Last year, Swiss watch maker Baume & Mercier has entered into a new partnership with the American race car maker Shelby. This year at SIHH, Baume & Mercier introduced a number of new watches dedicated to ladies and a very nice watch for gents the Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963. The newest model takes its distinctive design codes from the Shelby Cobra CSX2128, the 289-series roadster that won the 12 Hours of Sebring race in 1963 to become one of the most successful Cobras in history.
Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963
The Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963 Limited Edition comes in two versions – in an all stainless steel and in and ADLC, each with a 44-mm-diameter case. The stainless steel version comes with satin-brushed and polished finishing, attached to a black alligator strap with white contrast stitching and yellow, rubberized calfskin lining while the other “Competition” edition has black ADLC coating on the steel case and comes on a strap made of black, vulcanized rubber, the same material used in the wheels of a Cobra race car.
Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963
Other design features inspired by the Shelby Cobra CSX2128 roadster include the dial layout, with asymmetrical chronograph subdials modeled after the look of the car’s dashboard; the two subtle racing stripes horizontally crossing the black, sunburst-finish dial; the hour and minute hands that call to mind the Cobra’s steering wheel; and perhaps most noticeably, the Cobra-head logo used as the counterweight of the central chronograph seconds hand.
Limited to 1963 pieces each, paying tribute to the year which saw the first Cobra’s victory at the American championship. This means every watch is engraved with ‘One of 1963′, to some a pity that there is no unique number, to others perhaps more ‘quiet’ as they know they don’t have to fight over a specific number. On the case back, you will also find number “15”, referring to their famous race number of the CSX2128.
Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963
This watch as an authentic racetrack timekeeper. The chronograph minutes are tallied on the subdial at 3 o’clock, the chronograph hours in the subdial at 6 o’clock. Running seconds are displayed in the subdial at 9 o’clock, and the date appears in a window at 4:30. The chronograph hands are yellow (yellow-tipped in the case of the central seconds counter), while the timekeeping hands are rhodium-plated and coated with green-light-emitting Super-LumiNova. The crystal is treated with anti-glare coating on one side. The movement in the Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963 is the self-winding ETA Valjoux 7753, with 25 jewels, a 48-hour power reserve, and a frequency of 4 Hz.
The price of the stainless steel Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963 is €4100 Euro, the ADLC version will retail for €4400 Euro.
Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963
