Baume & Mercier watches - User Instructions

Your Baume & Mercier watch was both designed and manufactured with great care. The recommendations listed here will help you to keep your watch in perfect working order for many years to come. 

Your Baume & Mercier watch is a high-precision instrument working continuously 24 hours a day, that needs regular maintenance to maintain its precision and water-resistance over time.

The interval between services may vary, depending on the use of the watch as well as the environment in which it is worn.

The water resistance can, for example, be affected by the natural aging of the gaskets but also by regular use of the winding crown, shocks, and other factors including perspiration, use of cosmetics and changes in temperature.

We recommend a water-resistance check every year and a complete service performed every 3 to 5 years by one of our service centers.

Note for watches equipped with a Baumatic movement

New lubricants allow for the intervals between services to be extended (5 to 7 years instead of 3 to 5 years)

With the exception of a few specific models, including Vintage ones, Baume & Mercier watches are water-resistant up to at least 30 meters. If a model’s water-resistance goes beyond 30 meters, the depth is indicated on the back of the case.

When a watch is water-resistant, its movement is protected from dust, humidity and any risk of damage caused by immersion. As such, your watch is water-resistant in all usual circumstances of daily life, be it in the rain, in the shower or while swimming. However, you should avoid subjecting your watch to high pressure water jets (such as those produced by car or garden cleaning appliances, for example) and also protect it from knocks that may occur during the practice of intense water sports (jet-ski, …).

Also, note that the water-resistance of your watch is not permanently guaranteed. The gaskets that ensure water-resistance can be physically deteriorated by natural aging but also by regular use of the winding crown, shocks, and other factors including perspiration, use of cosmetics and changes in temperature.

It is the reason why we recommend a water-resistance check every year, preferably before a summer vacation.

Warning

When your watch is submerged in water, make sure that the crown is tightly closed (pressed or screwed-down, depending on the model), and do not press any of the push-buttons because water may enter into the case.

If you notice any condensation inside your watch, you must take it immediately to one of our authorized retailers or service centers.

An automatic or self-winding mechanical watch has a sophisticated mechanism which winds it up automatically thanks to the movements of the wearer's wrist. When fully wound, the power reserve of an automatic watch varies, depending on the model, between approximately 40 and 120 hours. The accumulated power reserve enables the watch to run throughout the night and still possess a comfortable margin of autonomy. Nevertheless, if you have not worn your watch for several days, it will stop or will have insufficient power reserve to ensure optimal accuracy, which is reached when the watch is fully wound. In this case, before using it again, we suggest you wind it manually with about 20 clockwise turns of the crown to ensure that it will operate perfectly in all conditions. After wearing your watch for several hours, depending on your activity level, the watch will be perfectly wound.

Note 
- The efficiency of the self-winding process is directly linked to the motion of the wearer's wrist. In case of insufficient movements, the watch may stop even while being worn. In this case, we recommend to preventively wind the watch manually with about 20 clockwise turns of the crown.Also, the watchband must be correctly fitted to the wearer’s wrist: if the watchband is too loose, the watch may not wind itself correctly.

- The watch should be removed from your wrist before winding it. This ensures the crown stem remains completely straight during winding and avoids the risk of damaging the crown or the movement.

- Do not deliberately shake a self-winding watch in order to wind it. This is ineffective and could damage the movement.

- Even if your watch is not worn for several months we advise you to regularly wind it manually. This will prevent the oils from either congealing or flowing over the shafts of the movement.

Note for watches equipped with a Baumatic movement
Baumatic watches have a power reserve of 120 hours (5 days), which improves wearer comfort, as it can be taken off and worn again after a long weekend or week. In addition, contrary to other watches reaching optimal precision when the watch is fully wound, the good accuracy remains stable throughout its power reserve. Also, to ensure a sufficient power reserve before putting your Baumatic watch on your wrist, note that 50 turns of the crown are necessary (instead of 20 for standard movements), given its higher power-reserve.

A manual or hand-wound mechanical watch needs to be wound manually by turning the crown until it resists. Once this point has been reached, do not force the crown any further since there is a risk of seriously damaging the movement.

The watch should be removed from your wrist before winding it. This ensures the crown stem remains completely straight during winding and avoids the risk of damaging the crown or the movement.

The power reserve of a hand-wound mechanical watch varies, depending on the model, between approximately 40 and 90 hours. After this point, the watch will stop running due to a lack of power.

We suggest you wind your watch every day, preferably in the morning, before putting it on your wrist.

Finally, even if your watch is not worn for several months we advise you to regularly wind it. This will prevent the oils from either congealing or flowing over the shafts of the movement.

After using the crown, in order to protect your watch from humidity and prevent water from entering into the case, make certain that the crown is tightly closed (pressed or screwed-down, depending on the model).

Most watches with a calendar function (date, day, month, year, moon phase), have a time window (named “exclusion period”) during which it is vital not to proceed with any quick setting of calendar function(s).

Therefore, in order to prevent any risk of damaging the movement, it is important to first check the exact exclusion period of your watch which can be found in the User Guide. The user manual can be downloaded at the top of this page by entering the model reference from your warranty card (e.g. M0A10402) or the reference engraved on the case-back of your watch. If no exclusion range is indicated in the user manual for your watch, this means that you can set the calendar at any time.

All Baume & Mercier watches are tested according to the official NIHS (Industrial Norms of the Swiss Watchmaking Industry) and are shock-resistant up to 5,000g. Nevertheless, heavy impacts as well as repeated and frequent vibrations should be avoided.

Battery life is generally between 3 and 6 years, depending on the watch model.

The majority of our quartz watches with a central seconds hand, come equipped with a system to indicate a low battery (EOL – End of Life): approximately two weeks before the battery will stop, the central seconds hand will begin to jump every four seconds, signaling that the battery must be changed.

You should never leave an exhausted battery inside the watch to avoid the risk of leakage which could damage the movement.

We recommend the battery be replaced by a certified watchmaker who will also check water-resistance and movement condition of your watch.

Our environment is increasingly subject to magnetic disturbance from various sources that can affect the running of your Baume & Mercier watch. For this reason, we recommend you avoid, as far as possible, placing your watch near or in direct contact with electromagnetic sources such as magnets, electronic devices, handbag clasps, iPad/iPhone covers, …

Note for watches equipped with a Baumatic movement
Thanks to the use of silicon (escapement system with Powerscape® technology), non-ferromagnetic elements for the sensitive parts of the movement and a casing ring in ChromeCore, the watches equipped with a Baumatic movement are resistant to everyday life magnetic fields (beyond 1,500 Gauss = 25x higher than to the current norms ISO 764 / NIHS 90.10).

Do not expose your watch to extreme temperatures (above 60ºC/140ºF, or below 0ºC/32ºF) or to severe temperature changes.

Avoid direct contact with solvents, detergents, perfumes or cosmetic products that may damage the bracelet, the case or the gaskets.

To preserve the brilliance of your water-resistant case and metal bracelet, use a soft toothbrush and warm soapy water. When you have finished, rinse it carefully with fresh water and dry it with a soft cloth. The same cleaning is recommended after swimming in the ocean or a swimming pool.

Before cleaning your watch, make certain that the crown is tightly closed (pressed or screwed-down, depending on the model).

The life span of a leather strap depends on the conditions of use and how often it is worn.

For example, a strap is affected by the acidity of the skin, perspiration, temperature changes, long exposure to sunlight, skin creams, cosmetics...

Extreme conditions such as sports activities or immersion in water considerably reduce its durability.

If you wish to order a leather strap, please contact one of our authorized retailers or Contact us.

The life span of a rubber strap depends on the conditions of use and how often it is worn.

To conserve your rubber strap for several years, we recommend you keep it away from oils and cosmetics and avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight. Also, avoid rubbing against clothing as it may cause discoloration (particularly in a white strap) or premature deterioration. Furthermore, note that you may clean your rubber strap with soapy water.

If you wish to order a rubber strap, please contact one of our authorized retailers or Contact us.

Baume & Mercier recommends cleaning it gently with either a soft dry cloth or clear water. Let the watch dry completely before storing. It is best not to combine mother-of-pearl with perfume or body lotion, which can be detrimental to its iridescent reflections. Therefore, always wait approximately 10 minutes between applying perfume/body lotion and putting your watch on. Your mother-of-pearl adorned watch will be safer when stored in a soft cotton bag.

Bronze is a material that ages depending on the lifestyle of the person wearing it. When it comes into contact with corrosive elements – particularly perspiration and sea water– this alloy takes on a verdigris hue, making the watch unique.