Mondaine

Mondaine

Mondaine is the trademark for a series of watches made by the Swiss company Mondaine Watch Ltd.

A line of Mondaine watches is heavily influenced by classical Swiss railway clocks, called the Official Swiss Railways Watch/SBB, to a design licensed from the Swiss Federal Railways since 1986. This design, by Hans Hilfiker, originated in 1944.[1]

The original movement was unlike other watches and unique because of the following fact: By spreading 58 seconds over the 360 degrees (rather than the usual 60 seconds), the second hand comes to a complete stop at the 12 numeral for two seconds, giving the illusion that time has stopped. Then, the minute hand advances one step and the second hand starts a new cycle. However, the company stopped making models with this mechanism around 2001. In 2013, a redesigned model was launched under the name stop2go. In keeping with how the movement itself works, the crown is shaped like a rocker switch that you flip back and forth instead of winding.

In 2006, a fifty-percent stake in the American Luminox company was purchased by the Swiss brand Mondaine, giving Mondaine increased access to the American market, and Luminox increased access to the European and Asian markets.

History

The face of the Mondaine Classic Swiss Railways (SBB) watch has been a mainstay of minimalist, Bauhaus design for 70 years. It was in 1944 that Hans Hilfiker, a Swiss engineer, designer, and employee of the Federal Swiss Railways, created a clock for the railway platforms. Known as the “Official Swiss Railways Clock,” the design features an iconic red paddle-shaped second hand, inspired by the paddles that were used to signal the arrival and departure of the Swiss trains, and an easy-to-read black and white face. This signature design has been responsible for the legendary punctuality of the Swiss rail network for seven decades.

1951

The Mondaine watch company, which was founded by Erwin Bernheim in 1951 and is still owned and operated by the Bernheim family today, found inspiration in the blueprint of the iconic, patented design of the Railways Clock and turned it into a watch collection officially licensed by the Federal Swiss Railways. The business becomes so successful that the watches were eventually dispatched all over the world by the Mondaine factory located in Solothurn.

1967

Erwin Bernheim invents and introduces one of the first timepieces to display a digital time reading on a wristwatch. He joins forces with aviation pioneer, Howard Hughes, to produce the first LCD watch. After 15 years of experiencing high demand, Erwin eventually shifts his focus away from the LCD watches as competition from the Asian market started to offer similar timepieces.

1986

Erwin’s sons, Andre and Ronnie, join their father to help run the watch business, but feel that their designs and styles are lackluster. After experiencing a 6 year dry spell in sales, the Bernheims feel that they need to take a different approach with their brand. Upon seeing the design and functionality of the Swiss Railway clock, they see an opportunity to offer the watch industry a truly innovative, unique, and legendary timepiece.

Notable Models

Mondaine Linen Dial

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