Baume & Mercier CEO Michael Guenoun On Being Audacious And The Brand’s History With India

Michael Guenoun, CEO of Swiss luxury watchmaker Baume & Mercier, keeps reiterating the word ‘audacious’ during our interview.

If you glance at the recent developments around Baume & Mercier, then that word does Guenoun’s argument justice. Guenoun was speaking to Esquire India ahead of an exclusive evening to celebrate the Maison's association with acclaimed Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer as Friend of the Maison.

India, as Guenoun tells me, is an important market for the Maison. In Iyer, and Janhvi Kapoor earlier this year, he says the brand has mastered the art of balance by bringing on board two young talents as friends of the Maison “that have similar values”.

On Guenoun’s wrist sits a Clifton Baumatic Perpetual Calendar 40mm. The ice blue dial, the multiple complications and the marvellous five-day power reserve, is a reminder of why Baume & Mercier does what it does in the first place.

In an interview, Guenoun talks about how Watches & Wonders 2026 was a new chapter for the brand, diving into the archives for inspiration and what to expect from Baume & Mercier in 2027.

Edited excerpts.

Jhanvi Kapoor and now Shreyas Iyer. What was the thinking behind announcing such two huge and diverse Indian stars as friends of the Maison?

India is a very important market for Baume & Mercier. We have a very long history between the brand and India. When the founder started the expansion of Baume & Mercier outside of Switzerland, very quickly Baume & Mercier opened an office in London.

We quickly expanded in India, where we learned so much, close to 200 years ago. So it's not something new. We see a lot of shared values here: of tradition, craftsmanship, and it's all about Baume & Mercier.

More recently, we have decided to accelerate our presence and investment in India. We strongly believe the market today is ready for Swiss watch development. We see that we need to invest in India, not only in terms of distribution, media, marketing, but also to our friends of the Maison that have very strong similar values. It's a reason we have decided to partner with two young talents in a very different field.

Obviously, Jhanvi Kapoor, a very young talent in the film industry, passionate about what she's doing. We see that as echoing with Baume & Mercier. Especially with the launch of Joia, our new dedicated line and she embodies perfectly the line. Joia means sun and Jhanvi Kapoor has a lot of lights around her, which was a perfect symbol for us. 

We often talk about Baume & Mercier as an art of balance between aesthetics and techniques, between modernity and heritage. We are also about the art of balancing between men and ladies. So it felt natural to have an ambassador that can embody our men's collections.

And Shreyas (Iyer) is a very talented cricketer. We know how important cricket is in India. We are very honoured to partner with this young talent, who also recently proved to have very strong leadership skills.

The brand has made a concerted push in the Indian market recently. What have you learnt about the Indian watch consumer so far?

We have seen a rapid evolution in the interest for Swiss watchmaking in India. You see that in the Swiss watch export numbers. We have also seen an evolution of the ecosystem for the Swiss watch industry in India. There are more luxury malls, more multi-brand watch stores here now.

How would you say the 2026 novelties have added to your existing collection? What’s been a standout timepiece for you from the new ones?

Watches & Wonders 2026 symbolised a new chapter for Baume & Mercier with a repositioning of the brand and the launch of the new communication campaign towards celebration. Baume & Mercier has been always a maison of celebration. We feel that it's very important that we are putting everything we do towards celebration. The new communication campaign is celebrating meaningful moments since the 1830s.

There was obviously the introduction of the new dedicated line for ladies, Joia, and as well an acceleration towards the mechanical watches, with Clifton being a very important part of our acceleration and redesigning. We launched the Clifton Ice Blue with a very particular decor, an automatic movement, our own Baumatic movement, with a five-day power reserve. So, we have also been investing towards mechanical movement. 

Can you tell me how important the Baumatic movement is for the brand at the moment?

We are very proud to have our own movement with such quality, and as well as the functionalities, with the five-day power reserve. It is something exceptional to have our own movement and to have developed that, and we will continue to grow our watchmaking expertise. This is part of our strategy and very important for us. We do have a Baumatic movement as well in some of the Riviera collections. 

Some of your recent launches also delve into the Baume & Mercier archives, especially with the Riviera 73. How important it is for a luxury watchmaker to take inspiration from the past?

We are so lucky because we have a Maison with close to 200 years of experience. In 2030, we will celebrate our 200 years of business, development, creativity, audacity, and this is a unique opportunity and chance to have such a rich heritage and know-how. It's a reason we manage and balance our heritage with modernity.

The recent launch of Joia, our new dedicated feminine collection, has been inspired by a unique creation, a unique piece. You were mentioning Riviera 73. Indeed, we are reinterpreting the Riviera 73. The first Rivera that we launched in 1973 didn't have a screw. It was very thin. We took this aspect of the design for the new Rivera 73. Originally, the Riviera 73 was a quartz, and we used that too for re-launching the Riviera 73.

If you had to explain the importance of having a Baume & Mercier watch to a man in their collection, how would you do that?

We are all about quality, design, authenticity. When you wear a watch, you express something. You express something about your personality. You express something about you. When you offer a watch to someone, you also express a part of your personality, your sentiment, your emotion.

We strongly believe that Baume & Mercier is a unique maison for its creation, for its celebration and the design. When you buy a Baume & Mercier or offer one, it's not like any other watch.

I see that on a daily basis when I meet clients, collectors. There is a very strong emotion attached to their watch. It's not the logo, statue or symbol that is changing today in the world of luxury. We are much more than that.

What can we expect from Baume & Mercier in 2027?

I will not be able to reveal much about the novelties of Watches & Wonders 2027, but be ready. A lot of surprises will happen. As I mentioned, we are accelerating on our audacity.