Switzerland’s Baume & Mercier have produced spectacular outcomes with interesting partnerships for the past 5 years. Four years ago, the Swiss brand managed to collaborate with Shelby American and created watches that were inspired by the Shelby Cobra. Just last year, the brand joint hands with “America’s first motorcycle company” Indian Motorcycle. This time, Baume & Mercier will be releasing new Chief and Scout chronograph watches.
Baume & Mercier unveiled the first of three exclusive watches for this year that would definitely strike the interests of many, be it bike enthusiasts or not. The first watch is the Clifton Club Indian Burt Munro Tribute 1967 watch that was built to honour the man that spent 55 years of his life to build the then fastest Indian Motorcycle. In fact, it did set speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1962.
As promised by the firm’s CEO Alain Zimmermann, the brand will unveil two of the other limited edition watches that depict the spirit of Indian Motorcycle. Baume & Mercier’s Design Director Alexandre Peraldi and Indian’s Industrial Design worked together to deliver the best outcome.
“This project is a great way to make a historical link with the past,” said Grant Bester, Vice President, General Manager at Indian Motorcycle (Switzerland). “This is the first time we worked with a watch brand, and it was great fun, especially once we realized there were a lot of synergies with our two companies and their roots. We both have stories to tell. At Indian the big thing is that we have so many stories, the brand is not just a bike that looks good, it is about racing, speed, exploring and doing more.”
“With the Indian® watches, we focus on the colors that seem to work with the brand, colors on the dial, hands, flange, and we work with sandblasting finishes to resemble the sat flats,” explains Peraldi. “Each watch has something specific to it. The Scout plays with the colors, the beige from Indian®, and the color of the seat of the motorbike as the color of the leather strap, with the strap made by Horween, which also makes the Indian® leather seats. The Chief is more classic in black and silver with the touch of red.”