Watches A to Z: Mondaine

Mondaine is an unusual watch brand. Founded in 1951, it was inspired by the clocks in Swiss Federal Railway Stations. Thus, they are simple, functional, very readable, and tied to something near and dear to the hearts of the Swiss and tourists who love the country.

A Swiss Railway Station (note clock on right) photo by Joachim Kohler-HB, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The brand is Swiss Made and offers both quartz and automatic models. In a world where everyone suddenly wants to be minimalist, Mondaine watches have been a standard bearer for minimalist Bauhaus design for over 70 years. Mondaine is very progressive in their use of energy and material resources. One of their factories generates 80% of their electricity needs via solar power. The brand recycles metals and other byproducts for re-use. They also work with an Italian company, Vegea, that creates vegan leather straps from winery and grape plant byproducts. They also participate in reforestation projects. Auditors have found the brand to be CO2 neutral. 

Mondaine Evo Sapphire Classic

This Mondaine Evo Sapphire Classic typifies the Swiss railway watch look. It's a quartz watch with a 36mm diameter case that is just 7.65mm thick.

Mondaine Evo Sapphire 36mm Classic

You can check it out here on Amazon. While I'd probably swap the strap for a black one, this is one of the lowest cost Swiss watches around and it has a unique look. For a collector, this is an unusual watch choice for less than $175. You're unlikely to see many of these in the wild here in the United States.

Mondaine Classic 40mm Quartz Watch

If you'd like a larger sized watch, the Mondaine Classic is a 40mm brushed stainless steel watch with the same railway clock minimalist style. It has a Swiss Ronda RL quartz movement with an estimated 60-month battery life. The strap appears to be nylon, but it is actually made from recycled PET bottles.

Mondaine Classic 40mm Quartz Watch (Amazon Photo)

If you'd like to check out this watch, you can find it here on Amazon.