Like a lot of the most enduring steel sports watch designs, Baume & Mercier’s Riviera can trace its lineage back to the early 1970s. The classic mid-century codes are all there: the 12-sided geometry, riveted bezel, and generous swathes of polished steel — all details that have aged gracefully with the passage of time.
Naturally, that versatility also makes the Riviera the ideal canvas for a range of ongoing and iterative aesthetic updates. This month, watch enthusiasts are getting exactly that: with the introduction of four new models which take “chromatic inspiration” from the natural landscape of the French Riviera.
In practical terms, what this amounts to is two new fully steel Rivieras on integrated bracelets (sized at 36mm and 39mm) plus two variations of the one ADLC-coated design.
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According to spokespeople for the brand, the fully braceleted models are meant to “assert very elegant finishes” — typical of what you’d expect from a quality daily wearer.
Of these, the larger Riviera Ref. 10770 is unlikely to require much hard-selling.
Cased in a 39mm proportion, with a dial inspired by coastal pine groves, it is the priciest of the new Baume & Mercier Riviera releases — and justifiably so.
Beyond sheer size, the 10770 sports a transparent sapphire dial blank, so that wearers can see through to the model’s proverbial posterior, with the date wheel and wave-engraved mainplate clearly visible.
That movement, by the way, comes from the brand’s ‘Baumatic’ family: boasting automatic winding and a five-day power reserve. A mindboggling bargain, when you stop to consider the $6,000 price point.
That release is supported by the Riviera Ref. 10764 — a 36mm model that is similarly self-winding, with a dial inspired by the bleached rock formations of the Massif de L’Esterel.
A lot of retailers have described this as a “ladies watch”, but (as many astute collectors know) its compact proportions and raffish salmon-on-steel combo are going to make the 10764 a design that sports strong unisex appeal.
Not for nothing: the Riviera collection’s signature wave motif looks great, executed against the rosy orange tint of this dial.
Finally, there are two variations of the same 42mm design that mixes together steel and rubber: the Riviera 10763 and Riviera 10768.
Enthusiasts who are partial to other fun, comparatively accessible mixed-material designs, like the Bulgari Aluminium or Hermès H08, are sure to enjoy themselves with Baume’s latest offering.
Conceived with active and outdoorsy wear in mind, the 10763 is inspired by the lush greenery along the French Riviera coastline. Meanwhile, the 10768 takes a slightly more sinister tact: featuring a blue dial that is meant to evoke the “abyssal mysteries” of the Mediterranean Sea.
Accents of rubber and ADLC (“amorphous diamond-like carbon”) are used throughout. Those details definitely enhance the ‘tactical’ look of these rubber-strap models, but are also of practical use: resulting in an aquatic accessory that is hard to scratch and comfortable to wear.
