The year 1944 was an important milestone 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 that dive watch was inspired by the Europa Point Lighthouse, standing steadfastly at Europe’s southernmost tip. Historically, it acted as a beacon of safety for sailors braving 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.
Likewise, the Ocean Star 600 Chronometer is designed to accompany men wherever they choose to push beyond their limits. The Ocean Star 600 is Mido’s first watch engineered to withstand 600m pressure, a testament to the brand’s pioneering efforts in developing water-resistant watches in the 1930s. A humble starfish adorns the caseback of the Ocean Star 600, symbolising Mido’s expertise in water-resistance. Given the extreme pressures the Ocean Star 600 has to withstand, a helium escape valve was fitted at the case side to alleviate built-up pressure from saturation diving, for example.
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.
- READ MORE: Comprehending the Popularity of Dive Watches
As its namesake suggests, the Ocean Star 600 is powered by the Calibre 80 Si movement, which is 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.
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