The Baume brothers opened their family business in 1830 in the Swiss region of Jura in the town of Les Bois.  Louis-Victor and Joseph-Celestin Baume had a motto “Accept only perfection.  Only manufacture watches of the highest quality” and to this tenet they strictly adhered.  Their objective was to make high quality watches driven by the latest in technology.

A branch was set up in London and they quickly expanded throughout the British Empire from Africa to Singapore and from India to Burma.  They pioneered such areas as New Zealand and Australia as well.  In 1876 the second generation took command and by then the business had a strong international presence.  The company set up branches in Switzerland, Geneva and in Philadelphia, USA.

They continued to expand internationally and were setting records in timekeeping competitions.  Back in London, Arthur Baume was named a Knight of the Legion of Honor, was twice decorated by the French president Poincarre,  the King of Belgium made him a Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold II and he was received by the King of England George V and Queen Mary.  He was also appointed president of the British Horological Institute in London.

In 1918 at the end of WWI, a new generation took command and the young William Baume partnered with Paul Mercier.  A year later they were awarded the Poincon de Geneve, the highest honor of craftsmanship in watch making.  In the 1930s, the families sold out to the Ponti family from Northern Italy.

The 1970s saw a great deal of avant-garde changes which include the adoption an electronic tuning fork movement and they came up with the Riviera model, the first steel sports watch featuring a twelve-sided case design that became their flagship model for the next 20 years.  In the 1980s the brand was acquired by the Richemont Group.  Creativity soared and the brand kept true to its roots and continues to offer attention to detail and the highest of standards of watch making.