Vintage Baume & Mercier 18ct Gold Rectangular Tank Watch | 1974

A beautifully elegant vintage Baume & Mercier watch dating to 1974, crafted in solid 18ct yellow gold with a wonderfully distinctive rectangular case.

The design has all the elegance associated with classic 1970s dress watches, with a slender champagne dial, applied baton hour markers and beautifully sculpted rope-twist detailing running along either side of the case. The warm gold tones of the dial and case are contrasted by a simple black leather strap, giving the watch a wonderfully refined appearance on the wrist.

Its elongated rectangular proportions give it that highly sought-after vintage Tank-style aesthetic, while the decorative gold case adds a little more character than the traditional clean-lined rectangular dress watch.

Inside is the signed Baume & Mercier calibre BM775 manual-wind movement. The watch has been fully serviced and is running beautifully, making this an excellent wearable example rather than simply a decorative vintage piece.

The 18ct yellow gold case carries Birmingham import hallmarks for 1974, providing a particularly useful point of provenance and firmly dating the watch to one of the great periods for elegant Swiss dress-watch design.

At approximately 20 x 27mm, it has a beautifully refined presence on the wrist. Although originally produced as a dress watch, its proportions and styling feel remarkably contemporary today and would work particularly well for anyone drawn to smaller vintage watches and classic rectangular designs.

A wonderfully chic piece of 1970s Baume & Mercier, combining solid 18ct gold, distinctive case detailing and a traditional Swiss mechanical movement.