The Mido Multifort M Chronometer, Accessible and Fully Equipped

The Multifort collection dates back to 1934 when Mido presented a self-winding, anti-magnetic, waterproof and shock-resistant Multifort watch that quickly became a bestseller. Mido’s modern assortment under the Multifort umbrella shares essential characteristics. The new Mido Multifort M Chronometer is here to win many fans. Well-made, fully equipped, nicely designed and accessible, this new version combines precision and high-tech watchmaking.

Chronometers have been part of the Mido Multifort collection since 2018, with nine day-date models to choose from, with dials in different colours but always decorated with the vertical Geneva stripes and applied, sloping, shaped indices. The Mido Multifort M line has two references; both are sure to please those not in favour of the striped dial that, according to the brand, should remind you of the Sydney Harbour bridge suspension cables. 

The new Multifort M Chronometer is presented in a satin-finished and polished 3-part stainless steel case, 42mm in diameter, with a sapphire crystal that received anti-reflective treatment on both sides. The sapphire tops the dark green dial with a vertical satin finish, almost black when closer to the outer edge, where the minute circle is printed in white on the black flange.

The hours are marked in relief with beige Super-LumiNova; 6, 9 and 12 are represented with Arabic numerals and complemented with eight round indices. The aperture at 3 o’clock indicates the day and date, printed in black on a white background. The hour and minute hands are shaped and covered with beige Super-LumiNova; the central seconds hand is flat. The Mido logo and “automatic” are placed above the centre, with the Chronometer certification plus the collection name above 6 o’clock, all in bright white and contrasting with the dial gradient.

The movement that brings this watch to life is a familiar Mido calibre 80 (ETA C07.821 base, or Swatch Group’s Powermatic 80) with a silicon balance spring. It is certified by the COSC, which means the accuracy has been tested to keep an average daily rate of −4/+6 seconds. The going rate is 21,600vph or 3Hz, down by 1Hz from the ETA 2824 calibre that made the ETA C07.821 possible. The Mido calibre 80 uses bidirectional automatic winding, and the energy stored provides up to 80 hours of function. The movement decoration can be seen through the sapphire caseback; note the blued screws and the Geneva stripes on the rotor engraved with the logo. Finally, Mido adds a silicon balance spring, which enhances precision and offers anti-magnetic properties. This is essentially the same base movement found in the Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Silicium. 

This new Mido Multifort M Chronometer (reference M038.431.11.097.00) comes with a 3-link stainless steel bracelet with a folding clasp, and it offers the one-click change feature, so no tools are required should you wish to replace the bracelet with a strap. The watch retails for EUR 1,340 or CHF 1,240, which seems reasonable for a well-executed timepiece equipped with an upgraded ETA movement, with COSC-chronometer certification and a silicon hairspring.

For more information, please visit www.midowatches.com.