Baume & Mercier - Back to Reality

So...
it goes without saying that reality can be a pretty cold cup of coffee when it is staring you in the face. And with the release of Baume & Mercier's latest collection, it seems that the folks at Richemont might finally be understanding that it's adapt or die time.

Courtesy of Baume & Mercier

So for the low, low price of a few George Washingtons less than $1,000 US, you can purchase a bit of a "me too" item.

Now, let's be clear about a few things.  Baume & Mercier makes some very nice watches.  It is not a secret that many of us who cover them in both the fourth and fifth estates have been known to question their pricing strategy.  To put it gently, a bit more expensive than seemed appropriate.  

Now interestingly enough, in some locations they did very well.  They were, like Maurice Lacroix often is, the watch the store would point the customer to when it was clear that the customer had no real idea of what they were looking for or were interested in.

Now while this lower priced watch, named the MyClassima, Baume & Mercier is (at least in my opinion), floating a test balloon.  If you think about it, it makes sense.  Float a new collection out at a lower price, and see what the reaction is.  If it is positive, you adjust your other collections to more accurately reflect what prices the market will actually bear.  If it does not pan out, you move on.

So we shall wait, and we shall see.