Indian Burt MunroLimited Edition
Now, being that it’s a mechanical watch, I can already hear the chatter of watch enthusiasts commenting about how mechanical watches should not be subjected to constant vibration and G forces no matter the specs. The effects of constant and short powerful vibrations to mechanical movements has been widely debated on many forums and covered by many articles, a few of them by aBlogtoWatch, but it’s generally agreed upon that any strenuous physical activity is best performed with your mechanical watch spectating from the sidelines. Wearing of mechanical watches during these types of activities could damage the self-winding mechanism along with causing premature wear on pivots and the balance wheel.
Indian Burt MunroLimited Edition
As a perfect testing ground I’d be riding a suspension chopped, vibey V-twin Indian Scout Bobber, over three days, to test all these premature wear theories including the added benefit of it being shock resistant and rated to withstand 550 G, which is over 10 times the shock exerted on a human body during a fatal motor vehicle accident. With all those specs, I was feeling pretty positive about the watch withstanding the vibrations.
The other mechanical machine I’d be reviewing would be the aforementioned Indian Scout Bobber, a newly not-yet-released model, and I’d be riding one for the next few days at arguably one of the most coveted, secret, two-wheeled gatherings in the motorcycle community. The Bobber was a great compliment to the Clifton Club watch as they both carried an edgier feel against their counterparts in their respective collections, which, as the weekend progressed, revealed to be a very complimentary relationship with similar road maps.
Indian Burt MunroLimited Edition
The launch of the Indian Scout Bobber brings a fresh and hip look challenging the brands usual conservative style, much like what the Clifton Club has done for Baume et Mercier. The sleek, understated utilitarian look of the bike makes you think you could ride this everywhere, at anytime, wearing anything, possibly even a slim-fitted suit. The fit and finish of the Bobber can be best described as bang for your buck with a huge emphasis on bang and less on the buck; another similarity with the Clifton Club’s satisfying and tight build quality not commonly found on competitors’ watches in the same price range.
Baume et Mercier had already made a limited edition for the Shelby Cobra, so it was natural that they’d be releasing a piece to kick-off their partnership with Indian Motorcycles, the Burt Munro Limited Edition. With regards to tribute pieces, limited editions, and theme oriented watches, I prefer them to be over the top. Meaning, I really want the brand to embody whatever they are trying to accomplish with this “special” piece. Some brands will just affix a logo, maybe change the color of the dial, or even just put the watch on a different strap and call it a day. Fortunately, Baume et Mercier put some real thought into the Burt Munro Tribute timepiece.
Much like the Clifton Club Shelby Cobra 1964, the new piece is framed in a 44mm polished stainless steel case with dual pushers and beveled lugs. The engine powering the watch is the same automatic Valjoux 7750 running smoothly on 25 jewels at 4Hz, capable of storing up to 48 hours in its reserve tank. So far, so familiar, but where the watch really stands apart from its Shelby Cobra sibling is in the details of the tachymeter and dial.
The tachymeter is stainless steel with number engravings on a fixed bezel with one of those number engravings being “184,” the speed at which Burt Munro broke the land speed record. Moving inwards, the dial is sandblasted in a silverish-white color to mimic the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and the number indices are black rhodium plated. The brushed finish of the dial is cleanly interrupted with a commanding black horizontal line running the length of the dial from 3 o’clock to 9 o’clock, which was inspired by the livery of Burt’s bike, the Indian Scout based streamliner. Breaking up that horizontal line is a yellow seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock stamped with Burt’s lucky number “35.”
The feel of the pre-production piece was solid, from its buckle, straps, case, and finish. I really liked the theme of this watch and the best part about it was that it looked vintage. Adding to the aesthetic pop and depth to the overall appearance, Indian Motorcycle’s famous vermilion red is splashed and tanned on the chronograph hand, sub-dial hands, and USA-sourced leather strap with a pin buckle. The subtle “Phi” stamping of the bottom strap, near the lugs, is a nice touch without screaming “It’s a Baume et Mercier watch.” Another nice touch is the chronograph hand’s counterweight, which is the Indian Motorcycle’s “I.” Lastly, the caseback, while still not an exhibition caseback, is engraved with the Indian Motorcycle’s headdress logo with the limited edition number engraving, one out of 1967.
I really wanted to wear this watch after seeing it as it would have perfectly looked the part on my wrist, riding down the sunset-lit California coast’s HWY 101. “Unfortunately,” the best I could do was the Limited Edition Clifton Club Shelby Cobra 1964. Surprisingly, the larger watch felt better on my dainty wrists and the clasp was quite comfortable, which got me more excited about the Burt Munro Tribute piece since it would feel more or less the same. Even with its slightly larger lug size, clasp, and pushers, it was relatively easy to slip under my riding gloves when gearing up, making me think the Tribute piece could make it into the daily watch rotation. Again, I hear the chatter of watch enthusiasts… “a limited edition mechanical watch in the daily rotation?”
Speaking of limited editions, this whole weekend was full of vintage, rare, and custom motorcycles, that were built in household garages, custom workshops, and collectors’ warehouses. One of the many names repeated over the course of the event would be RSD, Roland Sands Designs. Roland Sands is motorcycling’s equivalent to George Bamford in the watch world, except more badass and winning an AMA national championship. His drag race winning machine of the weekend would be the “RSD Wasp,” a Yamaha MT-09/FZ-09 franken-street tracker. This bike build would be something equivalent to taking a Rolex 116610 Submariner Case and squeezing in the newer Calibre 3255, slapping some DLC on the case, screwing on an exhibition caseback, coating the hands in yellow gold, and pulling the dial off an Air-King, finished off by stringing it on a hand stitched, custom perforated, humanely treated, organically tanned young calfskin strap.
If this was an invite only watch event, it’d play out as such: Maximillian Busser and Friends would organize a private gathering at Lake Geneva with the top watch influencers to talk about the state of the watch industry, have a “watch show” full of one-off collectibles, and, importantly, drink copious amounts of “warm” beer with a side of gloating to help wash it all down. Some of the invitees would be Andreas Strehler, Kari Voutilainen, Roger W. Smith, and Vianney Halter, as headliners. Richard Mille, De Bethune, Ressence, and HYT would represent some of the innovative watch companies to pop up with showcases. Lastly, Bamford Watch Department and Motorcity Watchworks would round out the modifiers segment, bringing with them a collection of DLC coated, mil-spec divers and custom modified watches, which have become very popular in recent years.
Uber-geeky “watch races” would be held; Chronometre Classic (best timekeeping watch), Chronograph Drags (most accurate time stop), Chronograph Drags (Vintage Class) and the all too famous Redline Renegades Race (fastest VPH). The bonus round would be the Deep Dive Sprint (most water and pressure resistance). Completing the festivities would be a “watch show” and a tribute video of the late George Daniels. Of course, Baume et Mercier would be the title sponsor of this shindig with everyone riding in on Indian Motorcycles.
Baume et Mercier will surely continue their relationship by adding follow-up limited and special editions in the future alongside sponsoring more motorcycle events and alternative sports. The Clifton Club watch is a great value proposition piece that could be the dual duty workhorse many people are looking for. Many of the races over this Wheels and Waves California event were “run what you brung,” so the only thing holding you back was you. No red tape, no real inspections, just racing at it’s purest, and this is where I think the Clifton Club really stands out. The watch isn’t screaming “look at me and all my pedigree and mechanical innovation and heritage and best of this and that,” it’s just a great looking and working watch.
One of the first things I heard on this trip was from Fred Martel, President of Baume et Mercier, during our car ride from airport. The conversation nicely summarized the event. Baume is not trying to be a specialist watchmaker or an aggressive performance-driven brand that strives to beat the competition, but a brand that embraces life and its achievements all while enjoying the ride.
Well built and made for the weekend warrior, prices for the Clifton Club start at $1,950 for the stainless steel model, on up to $2,250 for the bells and whistles, rubber strapped DLC model. The Burt Munro Tribute Limited Edition is available for pre-sale with a price tag of $3,750, limited to 1967 pieces. baume-et-mercier.com
