Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Baume & Mercier · Riviera
Baume & Mercier Riviera 40 mm Salmon 18k
Reference 79805OR.97
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Baume & Mercier
- Collection
- Riviera
- Model
- Baume & Mercier Riviera 40 mm Salmon 18k
- Reference number
- 79805OR.97
- Year / era
- 1953 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Chronograph
- Movement
- High-beat automatic
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Dial type
- Salmon
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Bezel
- Octagonal with 8 hexagonal screws
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Salmon
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 33B — High-beat automatic
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 21 jewels
- Complications
- Chronograph
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1953 – 1957
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Baume & Mercier Riviera 40 mm Salmon 18k sits within Baume & Mercier's Riviera line, introduced in 1953. It carries the house codes established since 1830 — 18k yellow gold case, salmon dial and high-beat automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
Baume & Mercier
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1830
- Founder
- Louis-Victor & Célestin Baume
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- Clifton, Riviera, Hampton, Classima, Linea
- Signature technologies
- Certified chronometer regulation · Composite and ceramic case materials
- Famous movements
- Automatic, Swiss lever escapement · High-beat automatic · Spring Drive · Automatic chronograph
- Notable watches
- Baume & Mercier Clifton 43 mm Salmon Stainless (1960) · Baume & Mercier Clifton 39 mm Slate Platinum (1958) · Baume & Mercier Clifton 36 mm Meteorite Platinum (1970) · Baume & Mercier Clifton 37 mm Green Ceramic (1956)
Brand history
Baume & Mercier has spent more than 196 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Clifton, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Louis-Victor & Célestin Baume established Baume & Mercier in 1830, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Baume & Mercier calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1830
Louis-Victor & Célestin Baume founds Baume & Mercier in Switzerland.
1870
Baume & Mercier earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Baume & Mercier to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Baume & Mercier enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Baume & Mercier continues to produce Clifton, Riviera, Hampton and other icons in limited numbers.