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453 South Spring St. Suite 1100. Los Angeles, California 90013.

1970s Mondia Chronograph (ref. 02.807.20)

Sometimes, there’s just nothing like a funky maximalist ‘70s chrono to break up the monotony of vintage watch collecting. These watches are fun, they always pack some added utility in the form of a chrono complication, and they can usually add some spice and eccentricity to a watch collection without a huge investment.

 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.

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