First spotted at SIHH 2018, Baume & Mercier has officially unveiled the fruits of its partnership with legendary American marquis, Indian Motorcycles.
The new limited edition collection comes in the form of three new chronograph timepiece: the Clifton Club Scout, the Clifton Club Chief and the Burt Munro Tribute Edition.
For those unawares – Indian is largely touted as being America’s first motorcycle company after the company’s founders – George Hendee and Oscar Hedstrom – began bolting gasoline engines onto bicycle frames back in 1901.
The company’s motorcycles went on to set world records, and its most popular models – namely, the scout – became legends of the brand right up until it went bankrupt in 1953. The company was purchased by Polaris Industries in 2011 and brought the brand back to life.
The Clifton Club Indian Legend Tribute Scout limited edition is the looker of the bunch, complete with polished and satin-finished stainless steel case, alongside an open-worked dial and tachymeter on the bezel. The date displays 1901 (with the 01 in subscript) to denote the year of Indian Motorcycle’s founding.
The Clifton Club Legend Tribute Chief timepiece is different to the Indian, in that it rocks an opaline black dial with snailed silver-coloured chronograph counters, inspired by the Indian Chief Motorbike’s livery.
But it is the last model in the collection that is the most special. The Burt Munro Tribute Edition celebrates the stories and legendary motorcycle racer who rose to fame on New Zealand’s motorbike racing circuit in the 1920s. Early on in his career, Munro bought an Indian Scout (with a top speed of 55-miles-per-hour) which he continued to modify for the next half-century.
In 1967, Munro set a land speed record on that very same Scout motorbike. He was 68-years-old and managed to coax his 47-year-old machine to a whipping 184.087mph.
All three models retail for around AED14,000 and are available from all good Baume & Mercier boutiques.
