Baume & Mercier

The story of Baume & Mercier begins in 1830, when brothers Louis-Victor and Célestin Baume opened a watch shop in the village of Les Bois in the Jura region of Switzerland. Their business grew rapidly and, true to their motto: "To accept only excellence, to produce only watches of the highest quality", they built up an excellent reputation. In the early 1920s, company director William Baume joined forces with Paul Mercier. Together, they founded Baume & Mercier, Genève. The company soon became one of the most active in the wristwatch business, offering remarkably balanced models in special shapes. In the 1950s and 1960s, the company's constant pursuit of the balance symbolized by the Greek letter Phi - the current Baume & Mercier logo - laid the foundations for what is now considered the archetype of the traditional round watch.