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 38 mm Ice Ceramic
Reference 98481OR.95
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Baume & Mercier
- Collection
- Riviera
- Model
- Baume & Mercier Riviera 38 mm Ice Ceramic
- Reference number
- 98481OR.95
- Year / era
- 1960 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- GMT / second time zone
- Movement
- Automatic, Swiss lever escapement
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Dial type
- Ice blue
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Ice blue
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 41B — Automatic, Swiss lever escapement
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- GMT / second time zone
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1960 – 1968
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
In-house design studio
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Baume & Mercier Riviera 38 mm Ice Ceramic sits within Baume & Mercier's Riviera line, introduced in 1960. It carries the house codes established since 1830 — ceramic case, ice blue dial and automatic, swiss lever escapement — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
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.