Mondaine 'Stop to Go' making a return!
Discussion
IanA2 said:
Chicane-UK said:
Some more details emerging about this watch - such as it being a limited production run with each one individually numbered. I've been waiting for Mondaine to release a new Stop2Go for a few years and then they go make it a special edition. Makes me think it really won't be cheap.
I've posted questions on the Mondaine Facebook page but they only seem interested in using that for self promotion, and not answering questions about price / date of availability from would be customers.
Available here: I've posted questions on the Mondaine Facebook page but they only seem interested in using that for self promotion, and not answering questions about price / date of availability from would be customers.
http://www.utilitydesign.co.uk/mall/productpage.cf...
£450.00
I was going to buy one of these, but after some research am a bit disappointed.
The second hand does not sweep smoothly, it looks like 4 ticks a second which is quite an annoying frequency to look at. Also there's a bit of a delay before it starts moving again after the minute hand has ticked. At this price, that's just not good enough IMO.
The press release mentions a larger battery to counter the high power consumption. I can't find any details anywhere on what this battery is, where I could get one, and is it easily replaceable by a dealer. One poster on the CW forums said it might need sending back to Mondaine for replacement.
Sources:
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f71/mondaine-stop-go-...
http://www.christopherwardforum.com/viewtopic.php?...
The second hand does not sweep smoothly, it looks like 4 ticks a second which is quite an annoying frequency to look at. Also there's a bit of a delay before it starts moving again after the minute hand has ticked. At this price, that's just not good enough IMO.
The press release mentions a larger battery to counter the high power consumption. I can't find any details anywhere on what this battery is, where I could get one, and is it easily replaceable by a dealer. One poster on the CW forums said it might need sending back to Mondaine for replacement.
Sources:
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f71/mondaine-stop-go-...
http://www.christopherwardforum.com/viewtopic.php?...
L555BAT said:
I was going to buy one of these, but after some research am a bit disappointed.
The second hand does not sweep smoothly, it looks like 4 ticks a second which is quite an annoying frequency to look at. Also there's a bit of a delay before it starts moving again after the minute hand has ticked. At this price, that's just not good enough IMO.
The press release mentions a larger battery to counter the high power consumption. I can't find any details anywhere on what this battery is, where I could get one, and is it easily replaceable by a dealer. One poster on the CW forums said it might need sending back to Mondaine for replacement.
Sources:
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f71/mondaine-stop-go-...
http://www.christopherwardforum.com/viewtopic.php?...
don't get me wrong, i wouldn't pay £450 for a mondaine, my model was £150 and i am very happy with it at that price.The second hand does not sweep smoothly, it looks like 4 ticks a second which is quite an annoying frequency to look at. Also there's a bit of a delay before it starts moving again after the minute hand has ticked. At this price, that's just not good enough IMO.
The press release mentions a larger battery to counter the high power consumption. I can't find any details anywhere on what this battery is, where I could get one, and is it easily replaceable by a dealer. One poster on the CW forums said it might need sending back to Mondaine for replacement.
Sources:
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f71/mondaine-stop-go-...
http://www.christopherwardforum.com/viewtopic.php?...
Watch Hut have this for £360 with discount code http://dailywatchdeals.co.uk/mondaine-stop2go-a512... making it a very tempting proposition.
L555BAT said:
The second hand does not sweep smoothly, it looks like 4 ticks a second which is quite an annoying frequency to look at. Also there's a bit of a delay before it starts moving again after the minute hand has ticked. At this price, that's just not good enough IMO.
I have a Rolex watch and its second hand doesnt sweep and nor does the second hand on my Omega chrono. Both tick five times per second! What exactly were you expecting?I might be misunderstanding you, but I believe that the delay is a feature too, as opposed to a shortcoming...
L555BAT said:
Also there's a bit of a delay before it starts moving again after the minute hand has ticked. At this price, that's just not good enough IMO.
Haha - really? I may be getting a whoosh parrot here, but that's the point of the watch. That's why it's called a "Stop and Go". It delays the second hand for 2 seconds after the minute hand moves - so if you're a swiss rail conductor you can get your train away on time innit.
L555BAT said:
The second hand does not sweep smoothly, it looks like 4 ticks a second which is quite an annoying frequency to look at.
4 ticks a second is 14400bph, not far off the usual beat rate of a mechanical watch which is 18000bph, which is 5 per second or more so nowadays 28800bph (8 per second). Zenith (& Seiko?) have a high beat rate of 36000bph (10bps)which looks very smooth indeed.GC8 said:
L555BAT said:
The second hand does not sweep smoothly, it looks like 4 ticks a second which is quite an annoying frequency to look at. Also there's a bit of a delay before it starts moving again after the minute hand has ticked. At this price, that's just not good enough IMO.
I have a Rolex watch and its second hand doesnt sweep and nor does the second hand on my Omega chrono. Both tick five times per second! What exactly were you expecting?I might be misunderstanding you, but I believe that the delay is a feature too, as opposed to a shortcoming...
Junior Bianno said:
L555BAT said:
Also there's a bit of a delay before it starts moving again after the minute hand has ticked. At this price, that's just not good enough IMO.
Haha - really? I may be getting a whoosh parrot here, but that's the point of the watch. That's why it's called a "Stop and Go". It delays the second hand for 2 seconds after the minute hand moves - so if you're a swiss rail conductor you can get your train away on time innit.
It should delay both hands for 2 seconds, then tick the minute and start the second hand the same time exactly (not as you describe Junior).
On this watch, there is a short but noticeable delay between the minute tick and the second start.
An ingenious design by a Swiss engineer employed by SBB, that ensured train punctuality would become a visible concept across the globe. The famous red second hand that turns full circle in 58 seconds and then waits at 12 o'clock for the black minute hand to move on, before jumping one marker forwards, starting its next rotation.
NOt getting this at all, but why does that help? Why don't they just send the trains on at 58 secs if that 2 secs is so important?
NOt getting this at all, but why does that help? Why don't they just send the trains on at 58 secs if that 2 secs is so important?
From a watch forum:
Who else but a Swiss engineer would design an ingenious clock that ensured train punctuality would become a visible concept to everyone in Switzerland and abroad? A timepiece that ticks off a minute in only 58 seconds at first baffled people and continues to charm them today, but this unique feature of the Swiss Railway Clock has ensured smooth and absolutely precise departures of Swiss trains on the full minute for the last 60 years.
Realizing that electrically powered clocks could be unreliable, inventor and Swiss Federal Railways employee Hans Hilfiker perfected a trick to make certain that clocks in every station show exactly the same time. Hilfiker accelerated the railway clocks so that the second hand (a unique design visible from far away) comes up to the 12 o’clock position after 58 seconds. Here it stays awaiting release from an automatic electrical impulse sent through the electric power network that happens every full minute. First the black minute hand jumps to the next position and then the red second hand on all the clocks in the network begin a new rotation, ensuring synchronization of the entire rail system.
This exclusive attribute has fascinated travellers since the classic design was invented and the intellectual property protected in the 1940s - an era where electric and quartz movement as well as radio and satellite-based timekeeping did not exist. It is the only system of its kind in use and has furthered Switzerland’s image as the most punctual country in the world.
Zurich watchmaker Mondaine has incorporated this highly individual motion within its Official Swiss Railway SBB Watch. The fascinating execution “Stop to Go”, like on the original clock, features the famous red second hand that turns full circle in 58 seconds and then waits at 12 o’clock for the black minute hand to move on before starting its next rotation.
Who else but a Swiss engineer would design an ingenious clock that ensured train punctuality would become a visible concept to everyone in Switzerland and abroad? A timepiece that ticks off a minute in only 58 seconds at first baffled people and continues to charm them today, but this unique feature of the Swiss Railway Clock has ensured smooth and absolutely precise departures of Swiss trains on the full minute for the last 60 years.
Realizing that electrically powered clocks could be unreliable, inventor and Swiss Federal Railways employee Hans Hilfiker perfected a trick to make certain that clocks in every station show exactly the same time. Hilfiker accelerated the railway clocks so that the second hand (a unique design visible from far away) comes up to the 12 o’clock position after 58 seconds. Here it stays awaiting release from an automatic electrical impulse sent through the electric power network that happens every full minute. First the black minute hand jumps to the next position and then the red second hand on all the clocks in the network begin a new rotation, ensuring synchronization of the entire rail system.
This exclusive attribute has fascinated travellers since the classic design was invented and the intellectual property protected in the 1940s - an era where electric and quartz movement as well as radio and satellite-based timekeeping did not exist. It is the only system of its kind in use and has furthered Switzerland’s image as the most punctual country in the world.
Zurich watchmaker Mondaine has incorporated this highly individual motion within its Official Swiss Railway SBB Watch. The fascinating execution “Stop to Go”, like on the original clock, features the famous red second hand that turns full circle in 58 seconds and then waits at 12 o’clock for the black minute hand to move on before starting its next rotation.
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