Baume & Mercier’s Gorgeous Flyback Heads New Riviera Chronographs

Baume & Mercier is one of those brands that consistently produces excellent timepieces without the accompanying hype. Personally, I find this dynamic quite appealing because while I appreciate a beautifully crafted watch as much as the next person, I just don’t have quite the same appetite for the showiness that wearing many such watches also entails. Being more of an ‘if you know you know’ kind of firm, it’s in this spirit that Baume & Mercier has launched a new range of magnificent Riviera Chronographs at Watches and Wonders 2025.

Despite the collection consisting of just four references, there’s a wide variety of takes within the chronographs on offer here. And like that aforementioned balance between craftsmanship and subtlety, the brand highlights another tension in the form of balancing the modern and the vintage. There’s certainly a classic timelessness to these watches, with one limited-edition flyback chronograph model offering a particularly compelling mix of the old and the new. With that, let’s dive into each of the timepieces contained within this new collection.

Riviera M0A10828: Limited-Edition Flyback

• Movement: Automatic, self-winding
• Dial: Yellow
• Case: Polished/satin-finished steel
• Diameter: 41 mm
• Thickness: 14.34 mm
• Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal
• Bracelet: Polished/satin-finished steel
• Power Reserve: 42 hours
• Water Resistance: 100 metres
• Price: AUD$14,400

First, a bugbear. While I understand the brand made the choice to limit this watch to a run of just 73 pieces as a tribute to the Riviera collection’s 1973 launch, it’s something of an annoyance as it means the chances of me getting one on my wrist are significantly slimmer.

Nevertheless, let’s talk about that beautiful brushed gilded dial. A huge contributor to the undeniable cool of the watch’s vintage aesthetic, it’s unusual and kind of superb. Offering precise lines and high readability, the detailing across the various counters is finely done and the whole thing is edged with large Roman numerals and riveted, rhodium-plated indexes. These and the similarly rhodium-plated hour and minute hands are coated with beige Super-Luminova that gives off a blue glow. In contrast, the seconds hand (bearing Baume & Mercier’s Phi logo as a counterweight) is constructed using blued steel and is flanked by polished blued steel hands on each of the counters.

All of this is powered by a self-winding movement—offering a 42-hour power reserve—and is contained within a polished and satin-finished stainless steel dodecagonal case, which boasts scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-glare coating on top and bottom. The twelve-sided bezel is also crafted in polished and satin-finished stainless steel and this extends to the integrated three-row strap.

With its flyback function—allowing the chronograph to be stopped, reset, and restarted at the press of the push button at 4 o’clock—joining telemeter and tachymeter functions, this is a highly sophisticated time-measuring tool. But it’s also one of the most handsomely unique-looking chronographs I’ve seen in years.

Riviera M0A10827: Chronograph in Contrast

• Movement: Automatic, self-winding
• Dial: Opaline, sunray
• Case: Polished/satin-finished steel
• Diameter: 41 mm
• Thickness: 13.94 mm
• Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal
• Bracelet: Polished/satin-finished steel
• Power Reserve: 48 hours
• Water Resistance: 100 metres
• Price: AUD$6,300

The stark contrast of black and white on a chronograph dial is one of those foundational designs that helps many watch-lovers fall in love with horology in the first place. This new release from Baume & Mercier is one of the finer examples of this aesthetic that you’ll find in the halls of the Watches and Wonders convention (or anywhere else really).

The white dial boasts a tasteful wave pattern and is ringed by a black outer flange. A trio of azure black counters give the watch that iconic chrono look, while the Roman numerals, riveted indexes, and faceted hour and minute hands are all rhodium-plated and coated with white, blue-glowing Super-Luminova for maximum visibility.

Like the flyback above, it features a date window at 4:30, and the 41-mm case size found across the whole collection ensures all the watch’s elements have room to breathe but it still won’t look out of place on those without tree-trunk wrists.

Sometimes it’s more than enough to take a classic design and ensure you do it well. This contrasting chrono from Baume & Mercier serves as proof of that.

Riviera M0A10825: Black Day-Date Chronograph

• Movement: Automatic, self-winding
• Dial: Black, satiné, sunray
• Case: Polished/satin-finished steel
• Diameter: 41 mm
• Thickness: 13.94 mm
• Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal
• Bracelet: Polished/satin-finished steel
• Power Reserve: 48 hours
• Water Resistance: 100 metres
• Price: AUD$6,300

Massive contrast isn’t for everyone, so this all-black dial with just the slightest of white accents offers a more subdued take on the chronograph, but that’s not to say it’s boring by any means. A sleeker take on Baume & Mercier’s existing 43-mm model, this 41-mm interpretation features the same classic styling seen across the rest of the collection, but with that dark patterned dial lending it an aesthetic that feels industrial when you see it in the flesh.

The most significant point of difference from the rest of the chronos here is the presence of a day-date function at the 3 o’clock position, which is powered—along with the sub-dials at 12, 6, and 9—by a self-winding movement with a 48-hour power reserve.

You simply can’t go wrong with a premium black dial no matter what you’re wearing, which makes this an ideal candidate if you’re looking for a new daily driver.

Riviera M0A10826: Day-Date Chrono in Blue

• Movement: Automatic, self-winding
• Dial: Blue, satiné, sunray
• Case: Polished/satin-finished steel
• Diameter: 41 mm
• Thickness: 13.94 mm
• Crystal: Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal
• Bracelet: Polished/satin-finished steel
• Power Reserve: 48 hours
• Water Resistance: 100 metres
• Price: AUD$6,300

Swapping the black dial out for a blue one, this watch has a slightly more playful vibe and feels softer when you see it in person. It shares the same specs as its noir-toned sibling, from the 41-mm case measurements to the integrated three-row steel strap.

The scratch-resistant sapphire crystal remains in place front and back, and like all the watches in this collection, you can have the case back custom-engraved if you so choose.

There’s not much more to say that I haven’t already said about one of the other watches in this collection, but sometimes you just can’t go past a blue dial and a stainless steel strap. Baume & Mercier has delivered a compelling argument here for why this remains such a staple.