Mondaine has introduced a new, limited-edition timepiece that channels one of the design world's current major trends: the new Essence Mocha Mouse. This watch is a specific and focused release, limited to only 300 pieces for the entire world. What sets this particular model apart is its direct embrace of the "Mocha Mousse" color, a shade celebrated for its warm, earthy quality. This release combines the brand's unmistakable design language with a deep, dedicated focus on sustainable and forward-thinking materials, making it a product of both its heritage and its future-facing ambitions.
The watch is defined by its color, designated as the official "Colour of the Year 2025," Mocha Mousse. This shade is a rich, complex brown that sits somewhere between dark chocolate and a strong coffee. It is a color that moves away from harsh, bright tones and instead suggests comfort, natural simplicity, and a quiet, grounded presence. By building a watch around this specific hue, Mondaine is making a clear statement about current aesthetics, offering a piece that feels both modern and fundamentally connected to organic, natural tones. It is a warm and inviting color that completely changes the character of the watch.
Courtesy of Mondaine
Visually, the dial is the centerpiece of this "Mocha Mousse" concept. The surface is not a flat, simple brown but features an "intricately textured wave pattern." This three-dimensional texture gives the dial a significant sense of visual depth. The pattern itself is organic, resembling the ripples of wind-swept sand dunes or the grain of a weathered piece of wood. This texture makes the dial dynamic, as light will catch the ridges and valleys in different ways, preventing the monochrome look from ever feeling static or boring.
Against this textured brown backdrop, the hands and markers provide the high-contrast legibility that is a core tenet of the Mondaine design. The hour and minute hands are executed in a crisp, bright white. They are thick, simple, and rectangular, providing an immediate and clear reading of the time. This stark contrast between the bright white hands and the dark brown dial ensures that the watch's primary function—telling time—is perfectly readable at a simple glance, a principle derived directly from the brand's origins.
Of course, no Mondaine watch would be complete without its signature red seconds hand. This feature is present and provides a perfect flash of color against the earthy brown and white. It is a thin, straight red stalk that terminates in a large, circular disc, a design element often referred to as the "rote Kelle" or "red paddle." This single element is arguably the most recognizable part of the brand's identity, and in this "Mocha Mousse" edition, it serves as a vibrant accent that energizes the entire dial design.
This iconic seconds-hand design is not a random aesthetic choice; it is the entire basis for the brand's existence. The story of Mondaine begins in 1944, not with wristwatches, but with the Official Swiss Railways (SBB CFF FFS) station clock. The Swiss Federal Railways needed a clock that was supremely legible from a distance and, more importantly, could synchronize train departures across the entire country with absolute precision. An SBB engineer named Hans Hilfiker was tasked with designing this clock.
Hilfiker's design was a masterpiece of functionalism. He created the simple, high-contrast black-and-white dial, but his true stroke of genius was the seconds hand. He based its design on the red, paddle-shaped trowel that train dispatchers on the platform used to signal to the train conductor that it was time to depart. This "rote Kelle" became the seconds hand, a visual cue for passengers and staff alike, forever linking the clock's design to the function of the railway.
Courtesy of Mondaine
The innovation went even further than the design. The original station clocks featured a unique "stop2go" movement. The red seconds hand would complete its rotation around the dial not in 60 seconds, but in 58.5. It would then pause at the 12 o'clock position for 1.5 seconds. During this pause, it would receive a master electrical signal sent to every clock in the station, which would then trigger the minute hand to jump forward to the next minute, and the seconds hand would begin its next rotation. This system ensured that every train in Switzerland left exactly on the minute, and it cemented the SBB's global reputation for punctuality.
For decades, this design was limited to Swiss train platforms. That changed in 1986. The Bernheim family, who had founded the Mondaine Watch Ltd. company in 1951, saw the potential of this powerful, simple design. They secured an official license from the Swiss Federal Railways to use the Hilfiker clock face on a collection of wristwatches. This move was a massive success, translating the large-scale public clock into a personal item, and the Mondaine SBB watch was born.
The cultural impact of this design cannot be overstated. It is recognized as one of the "10 Classic Swiss Watch Designs" and is included in the permanent collections of modern art museums around the world. Its status as a design icon was famously, and contentiously, confirmed in 2012. When Apple released its iOS 6 operating system for the iPad, its new clock app featured a design that was virtually identical to Hilfiker's. Mondaine swiftly and successfully challenged this, and Apple ultimately paid a reported $21 million to license the design, a testament to its unique and undeniable value.
This new Essence Mocha Mouse watch is a direct descendant of that powerful legacy, but it is also a key part of the brand's modern "Essence" collection. The Essence line is Mondaine's dedicated platform for innovation in sustainability and eco-friendly materials. It represents the brand's commitment to moving forward and addressing modern environmental concerns, proving that high-design and a green philosophy can coexist. This collection utilizes renewable resources like castor oil, wool, and cork in its construction.
The 41mm case of the Mocha Mouse is a prime example of this philosophy. A quick glance might suggest it's plastic, but it is, in fact, made from a "castor oil compound." Mondaine provides the specific breakdown of this material: 40% castor oil, which is sourced from the ricinus or "wondertree" plant, serves as the primary bio-based component. This is mixed with 30% glass fiber, which provides an essential rigidity and strength to the case, ensuring it is durable enough for daily wear.
Courtesy of Mondaine
The remainder of the case compound consists of 2% color pigments, which are necessary to achieve the specific light, milky brown "Mocha Mousse" color of the case, and 28% fossil oil. While the goal is to reduce reliance on petroleum products, this small percentage is pressed into the compound to provide long-term stability and longevity, ensuring the watch remains durable for years. The case is finished with a smooth, matte texture that feels modern and soft to the touch.
This 41mm case provides a contemporary presence on the wrist. It is not a small, vintage-sized piece, but a confident, modern size that allows the textured dial and clear hands to be the focus. The case shape itself is the classic, simple Mondaine design: a perfectly round puck with straight, functional lugs and a simple, push-pull crown, all rendered in the same light-brown castor oil compound.
The sustainable story continues with the watch strap. Mondaine has paired this model with a strap made from "vegan grape leather." This innovative material is sourced from VEGEA™, an Italian company that has developed a process to repurpose the waste products from the winemaking industry. The skins, stalks, and seeds of grapes that are left over from wine production are transformed into a durable, high-quality, plant-based leather alternative.
This is a powerful example of upcycling. Instead of this agricultural waste being discarded, it is given a new, high-value life. The VEGEA™ material is animal-friendly, solvent-free, and does not involve the heavy metals common in traditional leather tanning. It is a premium material that has been adopted by luxury car and fashion brands, confirming its quality. On this watch, it is presented in a dark, rich brown that matches the dial, with a soft, cream-colored lining.
From a functional perspective, the 20mm strap is attached to the case with a "quick release strap system." This is a user-friendly feature that incorporates small, spring-loaded pins that can be retracted with a fingernail, allowing the owner to swap the strap in seconds without any special tools. This not only encourages customization but also promotes the longevity of the watch, as a worn-out strap can be easily replaced by the user. The buckle is also a thoughtful detail, as it is a simple pin buckle made from the same bio-based polyamide material as the case.
Courtesy of Mondaine
Powering the watch is a Swiss-made quartz movement, the Ronda 513 RL. While mechanical movements are prized by some enthusiasts, the choice of a Swiss quartz caliber is perfectly aligned with the Mondaine philosophy of precision, reliability, and practicality. This movement is a 3-hand caliber known for being a robust and accurate workhorse, ensuring the watch is always ready to go and keeps excellent time with minimal fuss.
Digging into the specifics of the Ronda 513 reveals a few key benefits for the owner. It is a "hackable" movement, which means that when the crown is pulled out to set the time, the red seconds hand stops. This allows the user to set the time with precision, right to the second. Furthermore, this caliber is highly efficient, boasting an exceptionally long battery life of up to 45 months, meaning it will run accurately for nearly four years before needing a simple battery change.
A few other technical specifications round out the watch. The dial is protected by a "Hardened Mineral Crystal," which offers a good balance of scratch resistance and shatter resistance for daily wear. The watch features a solid caseback, made from the same castor oil compound as the case, which is engraved with the model's details. It carries a water resistance rating of 30 meters / 100 feet / 3 ATM. This rating means the watch is splash-resistant and can handle rain or hand-washing, but it is not suitable for swimming or showering.
Mondaine's commitment to sustainability is not limited to the watch's materials. The company's "3Rs" rule of "Reduce, Recycle, Reuse" has been a guiding principle for 60 years. The Mondaine factory in Solothurn, Switzerland, is a state-of-the-art facility that runs on 80% self-generated solar energy. The remaining 20% of its power is supplied by a local hydroelectric power plant.
Since 2020, Mondaine has been one of the first watch companies in the world to be comprehensively carbon-neutral across Scopes 1, 2, and 3 of the GHG protocol. This is a significant achievement, meaning they account for all emissions from their factory, their energy use, and their entire supply chain. They offset these emissions through initiatives that include supporting reforestation. Even the watch's packaging is made from 100% recycled PET bottles.
Courtesy of Mondaine
The Mondaine Essence Mocha Mouse is a highly exclusive offering. As a limited edition, only 300 pieces will be available worldwide. The case back of each watch is engraved with its unique individual number (e.g., XX/300), adding a layer of collectibility and uniqueness for the owner. The case also notes "Case Based On Renewable Material," proudly displaying its eco-friendly credentials.
This watch is available for $345.00. Given its status as a 300-piece limited edition, it represents a special opportunity for those who are drawn to its unique combination of factors. It is a watch for someone who not only appreciates the iconic, legible, and historically significant SBB design but also wants to make a conscious, modern choice by supporting a brand that is pushing the boundaries of sustainable materials and eco-friendly production.
Case: 41 mm diameter, Castor oil compound (40% castor oil, 30% glassfiber, 2% color pigments, 28% fossil oil), Mocha Mousse color. Water resistant to 30 m / 100 ft / 3 ATM.
Movement: Swiss Quartz, RONDA 513 RL.
Dial: Mocha Mousse color with textured wave pattern. White hands and markers, red seconds hand. Hardened Mineral Crystal.
Strap: 20 mm brown vegan grape leather. Brown bio based polyamide buckle. Features quick release strap system.
Price: $ 345.00
Reference Number: MS1.41170.LTV
Notes: Limited Edition of 300 pieces worldwide, individually numbered on the case back. Case is made from a bio-based castor oil compound and strap is made from vegan grape leather.