Discover MIDO

As watches became an increasingly important part of everyday life, MIDO placed greater emphasis on durability. In the 1930s, the brand introduced a cork-based crown-sealing system that later became known as Aquadura, helping protect the movement against water.

The specially treated cork worked as a flexible seal around the crown, one of the most vulnerable areas of a watch case. This contributed to improved water resistance at a time when such protection was still far from standard.

This development reveals a principle that continues to shape MIDO: innovation should serve a practical purpose. Its watches were designed not only to look distinctive, but to perform reliably in daily life.

Introduced in 1934, the Multifort became one of the defining watches in MIDO’s history. It was among the early wristwatches to bring together automatic winding, water resistance, shock resistance and antimagnetic protection within one design.

This combination helped establish MIDO’s reputation for robust and practical mechanical watches. Multifort became the brand’s leading collection for several decades, demonstrating that dependable engineering and considered design could exist within the same timepiece.

That philosophy remains visible in today’s Multifort collection. While its forms and movements have evolved, the collection continues to express the strength, innovation and confident character that made the original so significant.

MIDO’s expertise in water resistance developed further with the introduction of the Ocean Star in 1959. Its single-shell case construction reduced potential points of water entry by eliminating the conventional removable caseback.

Combined with MIDO’s crown-sealing expertise, this construction created a watch designed to offer greater protection in demanding conditions. The starfish emblem became closely associated with this aspect of the brand’s watchmaking.

The Ocean Star later developed into the aquatic collection recognised today, encompassing capable diving watches, GMT models and heritage-inspired designs. For modern wearers, its appeal lies in the combination of purposeful performance and a history genuinely connected to water-resistant watchmaking.

Alongside durability, precision has remained an important part of MIDO’s watchmaking identity. This commitment is reflected today in selected MIDO watches certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, known as COSC.

To receive this certification, a movement must undergo independent testing and meet defined standards of mechanical accuracy under controlled conditions.

For someone choosing a MIDO today, chronometer certification offers more than a technical designation. It provides independent reassurance of the precision and dependable performance built into the movement.

MIDO’s relationship with architecture has become one of the most distinctive elements of its modern identity. Architecture and watchmaking share many of the same foundations: proportion, precision, carefully selected materials and the ability to remain relevant over time.

Rather than reproducing buildings literally, MIDO translates architectural principles into balanced dials, structural patterns and sculptural case forms. In 2017, this connection was formally expressed through the brand philosophy “Inspired by Architecture.”

This approach gives MIDO watches a recognisable sense of purpose. Their designs can feel contemporary without being dependent on temporary trends, making them particularly appealing to those who value lasting design as much as mechanical performance.

MIDO does not treat its archives as something fixed in the past. Instead, historic designs regularly provide the foundation for new watches that combine vintage character with contemporary movements, materials and proportions.

A striking example is the Multifort TV Big Date, introduced in 2023. Its distinctive television-shaped case revisits a MIDO design from approximately 50 years earlier, while its prominent date display and modern automatic movement give it an unmistakably contemporary identity.

The Ocean Star Decompression Worldtimer follows a similar philosophy. Its colourful display recalls MIDO’s historic decompression watches while adding functionality suited to modern travel. These watches demonstrate how the brand can respect its past without simply recreating it.

MIDO’s current collections reflect different chapters of its history. Multifort carries forward the brand’s reputation for robustness and bold design, while Ocean Star represents decades of experience in water-resistant watchmaking.

Commander preserves a distinctive design lineage dating back to 1959. Baroncelli expresses the more classical side of the brand through refined proportions and sophisticated mechanical movements, while Rainflower brings a graceful interpretation of MIDO’s architecture-inspired philosophy.

Each collection has its own visual character and reason to exist. Whether sporty, elegant or contemporary, the watches remain connected through Swiss mechanical expertise and a shared focus on purposeful design.