Mido Is Launching A Special Edition Of The Travel-Ready Ocean Star GMT

Mido, one of the mid-range brands in the Swatch Group can be considered somewhat of an overlooked gem. With a history spanning more than a century, Mido has made some very interesting steps since it was founded by Georges Schaeren, most notably in protecting watches from the elements. In the early 1930s for instance, Mido invented a cork sealing system for the crown to increase water tightness. Another Mido milestone is the 1961 Ocean Star, a colourful decompression diver brought back as a limited edition in 2020, and again in 2021. With the present-day Ocean Star collection, Mido captures the spirit of these historical aquatic watches and packs it into a robust, modern dive watch. The latest to join the ranks is a blue and red iteration of the Mido Ocean Star GMT Special Edition.

The Mido Ocean Star GMT has been part of the Ocean Star collection since 2020 and used to come in three variations: steel and black, steel and blue and two-tone and black. Based on the solid foundation of the Ocean Star dive watch, the GMT version adds a practical bit of complexity to an already impressive package. The stainless steel case measures 44mm across and comes in at 13.5mm in height, equal to the non-Special Editions we previously saw. On top is a serrated bezel with a blue ceramic insert and a white diving scale. Mido states the Ocean Star GMT weighs 209 grams, making it quite a hefty piece. However, it remains to be seen how it sits on the wrist as our experience with the comparably sized and weighted Ocean Star 600 Chronometer was more than satisfying.

The velvety black dial of the previous Ocean Star GMT models has been replaced with a blue one for this Special Edition. The day/night indicator is finished in two-tone red and blue and a 24-hours scale. One step in we see large, applied rectangular hour indices, with a double square one at 12 and 6 o’clock. This is interchanged with a white minute track. The date window at three o’clock halves the hour index, making it match with the aforementioned square ones. The central hour and minute hands are partially skeletonized. The central seconds hand now has a red tip, tying it in with the new colour scheme of the watch. The GMT hand, finished in red with a triangular tip, can be set directly through the crown. All elements are finished with Super-LumiNova inserts for improved legibility at night.

Mido makes full use of the access it has to ETA movements as a member of the Swatch Group, across all its collections. This Mido Ocean Star GMT Special Edition is fitted with the Mido Calibre ETA, based on the ETA C07.661. This robust automatic movement runs at a rate of 21,600vph and provides a solid 80 hours of power reserve. Next to central hours, minutes and seconds, it adds the fourth GMT hand which can be adjusted through the crown. Hidden from view by the closed caseback emblazoned with a scale of the 24 time zones spread across the world.

The Mido Ocean Star GMT Special Edition comes on a stainless steel bracelet as standard. This bracelet has brushed outer links, with polished centre links and is fitted to a folding clasp with an integrated diving extension. Quick-release spring bars allow you to easily exchange the bracelet for the additional textile NATO strap, in blue with red and white straps and with leather reinforcement patches. This new version of the Mido Ocean Star GMT will be available soon (it’s already listed on Mido’s website) and will retail for CHF 1,300. That makes it a bit pricier than the steel and blue or black models, yet these did not come with an additional strap.

For more information, please visit MidoWatches.com