The ad campaign that B&M runs for itself is titled Baume & Mercier & Me. Many other luxury watch brands hire high profile celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Tiger Woods, and Maria Sharapova, among others to represent and promote their watches, but not B&M. And given the recent Tiger Woods drama, it’s obvious that it’s not always necessarily a good thing to have a super famous face behind your brand. Baume chose these two ambassadors because while “internationally recognized, while remaining totally authentic and profoundly human.”

According to the official B&M website: “this campaign enables Baume & Mercier to convey, in an authentically committed manner, the three values forming the essence of its brand identity : proximity, authenticity and creativity.”

If a brand has big enough pockets, they can pretty much hire whomever they choose; it’s not uncommon for celebrities to earn millions endorsing a single brand, but that’s not the case with Lilly and Duchovny. The agreement is more along the lines of a pro bono partnership with Baume sharing profits with causes that the actors support.

The newest Baume & Mercier watch set to debut at the 2010 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) show this month in Geneva, is the Classima Executives XL Chronograph Complete Calendar. With this watch, Baume delivers a difficult combination of complete calendar with moon phase indication.

Watch Tags: Baume and Mercier, baume mercier, Baume Mercier Ambassadors, Baume Watches, classima-executives-xl-chronograph-complete-calendar, Luxury Watches

The Hampton collection itself made quite a statement, even for a designer watch, in the first few years after its birth in 1994. Its original rectangular case in steel was nothing short of revolutionary for the watchmaking industry and, for its 15th birthday, a whole new line of three Baume & Mercier watches was released to build on this groundbreaking aesthetic.

Most faithful to the original design is the Hampton Classic which combines the initial shape with more modern contours. It comes in several different flavors for men and women ranging from an open balance watch to a chronograph and even to designs with diamond-set bezels. But though only the finest materials were used in the production of these watches, the effort to remain classic and elegant is clearly visible.

The Hampton Manchette, meanwhile, is a little less classic and a lot more feminine. Its contemporary art shape gives one the impression that the design is strictly for the modern, more powerful woman who – as the diamonds on the bezel suggest – loves her luxury.

Weekend warriors will love the Hampton Magnum which gives an image that’s a little more casual but no less refined. The Magnum XXL for men looks rugged and powerful with the color combination provided by the black steel and red gold, while the alligator strap gives the idea of the tough outdoorsman. Ladies, meanwhile, will be attracted to the diamond-set bezel of the Magnum XL, which strikes a stark contrast against its tough-as-nails strap made of vulcanized rubber.

If there’s anything that the Hampton collection has in abundance (aside from diamonds and precious metals, of course), it’s personality. Each one of these luxury watches makes a clear yet careful statement about the person seen in it – just like the real Hamptons.

Watch Tags: Baume and Mercier, baume mercier, Baume Watches, designer watch

A Tradition is Born

Breitling traces its roots all the way to St. Imier, Switzerland, where 24 year-old Leon Breitling founded his company for making technical and high-quality timepieces. During World War I, Breitling specialized in manufacturing chronographs, watches and chronometers and chronographs for aviation purposes. That began the company’s association with the aviation industry and many pilots’ affection for the brand.

The Navitimer itself has quite a bit of history associated with it. It was originally designed in the 1940′s (the first model had its market release in 1952) specifically for aviators. This much was proven by the close ties this particular model had with the aviation industry; there was a release where all the units had Association of Pilots and Aviators branding on them.

It’s High Time for Change

For its 125th anniversary, it seems fitting that the company should reprise one of the most iconic Breitling watches in history. The Navitimer has long been the standard bearer for the company, especially because of its popularity with aviators and pilots all around the world.

The reimagining of the Navitimer retains all the features of the classic model, particularly the 38-jewel design, 60-minute totalizer and the time accuracy of up to a quarter of a second. For the anniversary edition, however, Breitling adds its Air Racer design to the metal bracelet, giving it a holed design with a Sixties flair.

If you want one for yourself, you’ll have to act quickly. Only 125 units of the model will be executed in 18-carat gold and the special color combinations. Should you miss that one, you have another chance: 2,009 pieces will also be released, only in less luxurious basic steel and different colors.

Don’t expect these things to be cheap either; insiders expect this new model to retail for at least 5-digit prices. But you can rest assured that that’s money well-spent on a piece of well-engineered history.

Watch Tags: Breitling