Keeping time: Mondaine's latest model pays tribute to the New York City subway
As a home-from-home, New York City has always had a special place in Wallpaper's (and countless others') hearts. The Swiss watch company Mondaine clearly feels the same way. The design stalwart recently released its tribute to the Big Apple: three new styles of its Helvetica watch in colours that nod to the New York City subway.
As a home-from-home, New York City has always had a special place in Wallpaper's (and countless others') hearts. The Swiss watch company Mondaine clearly feels the same way. The design stalwart recently released its tribute to the Big Apple: three new styles of its Helvetica watch in colours that nod to the New York City subway.
The range’s light, regular and bold watches have been given the true New York treatment: all black faces and cases paired with minimal white dials and numerals. A flash of colour appears on the underside of each watch’s strap: red, blue and green to represent three of the city’s most popular subway lines.
Mondaine’s selection of the Helvetica watch for this purpose is no coincidence. In the 1960s, after years of using a confusing blend of different signage, typefaces and styles, the City of New York hired the firm Unimark to create a standardised design for the subway, allowing commuters to clearly navigate the underground. After extensive research, Helvetica was chosen as a typeface and the black and white model that still reigns today was formed. The changes were swiftly implemented by the creation of Massimo Vignelli and Bob Noorda’s style guide, ‘New York City Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual’, and by the 1990s, Helvetica ultimately became the sole font to be used on the subway.
In honour of these landmark design events, each Mondaine watch comes wrapped in a special giftbox featuring the iconic Vigenlli subway map and including a set of vintage postcards – a perfect gift for true New Yorkers.
INFORMATION
The ’No. 1 New York’ Helvetica, $540. For more information, visit Mondaine’s website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
Infinite Machine’s P1 electric scooter blends performance, practicality and cyberpunk style
The P1 electric scooter from New York-based start-up Infinite Machine is a visually striking urban ride with zero emissions and practical features
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Roe, a new Canary Wharf restaurant, tempts with coral-like interiors and culinary innovation
Roe in London’s Canary Wharf features a vertical foraging garden, 3D-printed interiors and an open kitchen championing zero waste
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
New Vondom outdoor furniture is ahead of the curve
‘Luna’, a new Vondom outdoor furniture collection by Ramón Esteve, nods to midcentury design greats to deliver thoroughly contemporary elegance, functionality and comfort
By Simon Mills Published
-
Inside the new Amelie, Maison d’Art: 'I wanted to reinvent the art gallery to be both warmer and more approachable'
The ambitious new Manhattan gallery Amelie, Maison d’Art settles into the Soho neighbourhood
By Craig Kellogg Published
-
A nature-inspired exhibition takes root at California's Salmon Creek Farm
'Jinen' presents new works by Dan John Anderson, Kazunori Hamana, Yu Kobayashi, and Ido Yoshimoto at Fritz Haeg’s cultural commune and creative hub in California’s redwood forest
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Fernanda Dovigi creates a plush Aspen mountain chalet
Fernanda Dovigi’s revamped Aspen mountain chalet brings contemporary art and design to après-ski
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Taxi cabs and pizza boxes: New York icons are reimagined by Paa Joe at Superhouse Gallery
New York’s beloved tokens, from the Statue of Liberty to the classic yellow taxi cab, are reimagined by Paa Joe for Superhouse's inaugural show in New York, ‘Celestial City’
By Julie Baumgardner Published
-
The Future Perfect group show in LA pays homage to JB Blunk’s sculptures
The Future Perfect celebrates late sculptor JB Blunk’s process and aesthetic with the group exhibition ‘Inner Space’ (until 1 May 2024)
By Julie Baumgardner Published
-
Bauhaus master Anni Albers’ groundbreaking collection on view at the Blanton Museum
‘Anni Albers: In Thread and On Paper’ at the Blanton Museum of Art in Ausin, Texas, highlights her shift from weaving to printmaking through works from the last 40 years of her career
By Lauren Jones Published
-
Gallery Fumi makes LA debut with works from Max Lamb, Jeremy Anderson and more
Fumi LA is the London design gallery’s takeover of Sized Studio, marking its first major US show (until 9 March 2024)
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Bathhouse Flatiron features atmospheric interiors by Rockwell Group
In NYC, Bathhouse Flatiron evokes the 'futuristic remnants of an ancient civilisation'
By Dan Howarth Published