Mondaine is the trademark

Trademark

A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...

 for a series of watch

Watch

A watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket, with wristwatches being the most common type of watch used today. They evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were...

es made by the Swiss

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 company Mondaine Watch Ltd.

Most Mondaine watches are heavily influenced by classical railway station

Train station

A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...

 clock

Clock

A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...

s, and according to the Mondaine web site, Mondaine is the official Swiss railways

SBB-CFF-FFS

Swiss Federal Railways and SFR are not in official use) is the national railway company of Switzerland headquartered in Bern. Formerly a government institution, it is since 1999 a special stock corporation with all shares held by the Swiss Confederation or the Swiss cantons...

 watch. The design originated in 1944 from the Swiss Railway Engineer Hans Hilfiker

Hans Hilfiker

Hans Hilfiker was a Swiss engineer and designer. In 1944, working for the Swiss Federal Railways, he designed the Swiss railway clock, which became a national icon.- External links :* *...

 (1901–1993).

In addition to its visual appeal, the movement is unlike other watches and unique because of this fact.
By spreading 58 seconds over a whole minute of elapsed time, the minute hand comes to a complete stop at the 12 numeral, giving the illusion that time has stopped. This device enables one to be always 2 seconds ahead of time, therefore always on time.

The Wristwatch version was released by Mondaine in 1986. In 2006, a fifty-percent stake in the Luminox

Luminox

Luminox is a brand of watches and clocks that use tritium to illuminate the hands and numerals of its products. Luminox was originally designed for United States Navy SEALs when a procurement officer approached the company to design a watch specifically suited for the needs of this special...

 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.

Additionally, Mondaine offers a selection of models inspired by modern art

Modern art

Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...

.

External links

• www.mondaine.ch - Official web site
• www.mondaine.com - Official web site