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Baume & Mercier offers up a Valjoux 7751 movement based watch so similar in theme to a similar offering by Longines, that the brand can never deny who its intended competitor is. By all accounts the new Baume & Mercier Classima Executives XL Chronograph Calendar watch is a nice looking watch, but it does not feel particularly special. Actually that sounds like most of the recent Baume & Mercier watches. I think they are too afraid to infringe upon their higher end relatives in the Richemont Group. A few years ago we saw a host of exciting looking Capeland, Riviera, and Hampton models coming out. Did that stream dry up?

In a 42mm steel case the watch style is classic with just a hint of personality. Baume & Mercier supplies the watch with a relatively attractive guilloche engraved finished dial. It feels like it is missing Roman numerals, but that would have made the dial too busy. Dark gray hands instead of the expected blued steel hands give the watch a Tuxedo look - while the red gold date hand and gold toned moon on the moon phase indicator add a suggestion of luxury. Sapphire crystal on the front and rear of the watch allow clear views, with a Baume & Mercier signed automatic rotor see in the back. The Valjoux 7751 automatic movement is related to the Valjoux 7750, but adds a host of features including an annual calendar, synchronized 24 hour hand, and moonphase indicator in addition to the time and 12 hour chronograph. While there is nothing wrong with the attractive watch, give the competition, anything above $3,000 would be too much to pay for a watch like this. Though I don't know the price of the watch yet.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

This collector's timepiece is limited to just 3 pieces and is pretty stunning if you are the sort of person who not only enjoys the looks of Parmigiani Fleurier watches, but also those decorated with precious jewels. The Tourbillon Arlequin watch is placed in the Kalpa XL watch case and fitted with the manually wound Caliber PF 500 movement. The watch complications include the time and power reserve indicator. Most tourbillon watches use the tourbillon cage as a subsidiary seconds indicator, but a centrally positioned seconds hand is also included in this watch. The highlight of the Tourbillon Arlequin is the checkerboard-like arrangement of 92 baguette cut diamonds and 45 baguette cut sapphire stones all over the dial. The stunning watch makes up in bold looks, what is loses in legibility. The 44mm tall by 37.2mm wide case is in platinum. It is an ultra decadent watch with an equally ultra decadent price (by request only). A nice, almost haute jewelry timepiece from Swiss Parmigiani Fleurier.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.