If you've traveled through Switzerland, you've likely come across one of the country's famous railway stations. Why are they famous? In addition to my remarks that Switzerland is essentially one big model train set, the country is renowned for its trains running on time. The reliability and competence of the Swiss railway system is truly something to admire. The punctuality of Swiss railways is also associated with the clocks found at every station - distinctive and Bauhaus-style. If you've been to a Swiss station, you've undoubtedly seen the dial design of these Mondaine clocks.
Mondaine has long been the official watchmaker for Swiss railways, and the brand continues to produce mainly (though not exclusively) variations on the Swiss Railways watch theme for people of all ages, sizes, and genders. Most Mondaine Official Swiss Railways watches are powered by Swiss Made quartz movements, but this Evo2 automatic movement is among the less common mechanical Mondaine watches, especially today.
In a very simple sense, the Mondaine Official Swiss Railways Evo2 Automatic is a mechanical version of the 40mm Swiss Railways watch that we all know and love. It doesn't offer much beyond the movement, staying more or less true to the original concept of the wristwatch version of Swiss Railways clocks. The watch case is water-resistant to 50 meters and features sapphire crystal with AR coating over the dial. The dial is white with iconic black and white hour markers and hands, paired with a "candy red" seconds hand. The trendy Mondaine Stop2Go quartz watch is the best imitation of the real station clocks (considering how they operate at the end of each minute), but the automatic version is more easily perceived by luxury consumers as a reason to spend more.
Considering this, Mondaine offers value given the reasonable retail price of the Evo2 Automatic, which is less than $700. At the same time, I feel there is room to advance this concept a bit further and embellish the basic design to give the watch a more elite appearance. For example, I think the design would look great with embossed hour markers as opposed to flat black ones. This would give the dial more depth and visual interest, making it more appealing. Mondaine can experiment a lot with mechanical Swiss Railways watches to bridge the gap between this icon of Swiss transport and the expectations of young buyers seeking status.
To accommodate the automatic movement, the Swiss Railways watch case had to be modified, and according to Mondaine representatives, the Evo2 Automatic features an updated polished steel case, 40mm wide, approximately 11mm thick, with a lug-to-lug distance of about 51mm. The back of the watch has an exhibition case back window showing the movement. Inside the watch is a Swiss automatic Sellita SW200 movement, operating at 4 Hz, with a power reserve of about two days. The watch features time and date indicators (via a window at the "3 o'clock" position). The automatic movement can be manually wound using a non-screw-down crown (coated with red lacquer on the side, and featuring the letter "M" - the Mondaine logo).
Mondaine offers the Official Swiss Railways Evo2 in several variations, including a smaller case size, as well as on a black leather strap or a Milanese-style metal bracelet (for a slightly higher price). Here we see the watch on a vibrant red leather strap, matching the shade of the famous red seconds hand of the station clocks. Fortunately, Mondaine equipped the strap with quick-release spring bars, so owners can swap the strap if desired. I think a black ballistic nylon strap (perhaps with red stitching) would pair beautifully with such a wristwatch design.
Medium-sized and classically styled considering modern tastes, Mondaine seems poised to achieve good results with the automatic version of the Evo2 Official Swiss Railways watch. Consumer preferences for Swiss-made watches, even those priced under $1,000, also favor the emergence of products like this watch from Mondaine. Watch enthusiasts might find the overall package a bit dull due to the lack of decorative extras, but as a purist approach to creating classic Swiss Railways watches in a wearable mechanical case, the Mondaine reference MSE.40610.LC is hard to beat.
The price for the Mondaine Official Swiss Railways watch is $665.