Mido has been making headwinds lately with popular releases such as the Ocean Star Decompression World Timer, and their recently released Multifort TV Big Date. High profile releases like these ones are starting to bring some much needed attention to their bread and butter offerings like their new Ocean Star GMT we’re reviewing today.
Where the above mentioned popular models have a fairly niche audience, the new Ocean Star GMT encapsulates the true longstanding brand DNA of Mido. This is a special edition watch, but it’s not created in limited quantities, and it certainly doesn’t stand out with any prominent design features pulled from heritage models – instead it’s going for the classy look of a travel diver.
This is the type of watch that would make an excellent under the radar travel companion. Allowing you the comfort of having a high quality Swiss watch on the wrist that will look great out and about during the day, and at dinner, but it will also double as a capable sports watch with its diver rated water resistance.
Appearance and Proportions
Appearance wise, the Ocean Star GMT is blending a trio of key design features very well. While it does not have any overtly obvious retro design features like the TV Big Date, it is absolutely a retro design in a more subtle manner. The watch needs to be pulled up close to see these details, and when telling the time, aspects such as the triangular applied markers, inner dial ring, and nostalgic distortion from the bubble crystal really come into play.
The watch is boasting excellent proportions which was evident directly after placing it on wrist. My only complaint, which is the same for nearly the entire Mido dive watch lineup, is the thickness of the watch at 13.4mm. It is slightly thick on wrist, but this is more of a budget constraint issue that really should be ignored at the current $1310.00 USD price point of this watch. If you desperately want a thinner diver without sacrificing essential specs such as the automatic movement, you’ll need to move up slightly in price to perhaps something like the Yema Superman Slim.
Beyond my one gripe regarding the thickness, the remaining proportions are aced. The dial is perfectly sized when taking in the consideration of the bezel width, which really provides a nice compact appearance on wrist with no dead space on the dial. The dial layout is also very well done, it has a lot going on with the additional red GMT hand, date wheel, and various other aspects, but it doesn’t feel unnecessarily busy like some watches can be. The new Ocean Star GMT is conveniently offered in a variety of colorways to suit any taste, from bright and summery with the red/blue variant to the more relaxed deep navy blue of the one we’ve been handling in the studio here.
Caliber 80 Movement
Just like the rest of the sportier Mido lineup, the Ocean Star GMT is also equipped with the Caliber 80 – of course with 80 hours of power reserve. After handling and wearing many Mido watches with this caliber I will say it’s adequate for the job in this price range, but it does leave some desire for future improvements in terms of its reliability and assembly. I’m not a watchmaker, but I’d assume sacrificing some power reserve in exchange for a higher frequency could relieve some hiccups I’ve experienced with this movement along the way. One such issue I’ve seen is a weak date rotation. Is this due to the stretched frequency? Possibly.
Nonetheless, the movement is nice to look at for those Mido watches that come equipped with an exhibition caseback, which is not the case for this new Ocean Star. Having the closed caseback on this watch could help with its water resistance over the long term though, and on sports watches I generally lean towards the closed caseback camp anyways.
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