Introducing: Merci Instruments Launches Six New Versions of its Geometric 'Beaumarchais'

What We Know

One of our favorite accessible brands, Paris-based Merci, is back with a new sextet called the Beaumarchais collection. The form factor might look familiar—you’ve maybe seen it in our Merci Instruments Beaumarchais H02 Limited Edition for Hodinkee. Now, the very geometric cushion-shaped case, inspired by 1970s design, is back in a capsule collection that references some of the great iconic dial designs in watchmaking history. Stelline dials, Buckley dials, there’s a bit of everything in the new group, which the brand also says pays honor to ancient Roman, Greek, and Egyptian civilizations.

The model, named after watchmaker-turned-writer Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (and the boulevard that houses the Merci Paris flagship), retains the tight 36mm by 10mm case with octagonal bezel, angular cushion case, and brushed and polished surfaces. Inside is the Miyota 9039 automatic movement, with a 40-hour power reserve. The variation comes through dials (and straps as well). There are six dial options shown in the story. Five of those dials are like the Hodinkee version, with a raised center circle and an outer ring, while one features an octagonal center. Colors vary from hues of blue to grey or even green. The main thing that stands out is how the watches play with depth on the dial and combine it with different indices, like faceted or even star-shaped applied markers.

You can get the whole rundown over on the Merci Paris website, but the really nice thing here is that, like all their releases, the watches are informed by founder Arthur Gerbi’s passion for eschewing performance for performance’s sake and for making robust, affordable mechanical objects with good design. With that in mind, the retail price is a fair €470.

What We Think

These are fun releases from Merci and well-designed (kudos to our friend Elliott Hammer, who helped with that portion of the project on this release and the Hodinkee one). I am a sucker for a deep dial with dimension from the indices and textures. The grained texture on some of the watches, like the “Cosmora” green dial below, is really beautiful. It’s also between that or the “Æon Blue” dial with Arabic numerals for the watch I could most see myself wearing. But I love that the brand decided to bring back the old star indices that resulted in some of the coolest watches in Rolex history. Across the board, a great release.

The Basics

Brand: Merci Instruments
Model: Beaumarchais (Six models)

Diameter: 36mm
Thickness: 10mm
Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel with screw-down caseback
Dial: Six different dials
Water Resistance: 100m
Strap/Bracelet: Cordovan straps with color depending on the watch

The Movement

Caliber: Miyota 9039
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds
Power Reserve: 40 hours
Winding: Automatic

Pricing & Availability

Price: €470
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No

For more, click here.