The Mido Ocean Star 600 Chronometer is engineered to take on the watery depths of the ocean with ease.
1944 was an important year in Mido’s history books as one of its creations, the Ocean Star, would go on to form an important pillar for the Swiss watchmaker. The birth of the dive watch was inspired by the Europa Point Lighthouse, standing steadfastly at Europe’s southernmost tip and acting as a beacon of safety for sailors bracing the rough waters of the Gibraltar Strait. Its reliability was symbolic for Mido as the Ocean Star collection was created to safely guide men embarking on new maritime conquests just as the architectural monument did.
Evermore robust, accurate and reliable, the release of the latest Ocean Star 600 Chronometer is designed to accompany men wherever they choose to push beyond their limits. The Ocean Star 600 Chronometer is Mido’s only watch engineered to withstand pressures up to 600m, a testament to Mido’s pioneering efforts in developing waterproof watches during its heyday in the 1930s. A humble starfish adorns the case back of the Ocean Star 600 Chronometer, symbolising Mido’s expertise in water resistance. Given the extreme pressures the Ocean Star 600 Chronometer has to withstand, a helium escape valve was fitted at the case side to alleviate built-up pressure within the watch during decompression stages of a dive sequence to prevent unwanted damages.
A lacquered dial in shades of blue and black mirrors the colours of the ocean’s watery depths — a gradual fade to black as vivid blue gives way when one dives deeper. Legibility underwater is optimised with the choice of the highest grade of luminescent paint, Super-LumiNova Grade X, applied liberally to the watch hands, hour indices and ceramic bezel dive scale. Given the importance of a dive scale, Mido devised a secure rotation system that keeps it locked in place to prevent unwanted adjustments mid-dive: pressing down on the bezel will release the bezel lock.
As its namesake suggests, the Ocean Star 600 Chronometer is powered by the Calibre 80 Si movement, chronometer-certified by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC – Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute). Accuracy deviations are kept within -4/+6 seconds per day in accordance with standards set by the testing institute, made possible by a silicon balance-spring that is anti-magnetic and resistant to shocks and deformations. The calibre’s power reserve is extended to 80 hours from the 42-hour average for periods of adventure.
Once you’re done with this story about the Mido Ocean Star 600 Chronometer, click here to catch up with our November 2021 issue.
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