Newly Swissed Online Magazine

The Mondaine essence watch hits the “zeitgeist”

The only carbon-neutral watchmaker in the world carries the most sustainable line of wristwatches: the Mondaine essence, a nature's child.

Earth Day was a stark reminder: our planet is fragile, and time is of the essence. As one of the world's only carbon-neutral watchmakers, Mondaine Watch has a sustainability story that dates back to the company's founder.

The Mondaine watch collection feels like wearing nature on your sleeves - no pun intended! Featuring nature-inspired tones, this line of wristwatches has sustainability built in. Take this forest green watch that is made of recycled materials, including the textile strap with its cork lining.

While the colors vary, the clock face remains set in stone. But that's a good thing because the Swiss Railways clock is a legendary and timeless piece of Swiss design. In fact, it is one of the few elements of Mondaine watches that's been left untouched for many decades since the 1986 inception of the SBB Mondaine wristwatch.

It is simple, sleek, and does one thing really well: it tells the time as accurately as its big brother, the official Swiss Railways station clock.


The Mondaine essence leaves a small ecological footprint.

The Swiss brand Mondaine Watch is the world's first climate-neutral watchmaker. Using innovative approaches in the sourcing of materials, the production, and even the distribution, Mondaine either reduces or compensates for any CO2 it emits.

As far back as 1951, Mondaine Watch used solar energy to power its plant. Today, the manufacturing plant in Biberist produces 80 percent of all the energy required. But transportation of goods, traveling, and manufacturing still create emissions. By working with NGOs specializing in reforestation, both locally and in Indonesia, Mondaine Watch compensates for these emissions in order to be 100 percent carbon-neutral.

Ronnie Bernstein, one of the two descendants of the Mondaine Watch founder, explains: "Sustainability has always been important to our parents. But we were ahead of the times as consumers did not yet comprehend what we were trying to do."

More and more of today's consumers are catching on to the importance of sustainability. And the Mondaine essence line is the logical answer of this Swiss watchmaker with sustainability itched in their DNA.


Here is why the Mondaine essence hits the zeitgeist:

  • Simplicity: The watch has a minimalistic design along the lines of "less is more." Each feature serves a distinct purpose.
  • Sustainability: Seventy percent of materials used in the watch are renewable. The watch casing is made of oil derived from the tropical castor-oil plant. The wristband is made of vegan leather and can easily be swapped in seconds. It quite literally feels like wearing nature on your sleeves.
  • Recycling: The watch case is made of 30 percent glass powder. And the multi-purpose watch case is made of recycled PET bottles.

This is the quintessential line of wristwatches for those who care about nature. It is carefully made of mostly renewable materials, leaving a minimal ecological footprint. Lo and behold, we strongly feel that a Mondaine essence watch is a nature's child. Mondaine Watch is constantly innovating and sets the bar higher every year.

Starting in 2022, the Mondaine essence line will see a range of new colors. The design team has been actively scouting new colors while roaming the forests, beaches, and alpine trails of the world. We are excited about this new palette inspired by nature, starting with park green and deep ocean blue.


Wouldn't it be great if the rest of the watchmaking world focused as much on sustainability as Mondaine Watch?

We certainly wouldn't expect all watch brands to create "green" watches made entirely of organic substances. But the solution lies somewhere in the middle, with the Mondaine essence being proof that sustainability in watchmaking is feasible.

We are curious: what do you do to save the environment? How do you live a sustainable life? How do you reduce your footprint on this planet? Or what's your trick to save resources on a daily basis?

Dimitri Burkhard

As the founder, editor, and community manager of Newly Swissed, Dimitri owns the strategic vision. He is passionate about storytelling and is a member of Swiss Travel Communicators. Dimitri loves discovering new trends and covers architecture, design, start-ups and tourism.

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Dimitri Burkhard

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