Hi Everyone,
The Mondaine clock is a real icon in Switzerland as it is the official Swiss Railway clock. Unique in design with it’s ultra clean look the clock face can be found in several modern art museums including the MoMA in New York. Wearable watches with the same face were first produced in 1986.
Today’s story starts with a phone call… “Hi Yvonne, would you like to come to Munich for the launch of the new Mondaine watch – we are so excited to be able to take you to Munich’s poison garden where we can show you the plant that is used for making the base and straps of our new watches”.
Being a watch with so much Swiss history behind it I was curious to find out more.
In case you are wondering what on earth I am wearing on my head – it is the special Mondaine umbrella which was designed for the opening of the new Gotthard tunnel in June 2016.
The boat in the picture is the “Alte Utting” and where we all met for the launch of the new Mondaine watch collection. It has been standing in Munich since 2017 and is currently considered to be one of the city’s coolest night life spots.
Keep reading for the full story behind “Poison Makes the Watch – New from Mondaine”.
Poison Makes the Watch – New from Mondaine
Let’s talk poison and sustainability…
The reason Mondaine uses oils from the poisonous Ricinus plant is one of sustainability. In 2017 Mondaine launched their collection “Essence” – the eco friendly watch. A real revolution in the watch industry as it is 70% made out of renewable raw materials.
Both the watch base and straps are made using Ricinus plant oil instead of traditional crude oil.
Apparently a mere 4 seeds from the Ricinus plant are enough to kill a grown human – of course I have been measured that the watches themselves are safe – smile!
Pictured above you see the whole Essence collection with the lovely Ricinus plant in the back. The plain red and plain grey felt straps are NEW for Fall 2019 and have just come out this month.
The straps are made out of Ricinus composite material as well as recycled PET bottles and lined with natural cork. The cork has special breathable properties which help the straps to last a lot longer than usual.
A feature I truly love about the watches is the easy clip on/off straps. This system means you can change the look of your watch by changing straps within seconds – fabulous!
Fully in line with the theme of sustainability, a lot of thought was also given to the packaging of the watches. Instead of coming in a traditional box, the Essence collection comes in a felt pouch (pictured above). This can then also be used as a mobile phone cover.
As with the new straps the felt pouch is also made from recycled PET bottles.
Going one step further on the sustainability front I also learnt that as of September 2019 all Mondaine watches are produced using solar energy!
Details of the new Fall/Winter Mondaine Essence collection:
Watch base: Black
Glass: Hardened mineral glass
Sizes: 32 and 41mm in diameter
Watch Straps: Grey or Red Felt with natural cork lining
Origin: Made in Switzerland
Price: EUR 179
Funny side story
As a part of the watch launch trip to Munich I was allowed to choose my own watch to take back to Zurich with me.
Whilst trying to choose I had to admit that I liked the special combination Brand Manager Karl-Udo (pictured above) was wearing. A white base matched with a strap from the 75th Birthday collection… Then much to my surprise he simply took off his watch and handed it to me. I am ever so happy – this watch now has much more value than the price – smile!
Another fun fact is that despite my hubby shaking his head when I do this – I will at times wear two watches instead of one. Especially useful when travelling through different time zones or if you don’t want to think about which bracelet to wear!
A huge thanks to Mondaine for inviting me to the new product launch in Munich.
This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own.
Also thanks to Vienna House Easy for putting me up in Munich – this is a cute modern and super friendly hotel with great rates – I can only recommend!
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Travel with time.
very interesting love the look of the watch and you did again a very nice job loved it very much