium fastened with four sand-blasted steel screws, this piece asserts a strong character, revealing its passion for action at first glance. The powerful design of this chronograph respects tradition while rewriting the future. The original design is still there, but the desire to adapt to our times is just as clear. The latest addition to the Riviera collection, this chronograph is driven by a premium self-winding Swiss Made mechanical movement. Resistant to 100 m, it displays the day and date in two horizontal apertures located at 3 o’clock. Emblematic of sports elegance, this watch offers the strength of evocating the original models from the ’70s while revisiting their DNA. It shares the same shape, spirit and function.

Its slate-gray hue is sun-satin, featuring a gray flange and carved-and-snailed auxiliary counters that create an impression of very deep relief. The perfectly proportioned, skeletonized gold-tone hands are coated with white Superluminova (blue glow), echoing the gold-tone ring that subtly appears between the bezel and the caseband. The sapphire crystal of the dodecagonal back, fastened with four screws, reveals the tried-and-true self-winding movement that drives this distinctive chronograph. Moreover, the scratch-resistant sapphire crystal on the front has an anti-glare coating on both sides for perfect readability. This piece is adorned with a built-in gray rubber strap featuring a canvas decoration and a triple folding buckle with security push-pieces and an easy adjustment system. The very reliable Baume & Mercier interchangeability framework makes it possible to change the strap in a few seconds without the need for tools.

Like the rest of the collection, Riviera chronographs embody the values that underscore the Brand’s style while continuing to express its savoir-faire in design, shape, and watchmaking expertise.

The Riviera collection: five generations, one legend

This is the story of an illustrious watch: one like none other, one that has always been ahead of its time. The Riviera has been redesigned several times through the years, not only keeping up-to-date but truly setting the pace.

Launched in 1973, the Riviera immediately made a splash with its dodecagonal case and its slimline metal strap. It was already avant-gardist, though the Riviera name had yet to appear on the dial. In 1975, the concept was updated and made available with both self-winding and quartz movements: small, medium and large models were produced in steel, gold/steel, and solid gold.

A new generation was unveiled in the 1980s. The newly bicolor Riviera pursued its technical and aesthetic maturation, with its unmistakable name now appearing at 6 o’clock.

For the first time in 1981, it was made available as a diving watch in a style-pioneering sport-chic spirit. Its success was immediate.

Four years later, in 1985, the third generation of the collection was released. The bezel was reworked for a softer, less angular approach. The case and strap were also overhauled, and their polished and brushed surfaces helped create a more rounded look. The Riviera thus marked a turning point in terms of sophistication and reliability, including – among other features – a miniaturized screwed crown designed to improve its water-resistance. For its 20th anniversary in 1993, it strutted its style with a one-of-a-kind chronograph model. At the time, Baume & Mercier even created an unprecedented full-calendar Riviera in bicolor and solid gold versions, demonstrating its exceptional watchmaking savoir-faire. The Brand also introduced a version of the bicolor edition in a smaller diameter for ladies.

In 2004, the Riviera collection took on a twofold approach for its fourth generation with two variations, one classic and the other more athletic. For the “Classic” line, Baume & Mercier maintained the dodecagonal shape of the case, interpreting the dial with a variety of materials and configurations. As for the “Sport” range, the Riviera featured four screws on its bezel for the first time, asserting an athletic look that would stand the test of time.

The fifth generation, launched in 2021, carried forward its perennially fashionable sport-chic personality with a number of variations that only added to its character. In 2023, it celebrates its 50th birthday. It is still a trendsetter.