453 South Spring St. Suite 1100.
Los Angeles, California 90013.
In this episode of our series Under The Radar, Craft + Tailored’s own champion of the eccentric, Tyler Vanes, takes a look at a rare ‘70s Mondia Chronograph with a fantastic and whimsical dial and case design and an incredibly convoluted reference number.
While this watch’s case finish has taken on a wonderfully warm patina over the years, it appears to be in unworn condition otherwise. This watch has a lot of bold design elements going on – particularly within that dial – but they all somehow work together harmoniously to form a cohesive picture without being too busy on-wrist. At 44mm, this is an undeniably large watch for its era, and it wears in a bold way, but the case design does allow it to feel comfortable and sleek despite its size. Powered by a robust and reliable Valjoux manual-wind movement, this Mondia represents a budget-minded, but fun alternative tier to the bold Movado and Zenith chronos of the same period that Mondia was related to.
This Mondia chrono is the ideal example of a vintage horological find that takes the path less traveled, packs an eccentric, but genuinely interesting aesthetic, but also has a direct connection to innovative brands and horological history that we as collectors all hope for in every piece we own. It’s not a total mystery watch, but you probably will never see another hit the table at your local RedBar meet.
Check out 'Reference Tracks' our Spotify playlist. We’ll take you through what’s been spinning on the black circle at the C + T offices.
Never miss a watch. Get push notifications for new items and content as well as exclusive access to app only product launches.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates and exclusive offers