Baume and Mercier Riviera…sounds swanky and it is! A child of the seventies, along with Audemar’s Royal Oak and Patek’s Nautilus, the Riviera was an early sport/luxury watch, comfortably bridging the divide between the thin dress watches of the day and casual sport watches. Slender, with a smooth integrated bracelet, available in gold, steel, or two tone, the Riviera was (and still is!) at home on the tennis court or under a French cuff. A faceted case, satin and polished surfaces, romantic name, and French sounding manufacture …altogether a very seductive package. Also, practical and water resistant – the versions that I’ve seen all have screw down caseback and crown. The Riviera that I wore for years had an automatic movement and guilloche dial.
Today, it’s rare to find a 70’s or 80’s style Riviera with a mechanical movement. The vast majority were quartz. While I admired the automatic version for it’s super thin profile and decent accuracy, these watches aren’t about the movement. Today, a vintage quartz Riviera offers a lot of quality and style for a modest price!