MONDAINE'S BRAND HISTORY

In 1944, Hans Hilfiker, a Swiss Engineer and Designer and employee of the Federal Swiss Railways, created a clock which has become known as the “Official Swiss Railways Clock”.

In 1986, the Mondaine watch company, owned by the Bernheim family, was inspired by the blueprint of the iconic patented design of the Railways Clock, and turned it into a watch collection -- with official license from the Federal Swiss Railways.

Since the first collection launched in 1986, new lines have been introduced each year to ensure that the Mondaine Official Swiss Railways Watch appeals to a wide consumer audience.

These Mondaine Official Swiss Railways desk accessories are the famous clock in miniature, and carry the same Swiss reputation of excellent watchmaking, punctuality, precision and uncomplicated, concise design.

The Mondaine collection has become a highly respected icon of in its own right, offering strength of character in each rendition. Today, it is widely considered to be one of the “10 Classic Swiss Watch Designs.”

When friends or travelers are looking for an easy central meeting area in Zurich, Switzerland’s biggest city, the most popular choice is the Mondaine Railway Station Meeting Point at the main station. A four-meter high Swiss Railways Clock by Mondaine, visible from every direction in the station’s light and airy glass-domed central hall, towers over the Meeting Point. Over 300,000 people pass through this central hall in Zurich each day.

The Evo watch line features a gently rounded case topped by a slightly domed mineral crystal with a magnifying effect. Design and function are combined in this elegant timepiece.

The administration of Mondaine has a new Headquarter at the Lessingstrasse in Zurich.

This Swiss stamp featuring a Mondaine face was designed by Ursus Wehrli for the Swiss Post.

The Mondaine self-powered illumination system maintains a permanent glow for years, providing steady, long-lasting readability without any additional light source.

Mondaine is featured in the encyclopedic edition "Phaidon" presenting the 999 ultimate Design Classics. A 3-volume edition meticulously researched and curated after extensive consultation with designers and design-world insiders. Sir Terence Conran calls this book "A remarkable publishing achievement. These 3 volumes are encyclopedic in their scale and thoroughness; they are really a two-dimensional design museum between cardboard covers. Every design office and design student will want to have them..."

In 1986, Mondaine created its first range of watches based upon this well-known Swiss blueprint. The simple design, the unmistakable easy to read face, distinctive hands and the famous red seconds hand helped to make the Mondaine collection successful the world over and secured their rightful position in the watch making hall of fame.

Mondaine Watch featured in the Cult Watches book.

The new Mondaine factory facilities open in 2009.

What makes “Swiss made” so special? So sexy, that as “Swissness” it is constantly causing a stir, and not just in Switzerland? Rather, what is important here is a seminal value added, thanks to specific qualities exhibited by the products and topics presented here, which raises them above the triviality of superfluous products and throw-away (un)culture of built-in obsolescence. (…) In the land of aspiring inventors, qualities such as these are not only lived out in classic design areas, but also by Mr. and Mrs. Swiss in everyday life(…). - Klaus Leuschel

Like the timeless Swiss Railways Clock, the Mondaine vintage aesthetic never seems to fall out of favor. The traditional Mondaine Vintage watch, featuring a mechanical hand-wound movement and transparent case back is a must-have addition to any watch connoisseur’s collection.

A unique feature of the Swiss Railway (SBB) Clock that ensures the smooth and absolutely precise departures of Swiss trains on the full minute, the 2 second pause on all railway clocks across Switzerland has continued to delight and intrigue travelers for the past 70 years. This ingenious design by a Swiss engineer employed by the SBB ensured that train punctuality would become a visible concept across the globe. Swiss watchmaker Mondaine has incorporated this unique motion within its newest introduction, the stop2go. This timepiece features the famous red second hand that completes its rotation in 58 seconds and then pauses at the 12 o’clock mark for 2 seconds while the black minute hand jumps forward, starting its next rotation.

Choosing the Helvetica font as a muse, with its quintessentially Swiss values and style, has enabled the creation of a time-tested yet harmonious watch collection. Just like the type font, Mondaine Helvetica is discreet, yet strong in the conviction of providing efficient time-keeping in a tempered recognizable form. The font translated to a watch design is something that is incredibly simple at first glance, but which has little quirks that are only noticed when studying the watch. The date aperture is slightly off its traditional central axis position to fit in with the typography of the dial. The Helvetica number “1” with its famous curved crossbar has been used as model for the lugs.

Mondaine launched a watch that proudly references its past, while simultaneously taking a bold step into its future. The Mondaine Helvetica No 1 Smart is the first-ever smartwatch. Inside this watch is the latest in smart technology focused on monitoring activity and sleep, featuring Motion activity tracking, Sleeptracking sleep monitoring, sleep cycle alarms, get-active alerts and adaptive coaching.

Blurring the lines between technological innovation and horological excellence, Mondaine has once again excelled with a fresh update to its outstanding Mondaine Helvetica No1 Smart watch. Having established itself as a leader in the field of Swiss-made wearable technology for the discerning customer, Mondaine continues to innovate with new Near Field Communication (NFC) contactless payment technology. A number of Mondaine watches will be imbued with a Mondaine PayChip™, designed to offer convenient and efficient transactions at contactless payment points.

The essence collection combines two of Mondaine’s core values - innovation and sustainability - to create the watch of the future. Essence watches are made with the latest in watch technology, along with 70% of the parts built from reusable materials. This collection is protected by scratch-resistant mineral crystal to not only ensure they are built along environmentally-friendly guidelines, but that they remain in perfect condition for as long as possible.

With the success of the ESSENCE Sustainable Collection launch, Mondaine expanded the assortment with the instroduction of a White Case & an updated Eco-Conscious strap. This new update includes a 100% Vegan Eco-Friendly Strap made out of cork lining and Recycled PET water bottles, with a quick-change enhancement.

The Federal Swiss Railway clock is an icon of modern time-telling. In the years since its 1944 release, it has achieved a particularly beloved place in global design recognition. Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB) engineer Hans Hilfiker imagined the original—which would come to represent the precision of the transport system. Since 1986, Swiss watch brand Mondaine has been the official licensee. With an original clock blueprint, Mondaine has minimized the design and applied it to wristwatches with authenticity. To honor the 75th anniversary of the clock, we have released two special edition iterations of the Classic.