Home » Compare Smartwatches » New Smartwatch Contender Is Made in Switzerland and Finds Inspiration in Helvetic Font

A new smartwatch has been launched by Mondaine. This particular watch is the perfect blend of the modern – there is, after all, little more modern than the smartwatch – and the classic, seen in the Helvetica font.

Mondaine, a Swiss watchmaking company, has just launched their smartwatch that has been able to truly balance the new and the old. The aesthetic is truly traditional and this is one of the only smartwatches that actually looks like a watch. It has a standard watch face, with numbers and clock hands. At the same time, however, it has all kinds of smart functionalities. Aptly named the Helvetic No 1 Smart, honoring the traditional font but at the same time suggesting the future may hold more, it is the first smartwatch developed by Mondaine, who have always focused on traditional watches in the past.

The Helvetic No 1 uses real quality watchmaking skills, something that would be expected from a Swiss watchmaking company. It looks nothing like a smartwatch and if you were to see someone wearing one, you would probably not realize it was anything other than a standard watch. Mondaine has previously released the Helvetic Bold, which is a standard watch rather than a smart model, but looks very similar.

The watch face’s six o’clock sub dial does not show you an annual calendar. It also doesn’t show you small seconds. Instead, you will be able to see the smart technology inside this completely unique watch, displayed in an analog fashion. This makes the device even more unique.

Inside the watch, you can find all that you would expect from a smartwatch. It monitors the activity and sleep patterns of whoever wears on. It also has activity tracking provided by MotionX, sleep cycle alarms, sleep monitoring, Smart coaching and Get Active alerts. Plus, it hooks up to the MotionX cloud, where you can store and back up all the collected data.

The platform is horological, which allows the watch and a tablet or phone to communicate together. An app has been created to allow for this connection.

The fact that it displays in analog fashion is what truly makes this piece unique and Mondaine’s CEO Andre Bernheim as keen to emphasize this. He has explained that this is a quality Swiss watch that has been propelled into the 21st century thanks to its smart technology. Mondaine has been a market leader in the world of watches since 1951 and they were some of the first producers to use LED and LCD in their watches. Now, they want to be one of the first to “go smart”. Working together with MMT, this is exactly what Mondaine has achieved.

The Helvetic No 1 is true and proud of its past, but it is heading forward into the future. The classic steel matt brushed case, sapphire crystal, white dial and soft leather strap makes the watch look absolutely stunning as well. The watch will be available in stores in the fall of 2015.

Based on everything that has been outlined so far, what do you personally think about this smartwatch? Does it have any potential in being a success on the smartwatch market? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.