Baselworld 2015: Mondaine Helvetica NY Edition
Uniting a celebrated font with subway system Pantone colors for a clever new line
Best known as the brand to feature the Official Swiss Railways clock design on their watch face, Mondaine debuted a new series in 2014—the Helvetica No. 1—to much acclaim. Employing an equally clean, classic touch, punctuated by the use of the font Helvetica, it has already become a thoughtful, welcome addition to the world of Swiss watchmaking. At this year’s Baselworld, Mondaine tapped into another wealth of iconography: the NYC subway system. With the Helvetica New York Edition, accent notes from the train lines’ official Pantone colors grace the black leather strap. It’s a punch of personality to the stainless steel black IP-plated piece.
As for technical specs, the Swiss-made piece features a Ronda movement and carries 60 months of battery life. It’s also water resistant to 30 meters. The series, with a standard case size of 38mm, consists of well-made, low cost pieces. But with font and color as their inspiration, it exists in a category of its own. And much like with their trademark of the Swiss railway clock, the brand’s involvement with Helvetica was also official. They even worked with Alfred E. Hofmann during the process, the son of Helvetica’s creator Eduard Hoffmann—who unleashed the font in 1950, unaware of its future for cascading importance.
Mondaine’s Helvetica New York Edition will be available in Fall 2015 with prices ranging between $475 and $560.
Images courtesy of Mondaine
