Baume et Mercier Shogun

This piece is part of our First Look collection—your early access window into upcoming arrivals before they officially launch on the site. If you’d like more details or wish to reserve this watch ahead of the public release, simply click the Inquire for Priority Access button at the top of the page, complete the short form, and a member of our team will reach out shortly. The 1980s were a wonderfully strange time in watch design. While some brands chased ever-thinner dress watches and others pursued the emerging luxury sports watch trend, a handful embraced geometry with almost architectural enthusiasm. The result was a generation of watches that looked less inspired by traditional horology and more by modern buildings, industrial design, and, viewed through today's lens, perhaps even a video game or two. This Baume & Mercier Shogun Ref. 5136 is one of those watches. At first glance, the stepped case construction is impossible to ignore. Layer upon layer of brushed steel and yellow gold create a distinctly three-dimensional profile, giving the watch a blocky, sculptural appearance that feels surprisingly contemporary. In fact, the design is so geometric that it almost resembles something rendered in pixels—earning comparisons to everything from brutalist architecture to Minecraft decades before either existed. Despite its unconventional case design, the dial remains wonderfully restrained. A crisp white backdrop hosts applied Roman numerals, elegant baton markers, a center seconds hand, and a date display at 6 o'clock. The spade-style hands add just enough personality, while the fluted yellow-gold bezel provides a touch of refinement against the heavily brushed surfaces surrounding it. Measuring 34mm across, the watch wears larger than expected thanks to its integrated design and substantial case architecture. The original Baume & Mercier bracelet flows seamlessly from the case, reinforcing the distinctly 1980s luxury-sports aesthetic that has become increasingly desirable among collectors. Powered by a reliable Swiss quartz movement, the Shogun delivers the precision and convenience that defined the era's most forward-thinking designs, which look wonderfully right. The watch also includes box, papers, even the original hang tag. Today, collectors spend enormous sums chasing the familiar integrated-bracelet icons of the period. Watches like the Shogun remind us that some of the most interesting designs came from brands willing to explore their own path. Because sometimes the coolest watch in the room is the one nobody else thought to look for.