Lewis Cracknell

When you step off a plane in Switzerland, the airport greets you with walls of gleaming advertisements for luxury timepieces—Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe—each vying for attention with bold promises of prestige. Yet behind the glamour, an unsung hero quietly endures. That hero is Mondaine.

Often overshadowed by its more luxurious “big brothers,” Mondaine embodies something different: honesty, clarity, and timeless design. As you travel across Switzerland, you’ll encounter its true icon again and again—the railway clock. Historic, precise, and instantly recognisable, it has become part of the country’s cultural rhythm. The irony? To most, it remains simply a clock..

Here are 5 cool facts about Mondaine as a brand.

1. Languages

The languages on the dial – represent the languages commonly spoken in Switzerland.

SBB – Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (German)

CFF – Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses (French)

FFS – Ferrovie federali svizzere (Italian)

2. The Seconds

The second hand takes 58 seconds to complete a full cycle around the watch and pauses for 2 seconds at the 12 o’clock position, while the minute hand jumps forward by one minute. A truly great sight.

3. Official Swiss Railways

Mondaine is more than just a watchmaker; it’s the official timekeeper of the Swiss railways. In fact, the punctuality Switzerland is famed for is quite literally measured by Mondaine. Here’s the fascinating part: every station clock makes a full sweep of the second hand in just 58 seconds. Then, it pauses—waiting briefly at the 12 o’clock mark. This pause gives the central master clock a moment to send out a signal, so that every station clock restarts in perfect unison at the top of the minute.

Mondaine’s most iconic collection, the Stop2Go, brings this phenomenon to your wrist. It doesn’t just tell the time—it captures a uniquely Swiss ritual of precision and synchronicity.

4. The novel lume design

Unlike traditional watches, where lume is applied to the indices and the tops of the hands, Mondaine takes a different approach. The luminous material is positioned on the back of the hands, allowing the white dial to stay clean and uncluttered while still ensuring readability in the dark. It’s a subtle design choice that reinforces Mondaine’s philosophy: functional, minimal, and unmistakably Swiss.

5. Apple Lawsuit

A not so well known dispute with Apple. Mondaine has a distinct design, as you can see. In 2012, Apple released iOS 6, where the “Clock” app (especially on the iPad) included a clock face design very similar to the SBB / Mondaine design. SBB (the railway authority) objected that Apple had used the design without permission. Subsequently, Apple negotiated a licensing agreement with SBB in October 2012 to legitimise its use of the clock design. After iOS 7, Apple removed the clock design. You can read more about this here:-https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/el4gqyocis3l0x553esom0ztqfjl5r

I smile every time I visit the office in Canary Wharf as I see the Mondaine inspired 6 public clocks – Konstantin Grcic: Six Public Clocks – Canary Wharf .

Mondaine remains a special brand to me. An overlooked and underappreciated watch brand, visible everywhere in Switzerland, but overlooked by the juggernauts.

And finally, I got married in my Mondaine watch.