Mido Automatic Diving Watch Ocean Star GMT Dark Blue M026.629.17.051.00

Product Information

The Mido Ocean Star GMT expands the diving collection of the Swiss traditional manufacturer with an interesting world time watch, whose time zone information can be found in a very unusual place. GMT and diving watch in one – I will show you this and all other exciting details in my review! What the Mido Ocean Star GMT promises… In honor of the Baroncelli collection's 30th anniversary in 2006, Mido released a new collection of classic, minimalist timepieces inspired by string instruments. The addition of the Belluna collection in 2008 marked Mido's first line of Art Deco watches. Despite the less-than-ideal realities, travel remains one of life’s great pleasures, and it’s hard to understate the romance of exploring somewhere new. Though your phone will likely connect almost anywhere in the world, nothing beats adjusting the jumping hour hand on a GMT mere moments after you feel the wheels touch down far away from home. Forget the roaming fees, the sim card codes, and the battery concerns – you don’t even need to stop the seconds hand on a proper travel watch. In Spanish, mido means "I measure." In 1918, company founder Georges Schaeren selected this name for his new business because he felt it reflected a desire for technical innovation and precise design. Mido's early years coincided with the advent of the automobile industry. It was, therefore, natural that the manufacturer specialized in wristwatches inspired by radiator grills used by early automakers. Mido specifies the water resistance up to 200 meters depth. That should be more than enough for 99.5% of us. Enduring like no other movement: the Caliber 80

This is not an indictment against the Swatch Group. They, after all, created the movement, and should be applauded for developing a caliber that’s truly useful for so many at an affordable price point. But it’s an interesting commentary about what we value, as enthusiasts, versus what’s important to much larger, more commercial brands and the behemoth groups, and underlines the importance of the continuous community discussion we, and many others, try to foster here, and on social media, and on watch forums , where these watches were recently discussed, beating the American press to the punch by more than a week. In an “office” GMT, the first détente on the crown sets the GMT hand, usually in 1-hr increments. It moves independently of all the other hands.

A look through the specs, though, had us wondering what exactly was up with this thing. The spec sheet lists the movement as the Mido Caliber 80, which is based on an ETA C07.661 caliber, part of the next generation of ETA movements with extended power reserves (this one goes up to 80 hours on a full wind). We had heard rumblings of a new GMT movement that ETA would be introducing with a jumping local hour hand, and suspected this might be it. Leave it to a worldwide pandemic to prevent us from getting one to go hands on with to prove it (and the Mido provided press material didn’t explicitly state whether or not this was a feature of the watch). A watch with the Traveller GMT function allows the wearer to set the time upon arrival by moving the hour hand in hour increments without any of the other hands needing to be adjusted. Airline pilots and international travellers love this functionality because the GMT hand on their watches usually correlates to their home time; thus, it rarely needs to be changed. Furthermore, most GMT watches use the Office functionality in their movements. They are called Office GMTs for individuals who rarely travel but either want to know what time it is in foreign markets or who have family members living abroad. On Office GMTs, the GMT hand moves in hour increments and can be set independently as well. And that’s why the introduction of the C07.661 is so interesting. While it’s unlikely that small brands will get a hold of this new caliber anytime soon, it seems to be almost a sure thing that other Swatch Group brands will have access to it. Imagine the possibilities of true GMTs from the likes of Hamilton, and Longines, and you start to see that the C07.661 could be a game changer for the enthusiasts who have made 2893-2 and SW330-1 watches so popular these last few years. By some reports, these movements are so widely used that they’ve become genuinely scarce (comparatively speaking), driving up the price of watches equipped with these calibers. For clarity, the two look and function in an identical manner, with 4 hands, usually with all of them centrally mounted. Hours, minutes and seconds of the time, displayed on a 12-hr dial exactly as almost every other watch out there. And the 4 th hand is the GMT hand. It rotates a single time every 24 hrs to indicate a separate timezone. If you just wound them and watched them run, both types would seem to be identical. Right up to the point where you rub together your thumb and index finger before releasing the crown to set the watch.

It was with some interest that I read that the Swatch group were developing the Powermatic 80 movements to have a traveller GMT feature, and I was very pleased to see that the Mido Ocean Star GMT, which is one of the first, was so attractive. Why is this important? Simply put, the list of companies offering traveller GMT watches is very small, and the list of those offering Office GMT watches is very long. One of the Swiss company's earliest successes came in 1934 in the form of the Multifort. This model remains a staple of the Mido catalog to this day. The release of the Ocean Star followed in 1959 and was a smash hit. It features a single-shell case and a crown sealing system that would later become known as the Aquadura. At the time, the Ocean Star was one of the most robust and water-resistant watches on the market. Today, the Ocean Star's direct descendants are found in the Commander collection, while the Ocean Star name has been given to a new series of diving watches.The lume quality seems good too, with a strong glow as you transition from light into dark, and long-lasting readability. It is easy to differentiate the hands in the dark, as well as orientate the dial. I like the little details touches when in motion too. The end of the hour hand just hovers over the inside edge of the date window as it passes 3. The minute hand tip reaches the inner edge minute indices. The ends of the second and GMT hands are at the outer edge of minute indices too. The widest part of the second hand’s lume passes perfectly over the inner edge of the hour indices. These are intentional and pleasing things to see. GMT watches never go out of style. Year after year, brands introduce GMT models with an extra hour hand and a 24-hour scale to indicate time in another time zone, and for obvious reasons, they are some of the most practical watches on the market. In 2022, we have already seen more than a dozen companies presenting new models with such functions. Still, this recent Mido Ocean Star GMT Special Edition, dare I say, is one of the best offers for a perfect balance of price, quality and performance. Let’s see why. This can also be felt on the wrist, where the diver’s watch sits very comfortably. A case diameter of 44 millimeters is a real mark, even for diving watches. Such a watch stands out; you should be aware of that. However, compared to the 44 millimeters in diameter, the Mido Ocean Star GMT measures just 13 millimeters in height. So, the watch sits quite flat on the wrist. The additional very dynamic design of the case sides give the diver a sporty look. I should say that Mido are not active in the UK market. They have no dealer network or even an agent over here. Nor will they sell direct to customers. I did ask Mido directly, but they refused.