*barges through the office door, sets up laptop and types ‘Mido’ furiously*
Okay, yours truly didn’t exactly do that but you get the point. At Centre Seconds, we don’t usually rush our pieces because we’re not news-focused but this time? It’s a bit different. We’ve just ended a live PR-Skype session with Mr. Mido himself! No, not Robi, although that would’ve made for a very comedic session instead. It was none other than Mr Franz Linder, President-CEO of Mido Watches, himself.
Now, for this relatively quick PR session (it was over within an hour including a short Q&A portion), Mr Linder highlighted four notable models that will form part of the 2020 Novelties lineup. The first two models come from the Ocean Star family. On the other hand, the third and fourth pieces presented are both limited edition, hand-wound models (YES!). Those expecting live photos, I’m sorry. Snapshots taken on my phone will prove that the quality is far from acceptable and short of one model, the rest weren’t available when we went to check out the other novelties in the flesh.
*besides, official shots look better most of the time, right? 😉
Mido Ocean Star GMT
If the name wasn’t obvious enough, the most glaring addition to this new model is the GMT complication. Three variants are available – a blue-bezeled version followed by an orange-accented model and a two-toned, rose gold PVD unit. They all share the same 44 mm case size, ceramic insert on the unidirectional-rotating bezel, timezone-engraved caseback (the coolest aesthetic feature, in my opinion), 200 m water resistance and of course, the Caliber 80 movement.
The 25-jeweled caliber beats at 3 Hz and is based on an Élaboré-grade ETA C07.661 movement. Power reserve is rated at 80 hours.
As mentioned, the largest differentiation factor between the Ocean Star GMT and its cousins is the… well, GMT function. For this model, Mido has decided to place the second timezone readout (in 24-hour format, of course) on the flange beneath the sapphire AR-coated crystal. In the blue variant, a blued GMT hand indicates the secondary timezone – an orange and rose gold GMT hand feature in the other two.
Look a tad closer and you’ll be able to see that Mido has conveniently placed the daytime hours on a blue background. A black background lies behind the nightly hours instead. From my limited exposure and from skimming over the photos, it would appear that the blue variant is the only one to feature this subtle touch. As for strap options, the blue variant gets a blue fabric unit with contrasting white stitching at the lug ends.
The other two come on a steel bracelet with the two-tone version featuring the same colour scheme. Prices vary slightly between all three, though. The blue one retails for RM4,670 while the orange version costs RM4,940. The two-tone one is the costliest at RM5,450.
Mido Ocean Star Chronograph
Continuing on its nautical theme, Mido has released the Ocean Star Chronograph. Looks wise, it’s arguably the most menacing one in the 2020 Novelties lineup, especially the blacked-out version. Another titanium variant with a blue dial and blue bezel is also available. Both models share the same case size of 44 mm, screwed-down caseback with Mido’s starfish motif, water resistance of 200 m and Mido’s Caliber 60.
The 27-jeweled movement runs at 4 Hz and has a power reserve of 60 hours. A small seconds display is located at 9 o’clock while the 30-minute counter is at 3 o’clock. The unidirectional bezel contains a ceramic insert while the flange contains what Mido calls a “nautical tachymeter scale”. Said feature allows the wearer to calculate the speed in (nautical) miles across a distance while the bezel allows for additional measurements by marking a time interval. The bezel even comes with a lumed pip. As for strap options, the black variant comes with two stock units – a black rubber and a black fabric strap. The titanium variant comes on a matching titanium bracelet.
Prices begin at RM9,250 for the titanium Ocean Star Chronograph and RM9,450 for the black DLC-coated version.
“Wait… two manual-wound Midos?!”
Yes! Before you get too excited, I must state that both are limited edition timepieces. The Mido Baroncelli Mechanical is limited to 2,020 units worldwide while the Multifort Mechanical Skeleton is even rarer. There’s just 999 units worldwide for that one. In Malaysia, only 3 units of the Baroncelli Mechanical will be made available. As for the Multifort? Malaysia is said to receive only “between 3-6 pieces.” Price tags? The former goes for RM4,830. On the other hand, the Multifort has a price tag of RM7,920.
The Mido Baroncelli Mechanical Limited Edition
Firstly, I usually begin with case diameters but in the case (hehe) of the Baroncelli Mechanical, let it be known that this piece is only 7 mm thick. The rose gold PVD-coated steel case measures in at 39 mm. The Mido Caliber 7001 is to be found inside. Based on the ETA 7001, the 17-jeweled movement beats at 3 Hz and offers 42 hours of power reserve. The movement itself is visible thanks to an exhibition (sapphire) caseback. What about water resistance? Thirty metres is your water resistance cap. In terms of the stock strap, owners will receive a “semi-matte” black leather unit with a rose gold PVD-treated steel clasp.
“… and what about the other hand-wound piece?”
Moving on, we have the radically-designed Multifort Mechanical Skeleton. Cased in a 44 mm, black PVD-treated titanium case, it’s not one to go unnoticed. A black “technical” fabric strap with a titanium pin buckle is paired with the watch. The most noticeable aesthetic feature of this watch would most definitely be its black plate and its accompanying Geneva stripes. Additionally, the concentric rings also appear to emerge from the balance spring assembly’s location. If you were to look even closer, you’ll spot the small seconds display at 6 o’clock.
As for its movement, the Multifort Mechanical Skeleton comes powered by the Caliber 6498-1 which is based of the… err… ETA 6498-1. A 17-jeweled movement beats at a leisurely 2.5 Hz and offers 46 hours of power reserve. According to Mido, water resistance is quoted at 100 m.
“Q&A time!”
Unfortunately, the Malaysian group ran short on time for questions but I did get one across to Mr Linder.
Centre Seconds (CS): Can we expect to see more hand-wound models being introduced as non-limited variants in the future?
Franz Linder (FL): Very good question and yes, you are correct. At Mido, we don’t have many hand-wound watches. This is because Mido is still very much focused on automatic watches for now. Even though mechanical (hand-wound) watches are very charming, Mido wants its watches to be used often. An automatic makes more sense. As a result, there won’t be many hand-wound models but we may consider introducing non-limited, hand-wound models in the future.