Mondaine brings solar power to new Doppio collection

Mondaine, the watchmaker best known for timepieces inspired by its Swiss railway station clocks, has released a bold new collection.

Called the Doppio, the collection features 16 watches across a range of case sizes, materials and colour schemes. They still follow the same clean Mondaine aesthetic as the company’s railway watches, but do so while introducing a fresh new design language.

The collection includes both quartz and solar-powered watches, while Mondaine’s sustainability efforts see them fitted with straps made from grape leather, and the stainless steel is up to 91% recycled. Details including a double-domed sapphire crystal and concave dials help the Doppio collection stand out from the rest of the Mondaine family.

My pick of the bunch is the 41 mm stainless steel Doppio with mesh steel bracelet and solar power. Priced at £399, the watch is driven by a rechargeable battery that is powered by both natural and artificial light. Mondaine says a fully charged battery can power the watch for approximately eight months, even if it’s kept in total darkness.

The matte white dial is beautifully simple, as all Mondain timepieces are, with a small date window at the three o’clock position and a red second hand delivering a splash of colour. Water resistance is 50 metres, the dial is protected by a sapphire crystal, and the polished stainless steel strap has a 20 mm lug width. The 41 mm case is a relatively slender 8.5 mm thick.

Mondaine fans will recognise the colour palette from the company’s other collections. Doppio colour ways include a dark blue matching dial and grape leather strap, a gold-colour stainless steel model with 33 mm case and mesh bracelet, an all-black 41 mm variant, and a 33 mm model with a silver dial and red grape leather strap.