Happy father’s day all you swell readers! I’ve been reading everywhere lately about so many gift ideas for dads on Father’s day. There are a lot of great ideas out there, but what every dad I know wants is time, time with his loved ones. A special moment that can be captured in a memory, a photo, or a memento. We dads really want more than anything for our day to be filled with our favorite people. Dads do quite of a lot for our families, and today is our day to reap the reward and be with them. If you want to take that gift of quality time for dad not so literally, then I have a great idea for you. Baume Mercier has delivered something that captures this idea perfectly; the Clifton Automatic.

This is my third post about one of my favorite brands- Baume et Mercier, and My second Father’s day with one on my wrist. I had the opportunity to wear this watch for a week recently, and let me tell you it is quite an impressive watch. My first impression was how clean and elegant the overall design was. I had the silver dial version on a bracelet, also I loved the sunburst dial with the blued hands, sub seconds, and large Arabic numbers. This gave the dial a very classic 50′s look, but also made it extremely easy to read even at a glance.The Clifton comes on leather strap or steel bracelet and in couple of dial variations; silver and black. Other models in the line have complications such as a moon phase or a GMT dial. The automatic version (10099) is powered by the Sellita SW260-1, self winding, 31 jewel movement; it is a 28800 vph movement base on the eta 2824 with a 38 hour reserve. The decoration on the Clifton Automatic’s movement is stunning, with circular grained bridges and a rotor lavished with snailed engraving and Côtes de Genève. This movement is housed in a 41mm stainless steel case with an anti-glare sapphire crystal on the front and back, which is water Resistance to 50 meters. I wore it on a heavy panther style linked bracelet with a nice deployant clasp. The bracelet also came with a few half-links to make the perfect fit easier to attain.

Baume Mercier is a historic brand that has a lot going for it lately. After their rebranding a couple of years ago they have churned out a number of great pieces, including the Capeland Flyback I have already blogged about, and now the Clifton. The Clifton is a watch that is unmistakably traditional in its design, but is gently pulled into the modern world with a larger case size and overall design. There is 180 years of watch making behind this watch, and it shows. The polished and satin case and bracelet contrasts perfectly, the dial is simple and un-cluttered, the size and weight are exactly you would expect of a luxury piece, and it is all executed so when you place it on your wrist is seems like it’s been there for years. To top it off, it is all available for under $3000, which is fantastic for this caliber of watch (pun intended).

So if you are looking to remind dad of how important he really is, or to give him that memento symbolizing all of that quality time together, then look no further. Baume Mercier is all about moments, and the Clifton is one of their best values blending tradition with quality, and success with reward. The watch for that Dad you already know is swell.