Mido holds a very interesting position within the watch industry. They’re affordably priced, but not so much so that they cheapen their brand prowess, and they’re also relatively less known than say brands like Tissot or Longines. This gives the prospective buyer a cool value proposition, a brand that’s niche enough to create an allure of exclusivity while at the same time remaining at an obtainable price point. We’ve handled many Mido watches in the past, but today we’re covering one of their yellow gold PVD variants – namely the Ocean Star GMT in brown and gold using a large 44mm case. I couldn’t help but throw “Rootbeer” into the title of this post since clearly this is the vibe Mido is going after, even though it’s of course not a true solid gold watch.
Admittedly, faux gold watches, or more precisely gold PVD coated watches are not my first choice in wrist wear, but they can serve a unique purpose to someone who really prefers the look of a gold watch without the multi-thousand price tag. This current version we have here, which is the reference M026.629.37.291.00 – has a retail price of $1600 USD. This is an acceptable starting point for someone just beginning to venture into quality Swiss watches. Perhaps someone who’s searching for their first Swiss watch, and who also likes to travel in style with some gold flair, would really be intrigued by this offering from Mido.
Specs and Wearability
What’s really great about this watch, besides its deep gold hue and matching 70s brown inner bezel and strap, is that it retains all the specs one would expect from the Mido dive range. We’re looking at a watch that excels at extended water exposure at depths up to 660ft. It’s also using the ETA Mido Caliber 80, with 80 hours of power reserve and a great reputation for reliability, accuracy, and repairability. Not only is the case of the watch extra thick, aiding in water resistance, but it’s also sporting a screw down crown. It’s often assumed that all watches with impressive water resistance ratings have screw down crowns, but my experience handling thousands of watches has told me otherwise, it can often be an overlooked feature.
Despite the faux aspect of the PVD coating, I do have to say that the implementation of the coating is done exceptionally well. It’s very smooth to the touch and retains a luxurious lustre with the alternating brushed and polished facets around the case, lugs, and gripping teeth of the bezel. The hue of the gold is also not cheap looking, with a deeper copper tone to it, almost as though a high karat gold has been mixed with an alloy like copper. After wearing it for a few days now it also does not appear to show any obvious signs of wear or scratching that can often be associated with PVD coated watches, and one of the main reasons why I usually stay away from them personally.
Mido makes very well wearing watches, which has been exemplary for years with models like their Decompression Rainbow Diver and Worldtimer – both of which are smaller than the Ocean Star GMT we have here. Although this is a very large dive watch when looking at the specs on paper, it truly fits quite a bit smaller than the 44mm case would suggest. The watch is large, and it’s apparent just by holding it in hand and feeling its weight, but Mido has mastered the important aspects like its curved lugs, thickness of the case, and visual proportions of the dial and bezel. So while this particular model is too large for my 6.5 inch wrist, its really not that far off, and I can see someone easily wearing this with a wrist size of 6.75 and larger.
After wearing the watch outside for a little while, and then venturing into a darker setting indoors, I was blown away by the performance of the Super-Luminova. The large rectangular indices are filled to the brim with lume, I did not notice any blotches or dark patches, the lume appears to be applied very generously and evenly. The color is an attractive nuclear green hue, and in dimly lit settings (not completely dark) contrasted beautifully off the gold outlined markers and brown inner bezel.
One of the strong points of this watch is its dial, which is very handsomely laid out, simple to read and just has a pleasing congruency to it. The gold hands are classy and work well with the black and brown color scheme. The slopped inner bezel is surprisingly easy to read despite the small numerical markings.
Final Thoughts
Mido is a great brand, and they bring a huge amount of value to the table for people looking to enter the Swiss watch world, or even for a seasoned collector searching for an affordable vacation watch, or a watch that can take some punishment without the hefty repair costs of an Omega or Rolex sports watch. The Ocean Star line from Mido has always been well regarded and it has some of the most impressive specs for its price point. If a larger, capable dive watch, with some gold PVD flair is what you’re after this certainly hits the nail on the head.
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