Model # MOA10004
Brand/Model: Baume et Mercier Capeland Automatic Chronograph
Movement: Swiss automatic chronograph
Material: stainless steel case, leather strap
Complications: date display, chronograph timing in one second increments up to 12 hours
Price: MSRP: $4,350 USD, discounted regularly
Brand/Model: Baume et Mercier Capeland Automatic Chronograph
Movement: Swiss automatic chronograph
Material: stainless steel case, leather strap
Complications: date display, chronograph timing in one second increments up to 12 hours
Price: MSRP: $4,350 USD, discounted regularly
Plenty of photos follow the review. Click on the pictures to enlarge.
This is the second Baume et Mercier (‘B&M’ for short) watch that I have purchased. For many WISes, B&M is considered more of a fashion brand, albeit a high quality one, but the company also makes some very good and interesting sport and semi-dress watches that bear closer examination.
The
new line of Capeland chronographs from the company harkens back to a simpler
time. These watches come in a wide variety of dial colors and feature
certain retro touches (the design of the chrono pushers, the simple fonts used
for the dial printing, the more traditional dial colors) with the only
non-retro cues being the case size (42mm) and of course, the price!
To be honest, when you first handle the Capeland chronograph, it does not really feel or look like a $4,000 USD watch. The heft isn’t quite there (partly because there’s no bracelet) and the finer details of other watches in this price range are lacking (applied markers, more/better lume, interesting case angles), but it does grow on you rather quickly. This watch is certainly worth in the $2,000 USD range and you can pick them up brand new at this price point, so there’s still good value to be had with this model series. Don’t get me wrong, this is a quality watch with very nice finishing.
I think that any serious watch collection should have one copper dialed watch, because copper looks so cool as a dial color and does bring back the olden days. Some copper-colored dials tend to be more tarnished copper in color or more brown, but the B&M Capeland nails the copper color perfectly. It simply radiates a beautiful shade of copper and looks smashing on the wrist.
The B&M Capeland chrono starts with a beautifully polished and brushed 42mm stainless steel case. The signed non-screwdown crown is fairly large, which makes winding easy, but it is not very thick, another nod to the retro aspects of this piece. It looks great. Case diameter with the crown included is 45.6mm. More kudos for the chrono pushers; they are the somewhat larger old-fashioned type that look like plungers, with their larger heads and smaller stems. The ends of the pushers have a rounded button-like look to them with a machined circle. A superb look.
The caseback is held in place by six small screws. The caseback is polished and has horizontal lines that add a bit of style, with the ‘Capeland’ wording imprinted on the caseback. Case thickness is 15.3mm and lug width is a perfect 20mm, making the installation of aftermarket straps, if desired, easy and the selection, plentiful.
The Capeland is factory rated at a modest 50 meters of water resistance, so best not get this watch near any water at all.
The copper dial, as previously mentioned, really shines on this model. Although everything is printed on the dial (there are no applied markers or such), it still radiates a quality aura and a look of yesteryear. The hands are simple silver with white inset lume. The chrono and subseconds hands are plain silver and the chrono seconds hand is silver, but tipped in red.
To be honest, when you first handle the Capeland chronograph, it does not really feel or look like a $4,000 USD watch. The heft isn’t quite there (partly because there’s no bracelet) and the finer details of other watches in this price range are lacking (applied markers, more/better lume, interesting case angles), but it does grow on you rather quickly. This watch is certainly worth in the $2,000 USD range and you can pick them up brand new at this price point, so there’s still good value to be had with this model series. Don’t get me wrong, this is a quality watch with very nice finishing.
I think that any serious watch collection should have one copper dialed watch, because copper looks so cool as a dial color and does bring back the olden days. Some copper-colored dials tend to be more tarnished copper in color or more brown, but the B&M Capeland nails the copper color perfectly. It simply radiates a beautiful shade of copper and looks smashing on the wrist.
The B&M Capeland chrono starts with a beautifully polished and brushed 42mm stainless steel case. The signed non-screwdown crown is fairly large, which makes winding easy, but it is not very thick, another nod to the retro aspects of this piece. It looks great. Case diameter with the crown included is 45.6mm. More kudos for the chrono pushers; they are the somewhat larger old-fashioned type that look like plungers, with their larger heads and smaller stems. The ends of the pushers have a rounded button-like look to them with a machined circle. A superb look.
The caseback is held in place by six small screws. The caseback is polished and has horizontal lines that add a bit of style, with the ‘Capeland’ wording imprinted on the caseback. Case thickness is 15.3mm and lug width is a perfect 20mm, making the installation of aftermarket straps, if desired, easy and the selection, plentiful.
The Capeland is factory rated at a modest 50 meters of water resistance, so best not get this watch near any water at all.
The copper dial, as previously mentioned, really shines on this model. Although everything is printed on the dial (there are no applied markers or such), it still radiates a quality aura and a look of yesteryear. The hands are simple silver with white inset lume. The chrono and subseconds hands are plain silver and the chrono seconds hand is silver, but tipped in red.
The
‘tricompax’ layout of the subdials are another more traditional touch with the
Capeland model series. The subdial at 9 is the watch seconds hand, the
subdial at 3 is the 30-minute chrono totalizer and the subdial at 6 is the
12-hour chrono totalizer. Each subdial
has very subtle circular patterning that adds a bit of panache, but you really
have to look hard to see it.
A quickset date at 4:30 has a black on white date wheel. To quickset the date, a small flush pusher is located at the 10 position on the upper left side of the case. You should use a plastic pointer to set the date to avoid marring the finish on the case, just make sure you are nowhere near 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. so as not to damage the movement. There’s no external frame for the date window, but the window is inset slightly from the dial with a chamfered edge, a small but enticing detail. The date is pretty easy to read and alignment in the window is fine.
A black tachymeter ring (in black) and telemeter ring in kilometers (in red) form the chapter ring on the dial. Printed hash marks for the markers and arabics complete the dial, with the exception of minimal dial printing consisting of ‘Baume & Mercier,’ ‘Geneve’ and ‘automatic.’ Nicely done, leaving the dial clean and with a fairly open feel.
A quickset date at 4:30 has a black on white date wheel. To quickset the date, a small flush pusher is located at the 10 position on the upper left side of the case. You should use a plastic pointer to set the date to avoid marring the finish on the case, just make sure you are nowhere near 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. so as not to damage the movement. There’s no external frame for the date window, but the window is inset slightly from the dial with a chamfered edge, a small but enticing detail. The date is pretty easy to read and alignment in the window is fine.
A black tachymeter ring (in black) and telemeter ring in kilometers (in red) form the chapter ring on the dial. Printed hash marks for the markers and arabics complete the dial, with the exception of minimal dial printing consisting of ‘Baume & Mercier,’ ‘Geneve’ and ‘automatic.’ Nicely done, leaving the dial clean and with a fairly open feel.
There
are also no hacked off or partial arabics, which is another pet peeve of mine,
so congrats to B&M for this as well. One final accent are the red
arabics at ‘60’ on each subdial. Very subtle. Lume is only on the
hour and minute hands and there are also small lume dots at each quarter hour
mark on the dial. Lume quality is
average.
The dial is covered with a domed sapphire crystal that exhibits no distortion, but has no anti-reflective on it. Under 8X loupe examination, a clean build was noted with no dust or errant specs anywhere and the print quality of the dial was very good. The simple fixed bezel is flush with the crystal and matches the overall look of the watch. This was a difficult watch to photograph because the crystal picked up many reflections.
Powering the B&M Capeland chronograph is the tried and true Swiss Made Valjoux 7753 automatic movement. This movement hacks and can be manually wound and with the exception of the quickset date pusher being located on the case side, functions pretty much the same as a Valjoux 7750.
The dial is covered with a domed sapphire crystal that exhibits no distortion, but has no anti-reflective on it. Under 8X loupe examination, a clean build was noted with no dust or errant specs anywhere and the print quality of the dial was very good. The simple fixed bezel is flush with the crystal and matches the overall look of the watch. This was a difficult watch to photograph because the crystal picked up many reflections.
Powering the B&M Capeland chronograph is the tried and true Swiss Made Valjoux 7753 automatic movement. This movement hacks and can be manually wound and with the exception of the quickset date pusher being located on the case side, functions pretty much the same as a Valjoux 7750.
I
have the 7753 in my Omega Speedmaster and performance between the B&M and
Omega is remarkably similar, especially since the Omega is COSC rated.
The B&M ran for a respectable 54 hours on a full wind and kept time at +4
seconds/24 hours. No complaints here. Chrono action is good, with
start, stop and reset all functioning like they should. A strong movement
as a base for a quality watch is always a nice feature to have. And to note,
I did not detect any 7750 ‘wobble’ while wearing this watch. You will hear the rotor spin every now and
then, but without any undue undulations on your wrist.
The strap on the Capeland is a nice piece of work. It’s moderately padded and has a subtle but great looking grain to it and compliments the copper dial perfectly. The strap is dark brown leather with white semi-coarse contrast stitching and measures 20mm at the lugs and tapers to 17.7mm at the polished and signed deployant style buckle.
The strap on the Capeland is a nice piece of work. It’s moderately padded and has a subtle but great looking grain to it and compliments the copper dial perfectly. The strap is dark brown leather with white semi-coarse contrast stitching and measures 20mm at the lugs and tapers to 17.7mm at the polished and signed deployant style buckle.
Presentation is a sturdy two-piece outer box on the outside with a large-ish foldover box designed to look somewhat like a book on the inside. You undo the strap to open the inner box. The inner box is covered in a soft dark brown faux leather and could easily be used as a portable watch carrier, given its easy open design. An entirely acceptable package for this watch and price point.
Overall, the Baume et Mercier Capeland chronograph is a great watch. It’s not frivolous in anyway, has the right amount of retro-ness and oozes tons of style and panache without being swishy or overly fashion conscious. In a word, superb.
Pros: great copper dial, reliable and accurate Swiss engine, nice retro touches without going overboard, good looking strap
Cons: could use a bit more lume in spots, no pushbutton release on the clasp, somewhat fussy clasp to adjust initially, pusher to set date could be a turnoff for some
Verdict: buy this one for looks, dial color, chronograph functions or even the name, but buy it because it gets the job done and does so with style and an understated elegance that many watches lack these days
Thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures.
Excelsior!
-Marc
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