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The Baume & Mercier Capeland chronograph is perhaps my most sentimental watch in my collection. As I explained in my SOTC post, it wasn’t technically my first “good watch”, but it was the first good watch that I purchased after careful research. It was also my first chronograph. I wore it on my wedding day, and for the birth of my first child. It’s a watch I’ll never sell.
The Baume & Mercier Capeland Chronograph: Measuring Speed And Distance
I knew my first really nice Swiss watch was going to be a chronograph when I started the research process. This model (reference 10061) fit the bill. It was automatic with a white dial, the complete opposite of my “grail” at the time – The Omega Speedmaster. I knew that one day I would own a “Moonwatch”, so I wanted something that would be different enough to co-exist in a collection that also contained a Speedy Pro.
The Capeland also comes with a telemeter for measuring distance, along with the more common tachymeter for measuring speed. I thought this was cool (even if it’s something I’d never actually use). I bought the watch sight-unseen online, but was even more impressed when I finally saw it in-person.
The dial really takes on a different look under different angles and lighting conditions. The silver snailed subdials and telemeter scale play with the light in very interesting ways. The stark white dial looks almost enamel-like. The crisp black printing of the Arabic numerals and red accents of the telemeter scale all come together nicely, and really pop against the white dial.
The date wheel is placed between 4:00 and 5:00 blends in because of the white dial, and is unobtrusive. Throw in the rhodium-plated leaf hands, which are also filled with lume, and you have a classily-designed chronograph, which pulls inspiration from the 1940s and 1960s. These are two of my favorite eras for watch design. The dial is a little busy overall, so it might not be for everyone – but I love it.
A Bracelet That Compliments The Capeland Chronograph Perfectly
I love the look of the bracelet as well. It’s different than the Speedmaster bracelet and doesn’t look like a generic Oyster-style bracelet, either. Its design language is exclusive to Baume and Mercier. It also mixes up the design of the overall watch.
A double-deployant clasp also keeps the watch secure on wrist, and melts into the bracelet. This gives the bracelet a clean, integrated look – without any visible clasp present:
While the dial is more classically-styled, the bracelet is definitely a modern design. I think Baume and Mercier blended the two conflicting design cures perfectly, though. I like this because it makes the watch feel like a fresh, new design in some ways, but also familiar, too.
It’s a very solid bracelet, and I’d put its quality up there with the best of them. The solid feel is also heavy, however, so you feel it on wrist. There’s no taper, either. If you like thinner, vintage-style bracelets (like the Oris Sixty-Five or 3861 Speedmasters), then this bracelet might not be for you.
I’m generally a fan of tapering bracelets myself, but I still find the Capeland’s bracelet comfortable on wrist. It’s just very heavy and solid feeling. The tolerances are very tight (on the individual bracelet links themselves, and also where the endlinks meet the case). It’s a bracelet that oozes quality.
The Case: Built Like A Tank
The Capeland’s case is completely brushed, with very sharp edges. The quality is superb. It’s also very thick, which it kind of has to be to accommodate a Valjoux 7750-based chronograph movement. The movement is actually a Valjoux/ETA 7753 (the subdials are arranged in a different layout than the traditional 7750 where they’re placed at 12, 9, and 6). It’s nicely finished with perlage on the plates and Geneva stripes on the rotor, and appears to be rhodium-plated.
The thickness of the case is largely why I keep this one on its bracelet, because the watch feels a little “top heavy” on straps, unless the strap is highly padded. You can see how thick the case wears compared to a Speedmaster above.
Overall, I like the simplicity of the case and the sharpness of the edges. It’s simple, but not boring. Despite the thickness of the case, I’ve had no problems slipping it under a shirt cuff, and I don’t think the watch looks out of place with a suit or button-down shirt.
The bezel is polished, which plays off of the polished accents of the bracelet. It adds some visual interest to the case. The pump pushers are also polished, and I think they were the perfect choice to compliment the dial and overall vibe of the watch. they’re actually one of my favorite things about this watch for some reason.
The polishing on this watch is a step above your standard “entry-level” watch, turning black at certain angles. There aren’t any distortions in the mirror-like finish, either. I’d say that the overall case finishing is on par with my Omega and IWC.
Conclusion: A Great Watch From An Underrated Brand
I’m still in love with the Capeland Chronograph after almost a decade of ownership, despite recently gravitating towards smaller, thinner watches as I’ve refined my taste over the years. I love pretty much all of the design elements of the watch itself; especially the way it can look and feel modern, but also subtly and seamlessly hint at design cues from the past, too.
I believe it was designed by Alexandre Peraldi, who came to B&M from Cartier and now works for Ikepod. He was also the designer behind the Clifton collection, which I’m a big fan of, and I always liked the watches he designed for Baume and Mercier.
As I said in a previous post, I think Baume & Mercier is underrated as a brand, or at least overlooked for no good reason. I’ll also admit that I have a soft spot for the brand due to sentimental reasons.
The brand’s watches are usually deeply discounted on the grey market and have horrible resale value, but if you factor in the quality of the case finishing and attention to detail – the overall quality of watch you’re getting at that discounted price is usually a steal. The Capeland chronograph is no exception.