Vintage Baume & Mercier Genève 1173 Watch serviced UK warranty

SPECIFICATION

Reference: Baume & Mercier 1173
Movement: FHF 552
Age: circa 1960s
Case Size: 33.5mm
Case Thickness: 8.5mm
Lug to Lug: 38.5mm
Lugs: 17mm
Condition: used Baume et Mercier watch
Box and Papers: no
Case Material: stainless steel
Warranty: 12-Months Warranty UK only

POINTS TO MENTION

• In great pre-owned condition, with light wear from use
  
• Case and bezel have some light scratches and marks
  
• Sunburst dial
  
• Hand set has patinaed
• Fully serviced manually wound movement
  
• Paired with an unworn black leather strap
  

THE WATCH

This Baume & Mercier 1173 makes its impression through proportion rather than ornament. The silver sunburst dial and slim stainless-steel case give it the neat, understated appearance of a classic sixties dress watch. At 33.5mm across and just 8.5mm thick, it belongs to an era when a watch could be modest in size without feeling short of presence.

Inside is the manually wound FHF 552, a straightforward piece of Swiss mechanical watchmaking. The hands have developed some patina over the years, a visible reminder that this is a watch with a life behind it. It is a quieter side of Baume & Mercier's history, and all the more interesting for that.

A BIT OF TRIVIA

Baume & Mercier adopted the Greek letter Phi as its emblem in 1964. Phi is associated with the golden ratio, a mathematical relationship long linked with balance and proportion in design. It neatly expresses the importance the company placed on proportion and design.

OUR THOUGHTS

We like the honesty of this one. The dial has that gentle sunburst finish, the case is slim, and the patina on the hands tells you it has been around for a few decades. There's no need to dress it up as something grander: it is an elegant, manually wound Swiss watch with good proportions and a pleasingly simple design. Those are qualities we can appreciate on their own merits.