Hands-On With The Mido Ocean Star Decompression Timer 1961
It was only a question of time before Mido brought out this watch. And that time is now. The Mido Ocean Decompression Timer is a modern and bold recreation of the biggest star in the brand’s heritage. The original design is there, but it comes with more muscle.
Mido is not the first brand that would come to mind if you were asked to list the greats of deep-sea exploration. Yet it’s there. Some of Mido’s classic models are in fact seen as dive grails. For example, an original Ocean Star Skin Diver Watch can easily fetch over €10,000 at auction. With the production run not even lasting five years, there aren’t loads of them waiting to be picked up. Many of them lived an underwater life and finding a pristine piece can become a lifelong quest. I was lucky enough to find one last year and I recently reviewed it on #TBT as a warm-up for today’s hands-on.
Mido Ocean Star Decompression
It’s a likable watch. I don’t know one collector that said he doesn’t like this re-edition. I think that the marketing team at Mido doesn’t have to try too hard to sell this one. Just look at it. It lies on the table and sells itself. It must be hard to be a Mido Decompression Timer. It’s so striking that it attracts as much attention as Brad Pitt in your local pub. Everybody wants a touch. I wore it for four full days and a few people in the office that usually don’t give a damn about any of my watches forced me to take it off my wrist and show it to them. True story.
A different story
I was a bit naive at the beginning and I thought I would do a nice side by side review with the original. But even before it arrived I let this idea go. The moment I unboxed the re-edition, the decision made itself. There would be no point in comparing it to the original, as it’s a quite different watch with its own character. While the recent Breitling Superocean Heritage ’57 stays really true to the original in all aspects, the Mido Decompression Timer comes with a way more contemporary narrative.
What’s new
First of all, the case. The original mono-block with thin lugs has gone. Instead, we have a beefier housing altogether. The diameter is interestingly set to 40.5mm, which is not huge, but it’s not small. The lug width expanded to 21mm. The bezel is a massive change from the razor-thin steel original. The only detail that connects it to the 1960s original is the quaint font and format.
The bezel on the Mido Ocean Decompression Timer is much higher. The numbers are not engraved but printed on a black insert. Here you can also spot one of my favorite details, the lume pearl. The original didn’t have it at all and I was really surprised to see it here. It’s quite big, spans almost through the entire width of the bezel insert, and sits in a thin metal ring. It’s made like an object you are intended to study and admire.
The weak spot
I think the bezel is a real gem, but it‘s also the weakest spot of the watch. The teeth on the outer edge are a bit too rounded and make rotating the bezel a bit frustrating. I often use the bezel for timing quite random things and I found myself squeezing it too much to get it set. My typical grip and strength were not enough as my fingers glided over the edge often. I guess that diving gloves might eliminate this problem, but I don’t wear them while driving or boiling eggs.
Mido crown guards
I don’t usually find myself wondering so much about the crown and crown guards. It’s nothing more than a functional detail to my mind. In the case of the Mido Ocean Decompression Timer, it’s slightly different. I very much like the way the triangular guards are integrated into the watch case. The guards often look like a dull add-on, but not here. If you look at the crown and the guards from the side, you can see a fish-head swallowing a big chunk of food.
The crown itself is signed Mido, exactly as the 1960s original was. In comparison to the original, this one is gigantic, but I have to say I was amused by the way it is embraced by the guards. On the contrary to the bezel, the usability of the crown is superb. Not to forget, it’s the screw-down type of a crown that helps to achieve the 200m depth rate. Which is by the way 100m less than the 70-year-old original, but still safe for most users.
Forgetting the original Mido
The Mido Ocean Decompression Timer also has a very unusual handset style. Each hand is so different but they work together. I said my point is not to compare the new piece to the original, but I have to whisper that I miss the black minute hand and the white central disc. But after five days my sentiment faded a bit and I found the full black coloring, even with a black date, quite appealing. I guess it was only a matter of what my eyes were used to.
Shotgun notes
A relief starfish on the case back gives the watch that exact piece of emotion that only a nice case back story can. Besides the 0000/1961 Limited Edition engraving, you will also find a quite entertaining Screw Down Crown engraving. I don‘t like the mash bracelet, so my definite wrist fit would be the black leather strap with colorful stitching. The Mido Ocean Decompression Timer is equipped with a Mido Caliber 80. The movement is an upgraded version of the ETA C07.621 and has 80 hours of a power reserve.
Last thoughts
Mido surprised me here. The price is, to say the least, modest. I expected double the final €1,050 price tag. If I were braver, I would say they underpriced it. It‘s a vivid and quality re-mastering of a watch, widely regarded as the brand’s biggest icon. It has a solid movement and a lot of charisma that many would have problems resisting. From what I’ve heard so far, it’s selling well and you should grab one of the 1,961 pieces quickly if you are considering a purchase. I am curious to see how many speculative purchases by “flippers“ were made and what second-hand market prices will look like in years to come.
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