MONDAINE Doppio Watches: One typographic system, and the language of double

MONDAINE, the brand that has turned the iconic design of the Official Swiss Railways Station Clock into a world-renowned timeless watch and clock collection, expands its Doppio collection with the Mirror Edition, a striking new interpretation defined by light, reflection, and depth. 

Since 1986, MONDAINE has followed a simple idea: form and function in perfect harmony, combining a classic minimalistic design with quality, reliability and precision of Swiss craftsmanship, as well as a sustainable approach to production, like following 3R rule (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) for 60 years. Their watch collection is now regarded to be one of the “10 top Classic Swiss Watch Designs” and its presence in modern art museums such as MoMA underscores its status as a cultural icon and a testament to Swiss design excellence. 

The newest Doppio edition elevates the collection’s signature concave dial with a mirrored outer ring that captures and amplifies light, creating a constantly shifting visual experience. Limited only to 300 individually numbered pieces, Doppio Mirror design lies in a use of repetition. And this design approach makes even more sense when you know the Doppio line and design system it belongs to.

The language of the double lines

The Doppio Collection embodies a seamless blend of tradition and innovation, celebrating the concept of duality, combines timeless design with eco-conscious technology, and elevates minimalism to new heights while honouring MONDAINE's iconic heritage. The Doppio Mirror is the second launch of the series this year, as in the spring time brand expands its collection with the “Doppio Bauhaus Inspired”, that explores the relationship between colour, geometry and time from the perspective of modernist design. “We wanted to explore how colour can remain disciplined while giving functional design emotional depth,” says André Bernheim, CSO and Member of the Executive Board about the previous edition of Doppio watches. Even exploring the different styles and approach, both Bauhaus and Mirror are distinguished by its signature double line design, which was created in collaboration with Roland Stieger, a graphic and typography designer and owner of TGG Design Agency, based in Switzerland. To find out more about the design process behind the dial, the ideas that shaped it, and the role that typography and detail play in the overall design, we recently spoke with Roland Stieger:

Slanted (S): What makes designing a watch face so different from other design work? And where did the Doppio design begin for you: with an idea, a material or a constraint?

Roland Stieger (RS): The project began with a discussion about the Helvetica watch. It was a fascinating conversation with André Bernheim, focusing on typography and the details of typographic design, and this is something I can completely lose myself in. What made this different from a more conventional design project was precisely that focus on the smallest typographic details. I was surprised by just how much every little detail could influence the overall design.

S: The concave Doppio watch face was designed to create a play of light and depth, while staying easy to read. How do you balance those two? When does a visual effect start to get in the way of reading the time?

RS: We looked at many classic watches and tried to understand what makes us associate them with quality. This involved an intensive back-and-forth with Mondaine, bringing together our respective expertise and shared passion for detail. How can something be easy to read without becoming boring? It's always a process of exploring and finding the right balance.

S: The Doppio watch face is concave and sits under a double-domed sapphire crystal. How does that change the way you draw indexes, hands or markings, compared with designing for a flat surface like a page or a screen?

RS: At TGG, we work across a wide range of design disciplines, with exhibition design and signage being important parts of what we do. In these fields, we often collaborate closely with industrial designers. Three-dimensionality and materiality play an even greater role there than in print design. But even when designing a book, you're ultimately creating a three-dimensional object. So, in that sense, designing a watch isn't actually that far removed from our everyday work.

S: MONDAINE’s identity rests on the Swiss Railways station clock and the idea of “form and function in perfect harmony.” How much room did that leave you? What did you deliberately keep, and where did you push further?

RS: We were free to question everything and developed well over a hundred different designs. Some stayed close to the iconic Swiss railway clock, others were inspired by the Helvetica watch, while others moved towards more classical watch designs. We even explored versions featuring the original Mondaine logo. Every tiny detail had an impact on the overall design and became part of the discussion.

It was a wonderful experience to work with a client who places so much value on the smallest details. What mattered most to us was preserving the sense of precision and reliability that the Swiss railway clock represents, without simply creating a copy of it.

Inspired by Bauhaus 

The Stieger’s approach is absolutely resonated with what Maximilian Borner, the “Doppio Bauhaus Inspired” watch designer, said: “For me, form follows function does not mean something austere; it means that every line, every surface and every detail should have a reason to be.” 

Launched in May, 2026, very well received by brand fans and inspired by Bauhaus colour theory, the watch dial is designed as a circular composition in which the indexes reflect the interplay of the primary colours through subtle nuances of colour. True to the Bauhaus spirit, geometry becomes a central design element. The trio of circle, square and triangle appears not only on the caseback but is also integrated into the dial, emphasising the formal language of the basic shapes. These symbols, whose colours mirror the hues of the dial, unite front and back in a single design language. They stand for the essential building blocks of form: clarity through geometry, balance through proportion. 

Where the geometric symbols speak to Bauhaus most directly, the double-line hands and indexes do so more quietly. Asked how these elements developed during the design process, Borner explained: “I was interested in loosening the dominance of the numerals and creating a more open, more graphical reading of time. The Doppio already offered a strong foundation through its simplicity, its duality and its material clarity, particularly in steel and glass. Within that framework, the dial became a kind of field for composition, where geometric references to Bauhaus could be introduced with lightness and precision.”

Mirror in details

Now MONDAINE’s introduce the new Doppio Mirror edition which elevates the collection’s signature concave dial with a mirrored outer ring, contrasts with a black inner dial, grounding the design while enhancing readability. This interplay between reflection and depth highlights the architectural nature of the Doppio design, where every element serves both function and form.

While the Inspired by Bauhaus watch interprets the system through colour and geometry, Mirror does it through capturing and amplifying light, creating a constantly shifting visual experience. That makes the “one design system, many interpretations” rule fully applicable in real life. “It was a wonderful experience to work with a client who places so much value on the smallest details,” Stieger recalls. For Borner, those same details are what keep a watch alive long after it has been bought: “I hope they continue to discover its details. Good design often reveals itself slowly.” It is a fitting thought for a collection that, edition by edition, keeps finding new ways to look at the same face.

Availability

The MONDAINE Doppio Mirror watches are available via mondaine.com and selected retailers worldwide from October 22nd at a suggested retail price of €329,00.

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