The year 2016 marked a new chapter for Mondaine as they blended the cultural fabric, innovation and timekeeping proficiency of its native Switzerland with clear, intelligent and functional design aesthetics for the contemporary landscape.
At 57km, this world-leading example of Swiss engineering is officially the longest rail tunnel in the world. With precision, innovation and imagination, the Tunnel will form the Heart of the New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA), something which has been meticulously considered through several national referendums.
As Main Partner of the Gottardo 2016 event, Mondaine preserved the heritage of its predecessor whilst celebrating its future with a special Gotthard time collection. The launch of this exclusive collection was to honor the Grand Opening of the new Gotthard Base Tunnel on 1st June 2016 – a collaboration that echoed all the finest qualities of Swiss technical and aesthetic excellence.
The second facet of the collection, the Mondaine SBB Nord Sud (North South), highlights the union of these two compass opposites thanks to the innovation of the new Gotthard Base Tunnel.
At the far north of the Tunnel is the Canton Uri region, a fact immortalized by the Mondaine SBB Nord Sud with the traditional welcome, ‘Grieazi’, the local Swiss German word for ‘hello’ embossed above the 12 o’clock mark. Completing the partnership are the words ‘Buon di’ , the local Italian dialect way of saying ‘good day’ embossed on the black leather strap below the 6 o’clock – an indication of the Tunnel’s journey to the Canton Ticino in the south.
This extraordinary attention to detail is compounded by the inclusion of the two Canton’s flags on the underside of the strap, and the official logo of Gottardo 2016 on the case back all displayed beautifully in a special-designed gift box.
