BY DHANANJAY PATHAK
Capitalizing on the ongoing Heritage re-issue trend Mido released a modern avatar of the 1961 Ocean Star Decompression timer watch in 2020. Following the success of last year’s offering, Mido has now unveiled the Ocean Star Decompression Timer 1961 “Turquoise” Limited edition. This new watch features a light silverish white dial and a turquoise-colored bezel insert.
Like last year’s release, the first thing that grabs attention on the Ocean Star Decompression Timer 1961 “Turquoise” Limited Edition is the multicolored dial. Presented with a silvery-white base, the dial is characterized by concentric, colorful rings, that feature decompression times at different depths. The central section of the dial features a printed hour index with Arabic numerals at 12,3,6 and 9, which help in improving the legibility of an otherwise busy dial. Applied rectangular indices, along with a black printed minutes track, cover the outer periphery, and there is also a trapezoidal date window at 3. As for the hands, you still get the broad arrow style short hour hand, an elongated baton-style minute hand, and a simple stick style seconds hand. The hands, along with the indices, have been filled generously with luminous paint to make it possible to read the time in dimly lit situations.
The case has been crafted from stainless steel and measures 40.5mm in diameter and has a thickness of around 13.43mm. The case is fully polished and is identical, in terms of design, to its black dial cousin, featuring chunky lugs and a threaded crown with crown guards at 3. Sitting on top of the case is a uni-directional bezel with a summery turquoise aluminum insert that provides a nice contrast to the white dial. The case is water-resistant to a healthy 200 meters.
Powering the watch is the Mido calibre 80, which, as the name suggests, offers an impressive autonomy of around 80 hours when fully wound. This movement is based on the trustworthy ETA 2824-2 and operates at a low frequency of 3 Hz. The movement is hidden underneath a closed case back that has been decorated with a beautiful deeply stamped motif of a starfish.
The new Mido Ocean Star Decompression Time 1961 “Turquoise” Limited edition watch will come packaged inside a special presentation box with three strap options: a Milanese bracelet, a turquoise blue fabric strap, and a brown leather strap. Production is limited to 1961 pieces, and the retail price has been set at EUR 1,150.
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