Helvetica, The Watch

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Helvetica: it’s a font, it’s a movie. It’s even a coffee shop in Brooklyn. Well, not really.

Now it’s a watch, and a remarkably cheap one.


JomaDeals is selling the gold-plated Mondaine Helvetica for $124.99. This is certainly the cheapest Swiss watch you’re going to get anywhere besides the Swatch store at the airport. And the look of it isn’t half bad for a certain type of person that I am, most assuredly, not. Still.

I’ve written about this before, but watch prices are on the way down. The market is super-saturated. This past weekend at Mid-Ohio, a friend talked about buying a watch that was “an asset, not an expense.” My response: There’s no longer any such thing. Ulysse Nardin is 50% off. Pateks are 30% off. Certain Rolexes will hold value for a while, but if you think a stainless Daytona will still be worth eleven grand ten years from now, you are fucking nuts, my friend. Buy the watch you like, wear it, enjoy it.

38 Replies to “Helvetica, The Watch”

  1. Paul Alexander

    Damn, this watch looks sweet. I just wish you could get it without all the type on the front. I think I’ll wait for the Comic Sans version.

  2. David Walton

    My ears are burning!

    I will leave it up to Derek to advocate my argumentative position more thoroughly.

  3. Michael

    My objection to affordable quartz is when you replace the battery, the water resistance is compromised. A proper battery replacement with a new OEM gasket will exceed the price of a new watch. You really should endorse affordable automatics that almost never need to be opened up.

    Cheers, Michael

    PS: Did you get those Walkover Spectators? Allen Edmonds is also blowing out Spectators at the shoebank.com. http://shoebank.com/FactorySecondInventory.php?STY=1776S&DIM=D&SIZE=115

      • Felis Concolor

        Are they still using batteries, or have they moved onto super long life capacitors to hold the charge?

        I have a pair of Takara Tomy’s Choro-Q battle tank r/c toys and they still charge up and perform flawlessly, now 10 years after opening them up.

  4. Bill

    As a low level watch enthusiast I always like to see the cost of the movement, especially if it’s Quartz. The Ronda 715 used in this model is $18.79 on Amazon. I expect the manufacturer paid a third of that.
    Those kind of prices make Quartz a good value. If you really like it, just buy a movement and replace the whole thing if it hiccups. The case and strap make up nearly the entire value of the watch.

    TAG is to my mind a fashion watch masquerading as a timepiece. I have seen the ETA quartz movements for little more than $10. This in a watch that tries to retail for $2000+. TAG also has poor customer service. No repairing just what is faulty, only a full $800 overhaul will do.
    Right now I am wearing a Vostok that cost about $35.00. 17 jewels, hand wound. I have been regulating it, and in the last 5 days it has not lost or gained a second! My Omega and Tissot can only dream…..

  5. Nick D

    The Helvetica movie is actually pretty good. Or at least I thought so while feeding a colicy baby in the middle of the night. Could have been the severe sleep deprivation.

    I’ve got a few Orient watches that are in that price range I really enjoy - the new Mako and a blue-hand Bambino.

  6. Bigtruckseriesreview

    Applewatch took over my arm.

    I have a Citizen Ecodrive Skyhawk AT.

    A Citizen Ecodrive Black Eagle AT.

    An Omega Speedmaster Pro

    and a Breitling Emergency.

    Locked em in a safe and haven’t seen them in over a year.

    Applewatch…

    • Buzz

      Breitling Emergency! I always liked your contributions but damn that’s a great watch. Speedie Pro is another class choice.
      My Colt chrono needs a new battery, so I’ve rocking the SKX007 with SuperOyster for a while.

    • yamahog

      The ecodrives should get some light, their battery life could be negatively affected by total darkness.

      But once you get a useful watch, it’s tough giving the conventional watches much wrist time. Too bad it’s lame to wear multiple watches.

    • Fvfvsix

      I have a Series 2 on order, but I doubt it’ll relegate the rest of my collection to the safe. IMHO, Apple needs to figure out how to make their cases future proof. If you could, say, buy a steel Apple Watch and have the “movement” replaced for $300 every 5 years, then they’d appeal more to the average watch collector.

    • CJinSD

      I can’t bring myself to own Apple anything, but I have started wearing a watch again since receiving a Moto 360 as a gift. I like that it tell me I’m active for two hours a day even when it really just reflects that I’m caffeinated and agitated at work. It’s so entertaining that I’ve put aside my revulsion towards jewelry on men, although it helps that the watch is as utilitarian as can be.

  8. Dave L

    There’s an outrageous Aussie on youtube that would categorize that watch as a shitter. I agree 100%. Unfortunately 10-20 year old Daytonas are still priced above 10k, but I agree that the used market for most top tier brands has plummeted. I have a growing interest in Grand Seikos of late.

    • bjarnetv

      After having admired Grand Seiko’s from afar for a couple of years, i finally caved in and bought a second hand SBGH001 two months ago.
      The watch really is flawless, and i never tire of staring at it with.
      Unfortunately it also makes every other watch feel really cheap and badly made.
      The finish is way above any rolex or omega i have ever handled, and i can’t even wear my old sinn 103 any more!

      If you want one, buy one.
      You won’t regret it 😉

  9. Steve Ulfelder

    Ooh, and it features, and I quote, a “Ronda 715 HH2 CAL 6H quartz movement.”

    It’s a hoot when the lesser Swiss watchmakers hurl out specs to make their quartz offerings - which are little better than the ones you can get featuring Your Local Sports Team’s logo in any Rite-Aid for $9.99 - appear sophisticated.

    And I’m no anti-quartz snob; I just picked up a 1977 Seiko SQ 4004 dress watch, and I love it.

  10. Athos

    I got a good (cheap) Seiko 5, which has a pilot-like dial. Needs a leather strap to look nice. Sadly, it is not waterproof

    In my mind, automatic > quartz. Love the continous sweep of the needle through the dial and the precise tic tic tic… noise it makes

  12. Fvfvsix

    Watch prices on the way down? Yay to that! I’m finding the same thing as I look into Tudor’s new lineup. A well bought one can easily be had for 40% off MSRP. I still think I’m leaning toward finding a gently used 36mm Rolex Explorer as my next purchase. A nice steel Daytona is also on my radar, but there’s no way I’m paying $12 grand for what was worth six when new in 2002.

  13. SIV

    A Seiko Alpinist is all the analogue watch you’ll ever need. Looks really classy too.

    Use your damn phone for the “complications” data

  14. Wulfgar

    Went through a watch phase a few years ago - picked up an original Heuer Monaco, a couple Panerai, and a few “off” brands like Anonimo and Ennebi. While I still enjoy a real watch, they stay put away most of the time as I don’t have to dress up much in the current version of being me.

  15. Cpt Eclectic

    Virtue signaling is so interesting depending on what one wishes to signal.

    I borrowed my grandfather’s now-a-classic Casio DW-5600 (691,original round screwback) when I was about 8.

    Now he’s gone, I’m still here, and apart from a new band and battery about every decade the watch still does exactly what I want it to at all times. Every couple years I set it back three minutes because I can’t be arsed to mess with the inner module. Not bad for a product of the 80s prior to indiglo backlighting. Formal dress or at work, it’s my timepiece. Because it works, it’s durable, and it’s got a certain general cachet and personal history.

    I don’t know what that says about me-and he would have been the first to laugh and say it’s just a watch-but maybe it says just as much as the flashier wrist peacocks in its own way.

  17. David Lorengo

    I’m surprised you didn’t work in some kind of reference to the origin of Helvetica and why the Swiss international reference letters are CH.

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