This Baume Bimatic was a presentation watch, back when companies would reward staff with gold watches for outstanding performance.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
This watch was assayed in London according to the hall mark on the inside of the case back in 1963, but the easier attribution is the engraving on the case back from engine makers Bristol Siddley to F. A. Beesley 1963, presumably for long service.
CONDITION
Bristol Siddley was founded in 1959 by merging the engine makers Bristol Aero Engines and Armstrong Siddley motors. They were one of the largest aero engines manufacturers in the world, buying de Havilland in 1961 and then the whole company was sold to Rolls Royce in 1966.
You would suspect that a watch called Bimatic would house an automatic movement, but it doesn’t. Inside is a calibre AS 1692, which has 17 jewels and is manual wind. This is working well. The 9k gold case is made by D Shackman and Sons, who made gold cases for some of the very best names (Baume were the sole import agent for Longines at this time, so knew what good quality was). The case back does have a crude engraving on too, with what looks like a Bristol post code. This post code is only 5 miles from the Bristol Aero factory, so that is another link to the past. The leather strap is new, as in the acrylic crystal that shows off the off white dial to its best. The buckle is a later Baume & Mercier one that we had and added to the watch.
This watch will be supplied with our branded presentation box and our Certificate of Authenticity.
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SIZE
Width with crown 34.5 mm
Width without crown 33.0 mm
Between lugs 18 mm
Lug to lug length 40.8 mm
Case Thickness 9.5 mm
All sizes are approximate.
Included with this watch is a 3 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
