🇮🇹 MONDIA AQUAFLEX: Rediscovered Geometry, the Discipline of Proportion, and Swiss Precision

There are moments in the life of a watchmaking house when reopening its archives ceases to be a simple nostalgic review and turns into a foundational act. When, a few weeks ago, we unveiled the first documents from the Paul Vermot Collection preserved at the Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH) in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the primary goal was to restore an authentic voice to the center stage: that of a brand that traversed the Swiss twentieth century by filing structural patents, designing sculptural cases, and conquering international markets with its own unmistakable authorial personality.

The reaction of our community exceeded all expectations. The numbered edition of the Supersuisso 90th Anniversary, powered by a manual caliber and dressed in that singular dark green smoked dial, sold out in just a few days. Feedback that confirmed to us just how much the contemporary public misses substantial, transparent watchmaking, tied to tangible roots and faithful to the Swiss Made standard. But that milestone could not end in an isolated celebration for a few collectors. The true vocation of Mondia has always been something else: not to create inaccessible objects for a restricted circle, but to conceive authorial watchmaking that is democratic and accessible to all (prime price), where the beauty of industrial design, an integrated supply chain, and Swiss construction accuracy become a companion for everyday life.

From this strategic and cultural premise, the new Aquaflex collection is born.

90th anniversary commemorative edition limited to 90 pieces

Beyond the Replica: Rationalizing the Cushion Case

The first question a designer must ask themselves when approaching the design of a vintage-inspired watch concerns fidelity: should one slavishly reproduce the past or reinterpret it for the present? For us, the answer has always been clear. The task of a historic manufacture is not to produce anachronistic copies to be kept under a glass dome, but to perform a rigorous work of revival, rationalization, and updating of forms.

The identity of the Aquaflex case is rooted in the cushion cases that, between the late sixties and the early seventies, redefined the aesthetics of sports and elegant watchmaking. Those historic models expressed an undeniable charm but responded to volumetric parameters of another era: diameters limited to around 34 or 35 millimeters, often rigid lugs, and domed acrylic crystals that today would seem sacrificed or too delicate for casual contemporary wear.

In redesigning the Aquaflex case, we wanted to preserve the sculptural fluidity of the original lines intact, while translating it into the canons of modern ergonomics:

• The golden ratio of 38 mm: The diameter has been re-parameterized to an effective 38 millimeters. It is a contemporary and versatile size, capable of ensuring a solid and authoritative presence on the wrist without descending into the dimensional excesses of recent decades, suitable for both a masculine wrist and a bold feminine fit.
• 316L Steel and material contrasts: The case is forged from solid 316L stainless steel. The upper part features a uniform satin-brushed finish that tempers direct light reflections, while the lateral bevels and corner chamfers are mirror-polished. This sharp contrast enhances the inclined planes of the case, making it appear extraordinarily slim and sharp.
• Transparency and longevity: The front crystal abandons the plexiglass of the era to make room for a scratch-proof sapphire crystal, a guarantee of optical transparency and lasting protection against all daily abrasions.
• Resistance and sealing: The solid steel screw-down caseback, combined with sealing gaskets tested on a pressure-fit crown, ensures water resistance guaranteed up to 5 ATM (50 meters), confirming the versatile nature of the timepiece.

Watch details - AQUAFLEX

The Discipline of the Dial: Why “Vertical Brushed” and Not Degradé

If the case represents the structural architecture, the dial embodies its intimate voice. And here we made a fundamental aesthetic decision, aimed at protecting those who follow us with passion and at preserving a transparent construction hierarchy.

The dial of the 90th-anniversary commemorative edition was characterized by a complex dark green degradé shading, smoked towards the edges, conceived specifically to frame the manual caliber and the exclusive aura of that collector's piece. Reproducing that same degradé color treatment on the regular Aquaflex collection would have been an unforgivable conceptual error: it would have distorted the uniqueness of the numbered piece and deprived the new series of its own precise authorial identity. A continuous model must possess its own soul, distinct and equally proud.

For the Aquaflex, we therefore chose an entirely vertical brushed finish, strictly solid-colored, free of any peripheral shading.

This choice radically transforms the way the dial captures its surroundings. Rather than diffusing light in a circular or concentric way as happens in standard sunray dials, the vertical micro-grooves run straight from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock. The light is sectioned along parallel lines, giving the dial an almost industrial severity, clean and geometric, which highlights the steel nature of the watch. A visual discipline that prioritizes legibility and the purity of the material, available in three essential color variations: mineral gray, smoke black, and deep forest green.

Green dial with Vertical Brushed finish: thin parallel vertical micro-lines, solid-colored, capture and reflect light uniformly, enhancing the graphic purity and geometric precision of the dial

Swiss Precision and Retro Charm: The Ronda 1069 AIG2 Caliber

Technical rationalization also directly touches the heart of the timepiece. Refusing to compromise with generic movements lacking pedigree, the manufacture chose to adopt the Ronda 1069 AIG2 caliber, a quartz movement entirely developed, produced, and certified Swiss Made.

The choice does not respond to a simplification, but rather to a refined aesthetic and functional solution:

1. The small seconds complication at 6: Unlike common three-hand center-seconds models, the 1069 caliber moves the continuous seconds to 6 o'clock inside a dedicated auxiliary counter. This circular surface is engraved with a refined azurée texture with concentric micro-grooves, which gracefully breaks the tight lines of the vertical brushing on the main dial. It is a symmetrical layout that harkens back to the classic watchmaking of the early twentieth century, giving the dial a compositional balance of a bygone era.
2. Ultra-thin architecture and wearing comfort: The compact size of the movement allows the 38 mm case to maintain a slender profile, which adapts ergonomically to the shape of the wrist and slides with extreme ease under the cuff of a formal shirt.
3. Daily reliability and substance: No need for continuous manual winding or periodic time adjustment: the caliber ensures a constant and millimetric rate over the long term, minimizing maintenance and providing a timepiece that is always operational for everyday life.

Mondia Assembling Factory in Switzerland

Two Construction Souls: The New 11-Link Bracelet and Genuine Leather

On the brushed surface of the dial, hand-applied geometric baton indices stand out, diamond-cut on each profile to reflect light even in dim conditions. They are complemented by skeletonized and sharp sword hands, designed with rigorous proportions to brush against the perimeter minute track.

Construction attention reaches its peak in the architecture of the 316L stainless steel bracelet, conceived not as a secondary accessory, but as a natural sculptural extension of the cushion case:

• The 11-Link Bracelet Series (Ref. MW020-01, MW020-02, MW020-03):

  A masterpiece of link engineering. The bracelet is composed of 11 articulated links per row (11 links). This complex construction ensures extraordinary flexibility and comfort when worn on the wrist. The finish alternates mirror-polished links with satin-finished ones, generating a continuous play of light that gives the piece an aesthetic bonus and a perceived quality of a higher rank. The bracelet closes with a solid and refined deployment clasp, which disappears perfectly under the wrist, preserving the formal cleanliness of the lines. Offered in mineral gray, smoke black, and forest green colors at an official price of € 440.00.

11-link 316L steel bracelet

• The Genuine Leather Strap Series (Ref. MW020-04, MW020-05, MW020-06): Dedicated to those who prefer timeless, classic elegance, it features selected leathers with a crocodile print finish and tone-on-tone perimeter stitching. The matte black leather finishes the references with gray and black dials, while the green dial is paired with a warm brown leather strap. Fastened by a 316L steel pin buckle, it is priced at € 340.00.

Genuine leather strap

The Aquaflex collection demonstrates with facts that Swiss construction quality, the nobility of industrial design, and archival value do not necessarily have to translate into inaccessible economic barriers. The cushion case has returned to live every day on the wrist of those who know how to recognize the authentic substance of time.

But how will these first watches reach the market? In the next article, we won't be talking about calibers or geometries: we will lift the veil on a new launch architecture designed for our community. We will present the DROPS channel, the rules of the reserved list, and the way you can guarantee yourself one of the very few examples of this first release in advance.

The manufacture looks forward to seeing you next Monday.

Francesco Giglio
CEO, Mondia Swiss