18mm baume & mercier strap

Baume & Mercier Riviera Magnum XXL Automatic (ref. 8835)Definitely inspired by the legendary Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore, the new Baume & Mercier Riviera Magnum XXL Automatic watch is a relatively affordable piece of gadgetry for those not willing to spend a fortune on the real thing.The sporty watch, which was originally presented this Spring, comes powered by the pretty much standard ETA 2892-A2 Swiss made automatic movement and is packed in a massive stainless steel case. Sized at 45 mm in diameter, the watch is quite large, but, thanks for relatively short lugs, may fit even thinner wrists.Its black dial features huge, but somehow crude-looking, Roman numerals painted with a luminescent substance.The hour and minute hands also received their share of SuperLuminova, but that didn’t make them look any prettier. I would even say that both hands are on the uglier side of it, especially when compared to the 2006 year’s Riviera Chronograph model in red gold and rubber (ref. M0A08712.) with their beautiful dauphine hands.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been named as the new ambassador for Baume and Mercier, the luxury Swiss watch maker. The 38 year old actress will not be appearing on any promotional material according to press relations staff at Baume and Mercier. She will however be involved heavily in communication projects such as brand appearances at the Salon International De La Haute Horologerie which is a yearly showcase of the industries luxury watches in Geneva Switzerland. Baume & Mercier has been suffering from poor sales in recent years according to its Chief Executive Officer Alain Zimmerman. He made a statement saying that the brand has been suffering in recent years due to lack of appeal and that the watch maker will be ceasing production of all its watches but one. The only watch continuing production is the companies best seller the Classima. The watch makers announcement that it will be bringing on Gwyneth Paltrow as its brand ambassador is believed to be a last ditch effort to try and rebound its sales according to industry analysts. Recently Baume and Mercier have restarted production of its Linea and Capeland lines which will premiere in the Hampton collection in October of 2011. Zimmerman said 'Our positioning remains as a brand that offers high-quality products with a beautiful design.' Gwyneth Paltrow joins many other famous faces as a brand ambassador for Baume and Mercier. Previous brand ambassadors included Meg Ryan, Kim Basinger, Terri Hatcher and Evangeline Lilly.