“Was this part of Mido’s launch event in Singapore?”
Why, yes, of course. Following on from the launch of its Baroncelli Lady Day and Rainflower collections in Singapore, Centre Seconds also had the chance to sit down with the CEO of Mido, Mr Franz Linder, for a quick chat. Here is the gist of the interview.
Centre Seconds (CS): So, 100 years, huh? What’s next for Mido? In the immediate future and down the line for 2019?
Franz Linder (FL): After Singapore, we have another Mido event in December in Bogota, Colombia, to close the 100-year celebrations. We’re very happy with how the year has gone and for Q1 2019, our focus is on pushing the Mido Multifort Chronometer One. Later on in the year, the Rainflower collection will be revealed in full so that’s the priority then.
CS: Let’s talk about the Rainflower for a minute. Not often we see a collection designed entirely by the customer, right? What’s the reasoning behind such a move?
FL: Mido is pushing for more wristwatches for women all across the world. That’s why you see these two collections today. As for the Rainflower, we’re looking at watches that take into account more customer-involved feedback. We believe this is how we want to take our watches into the future.
CS: While the ladies get the Rainflower to play around with, does this mean the guys get to design their own watches soon?
FL: In the foreseeable future, no. The gents collection will not get customization options just yet.
CS: 
FL: 
*everyone reaches for their glass of water*
CS: Riiiiight. Since we’re on this topic, what’s the ratio like between male and female customers? Is it skewed heavily towards the gents?
FL: Actually, not so much. You’d be surprised to know that in Asia, the split is almost 50-50. In Latin America, not quite. That’s more like 60% male and 40% female.
CS: Ah, okay. Moving on, we know that Mido is perhaps one of the largest producers of COSC-certified timepieces in its price range. How many watches are we talking specifically? And is it fair to assume that Mido is near the top of the pyramid in terms of numbers?
FL: To answer your first question, Mido puts out 50,000 COSC-certified timepieces annually, give or take. As for the second question, COSC has stopped disclosing exact numbers since two years ago making it *pause* less… transparent.
CS: Now evidently, the market for Mido watches in Latin America and China is yuuuuge. What about South East Asia? Any plans for expanding the brand in countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the like?
FL: Right now, our focus is on improving the quality and outlook of the dealers in the region. As for Malaysia, the brand awareness there is quite good. Likewise, the same for Thailand and Indonesia.
Our chaperone subtly walks into view and signals that time is up…
CS: Alright, to wrap things up. What can we expect from the brand in the future? Is there a remote possibility of an in-house movement?
FL: No, there won’t be an in-house movement from Mido. The main issue is the costs of developing one and passing said costs onto the customers. Also, Mido is, first and foremost, a volume brand so an in-house movement wouldn’t make sense. Mido stands for great value for money and an in-house movement would drive the prices of watches up quite significantly.
“That’s the end, then?”
Yeah, that’s pretty much it. The interview session only lasted for 20 minutes thereabouts so yours truly couldn’t exactly get all his questions across in time. Still, as brief as it was, the exchange was enough to hint at what’s coming for the brand and I gotta’ say, Mido looks like it has its next 100 planned out pretty well.