This watch caught my eye at a recent presentation. It is made by Italian brand Mondia, based in Voghera, near Milan. Its name is “1946 Aviator,” and it has a lot of the classic pilot’s watch features, such as the very simple dial, the Arabic numerals vertical all way round, the anti-magnetic movement, and the triangle at the 12 o’clock position. It is water-resistant to 50 metres. The hands are generously coated in SuperLuminova, there is a small date window, and the khaki leather strap loops through a leather bracelet that makes it very comfortable to wear. I would guess that, like other models in Mondia’s vintage collection, this has a case diameter of 42 mm, thickness 13.5 mm, possibly powered by the Miyota 821A automatic movement. The “1946” on the dial refers to the origins of the company and more specifically the year in which an advertisement for a Mondia watch appeared for the first time.

The design isn’t perfect: I think that the triangle is a touch too large, and the rectangles at 3, 6 and 9 pm are a bit too long and wide. The rectangle at 3 o’clock is shorter than the others because of the date window. But nonetheless it’s a nice pilot’s watch, with the addition of a transparent caseback that reveals the oscillating weight.

Price and availability

The nicest thing of all is the price, at €380, available at Mondia retailers from 10 April 2015. At present, there are retailers only in northern Italy. See www.mondiawatchgroup.com for retailers. Click here for another post on Mondia.