Baume aspires to bring sustainability to the world of watchmaking. We spoke to its CEO Marie Chassot to find out just how far it has got to go

By Chris Hall

Billed as the world?s first sustainable watch brand, Baume launched in early 2018. Owned by the Richemont group, it is somewhat confusingly named. Baume & Mercier CEO Alain Zimmerman was the one who championed the project within Richemont, and Baume is being led by former Baume & Mercier executive Marie Chassot. Legally it is a sub-entity of Baume & Mercier, but from a customer?s point of view shares nothing with the senior brand beyond half its name. It is unlikely to speak to the same people, and nor is it retailed in the same spaces.
But more important than its name is what it stands for. The watches themselves ? a mix of automatic and quartz models in a range of PVD-coated cases, priced between £430 and £1,050 with limited potential for customisation ? would not necessarily grab our attention in their own right. But coming from one of the largest watch conglomerates, with a stated ambition to eventually change the way all watches are made ? and against the backdrop of Swiss watch brands all waking up to the idea of saving the planet ? I thought it was worth a second look. A first visit to Baume?s website throws up a couple of raised eyebrows, however. There is mention of ?vegan cotton? straps, and plenty of gold-plated models (described as ?golden steel?) that seem to contradict the launch pledges of...