MONDAINE SBB - Stop2go

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It just keeps moving!
Mondaine presents the MONDAINE/SBB wristwatch with the 2-second pause

 

For almost 70 years, the legendary 2-second pause on SBB railway clocks has kept rail travellers entertained at Swiss train stations. Once every minute, the second hand pauses at the 12 o’clock position. The minute hand jumps forward. And the second hand continues into its next rotation. Two seconds of stillness and then the jump – a magical moment that Mondaine has now brought from the railway platform to your wrist in the Official Swiss Railways Watch.

Every minute you spend looking at one of the iconic MONDAINE/SBB wristwatches with the 2-second pause is another minute of awe and wonder! Just as on SBB station clocks – now available in a smaller size for your wrist - the red second hand pauses at the 12 o’clock position, the minute hand jumps forward and then the red hand begins its next rotation. It’s a magical moment, and that stillness can embody so many moments unique to each person - being born into the world, saying “I do”, love at first sight or perhaps even a personal tragedy.

From railway platform to your wrist – a moving story
The history behind the infamous hanging second hand begins in 1944, when Swiss engineer Hans Hilfiker was employed at SBB. He was asked to design an easy-to-read clock for train stations that could be synchronised throughout Switzerland. And so he developed an electrical railway clock that was synchronised every minute via telephone cables. Today more than 3,000 of these clocks tick out the rhythm of the railways between Geneva and Scuol, Basel and Chiasso. Forty years later, in 1986, Mondaine Watch Ltd translated the railway platform clock into a wristwatch and successfully launched its major collection, the “Mondaine - Official Swiss Railways Watch/SBB“ That red second hand has been spinning ever since, around the world – as a Swiss icon of everyday life.
 
Industrial design
Mondaine asked designer Martin Drechsel to come up with a new case made of brushed matt stainless steel. His stop2go model utilised clear, clean lines that reinforce the strong language of perfectly executed industrial design. The round case (41 mm diameter) seems enclosed by two braces that end in straight lugs to which the strap is attached. In keeping with how the movement itself works, the crown is shaped like a rocker switch that you flip back and forth instead of winding. This element is as practical as it is distinctive: 
it’s an easy way to set the hands electronically. Scratch-resistant and anti-reflective sapphire glass gives a crystal clear view of the dial. The new MONDAINE/SBB wristwatch with the 2- second pause is a timekeeper for lovers of contemporary, timeless design who want to  experience that magic moment every minute. “You wait, breath bated, just to see that second hand hang ever so briefly - before continuing its journey precisely on time. It’s as though the watch runs away from the world for 58 seconds, then stops to breathe at the 12 so that all the other clocks in the world can catch up. Then it races away again. In every respect, this watch truly is ahead of its time”, enthuses André Bernheim, CEO of Mondaine Watch Ltd.
 
Exclusive development
The MONDAINE/SBB wristwatch with the 2-second pause is now available from selected speciality shops in more than 40 countries. The MISO (Mondaine International Service Organization) service network offers a 2-year guarantee worldwide. It took four years to develop the complex electronic quartz movement “cal/ 58-02 stop2go” exclusively for Mondaine Watch Ltd. Unlike a conventional quartz movement, where a single motor moves all of the hands, the stop2go 58-02 runs two synchronised mini motors. One controls the second hand, the other the hour and minute hand with its jump forward every minute. Both motors consume more energy than usual. Hence this watch is fitted with a lithium battery to keep it running for more than three years.

Mondaine is the exclusive licensee of the Official Swiss Railways Watch from the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) and distributes its collections worldwide.

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