BY JOVAN KRSTEVSKI
It’s been 75 years since the release of the first Mido Ocean Star dive watch and to celebrate this milestone Mido has launched two new dive watches. Featuring a modern build, powered by a reliable automatic movement, the Ocean Star Tribute watches have been designed to emit a retro vibe reminiscent of dive watches from the ’60s.
Presented in either a more common black or a peculiar and vibrant Petrol blue, the dials on these new watches look clean and functional. As a nod to dive watches from the past the hour index has been printed instead of being applied and is a combination of rectangles along with an inverted triangle at 12. Simple printed hash marks form the minute track and there is a date and day window at 3 to keep the watch practical. The baton-style hour and minute hands look right at home nicely matching the shape of the hour markings whereas the orange lollipop style seconds hand breaks things up a little and adds a pop of color to the dial. To offer low light visibility the hands, as well as the indices, have been coated with luminous material. Interestingly the black dial gets custard luminous treatment for a more vintage-inspired look whilst the blue dial has been painted in white.
Constructed using stainless steel the case on the Ocean Star Tribute watches is moderately sized coming in at a diameter of 40.5mm. Sitting on top of the case is a color-matched dive time bezel that features a printed graduation scale. Also, on top is a box-shaped sapphire crystal which adds to the vintage flavor of the watch. To ensure the 200-meter water resistance the case back has been kept closed but has been beautifully decorated with a deeply embossed motif of a starfish, the historical symbol of the Ocean Star. Powering these new watches is the Caliber 80, that is a modified ETA 2824. Notable changes include a lowered beat rate of 3Hz and as the name suggests a massive power reserve of 80 hours.
The Mido Ocean Star Tribute watches manage to give a glimpse of the past by remaining futureproof. The watches would come attached to a steel multi-link bracelet and the package would contain an additional matching strap. The retail price is CHF 990.
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