When it comes to brands touting their heritage, there are more than a few that, shall we say, embellish the links to the past. Then you have brands like Mido who have more concrete claims underscoring a release. Take, for instance, the Mido Commander Icône. When the brand is celebrating 60 years of unbroken production of a watch line, you can take that at face value.
Frankly, looking at the Mido Commander Icône, it even feels like something that could have come from a neo-futuristic look of the late 50’s, early 60’s. By this, I mean that the lugless look has an aged-but-modern feel, only further enhanced and underscored by the dial design.
Then again, modernity in a watch comes with the materials and movement. In this case, the Mido Commander Icône has quite a nice movement – COSC certification and an 80-hour power reserve are tags attached to this particular caliber (all the details listed down below).
At 50m of water resistance, the Mido Commander Icône certainly won’t be mistaken for a dive watch. That said, for an everyday, non-waterbound watch, the stainless steel case and sapphire crystal will certainly keep things safe. While the design of the $1,390 Mido Commander Icône may not be my cup of coffee, and I can certainly appreciate the commitment to continuity that the watch represents. shopmido.com
Watch Overview
Brand & Model: Mido Commander Icône
Price: $1,390
Who we think it might be for: This seems to be a watch that calls to people of a similar era, for which the watch style evokes memories that I just don’t have
Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? Nope, I like Mido, but this one isn’t for me
If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Color-match the day/date display
What spoke to me the most about this watch: That movement
Tech Specs from Mido
Movement: Automatic Mido Caliber 80 Si (ETA C07.821 base), COSC-certified chronometer, 111⁄2’’’, Ø25.60 mm, height: 5.22 mm, 2 jewels, 21,600 vph, ELINFLEX mainspring, silicon balance-spring, decorative disc with transferred Si logo on the balance bridge. Finely decorated chronometer movement with blued screws, oscillating weight decorated with Geneva stripes and Mido logo. Functions: HMSD+Day. Adjusted on 5 different positions for high accuracy. Up to 80 hours of power reserve.
Case: Satin-finished 316L stainless steel, anthracite PVD-treated, polished bezel, Ø42 mm, 3 pieces, faceted and domed sapphire crystal, screwed case back, finely decorated chronometer movement visible through the bevelled transparent case back, water-resistant up to a pressure of 5 bars (50 m / 165 ft).
Bracelet: 316L stainless steel Milanese mesh, anthracite PVD-treated, satin-finished, integrated into the case, sliding clasp.
Dial: Anthracite, sunray satin-finished, polished applied indexes with white Super-LumiNova®, day and date at 3 o’clock
Hands: Flat diamond-cut, hour and minute hands with white Super-LumiNova® for easy readability at night, seconds hand entirely varnished in MIDO orange.
Celebrating 60 years, it’s the Mido Commander Icône When it comes to brands touting their heritage, there are more than a few that, shall we say, embellish the links to the past.