While all brands have certain key features, some have such strong signatures you can quickly determine the maker of a watch from across the room. In the luxury realm, there?s Audemars Piguet and the famed integrated style of their Royal Oak, Cartier and their blue sapphire cabochon crowns, and Rolex and their iconic fluted bezel or ?pepsi? GMT bezel? but in the entry-level, those brands with serious signature styles become much fewer and less recognizable.

One brand to counter that narrative is Mondaine, which has built lasting recognition for its watches, with most featuring a Bauhaus design inspired by the official clocks of the Swiss Railways. First with the original evo, and now the evo2 with its ?rounder, more organic case? standing as the modern bearers of this design history, Mondaine?s timepieces quickly channel classic minimalist style with a strong Swiss signature via their famed red seconds hands. If you want to learn more about this history, you should read Roger Ruegger?s hands-on with the evo2 SBB Automatic, where he traveled with one on the wrist in his own Swiss locomotive journey.
This summer, Mondaine is once more growing the evo2 collection in a subtle, yet notable way, introducing an upsized edition of the watch, now in 43mm. The new size is available with either a deep black display or crisp white dial; it joins the already standard 40mm and 35mm options in the brand?s catalogue.

Like previous editions of the evo2, the 43mm?s case i...