Here’s a challenge that’s often plagued watchmaking brands and masters of haute horlogerie: how do you stay ahead of the curve and relevant in a fast-paced world that often seems bent on going viral, and orchestrating publicity stunts for the sake of visibility and “likes”?
The Swiss watch brand Mido may have just solved this riddle when they joined forces with the 2019 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series as the official performance sponsor. The mission? To celebrate a true icon – The Mido Ocean Star’s 75th anniversary – and launch its exciting novelties for 2019.
We recently embarked on a whirlwind weekend trip to Bilbao, Spain with our friends from Mido to witness the prestigious launch event for ourselves and catch the adrenaline-packed Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
Tell us about the Ocean Star’s 75th anniversary. How do you feel about it?
Happy! We are happy not only to be here, but we’re also really looking forward to the 2019 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. I think it’s a memorable moment in the history of Mido and is definitely a highlight for 2019.
What do you want Mido fans and collectors to take away from the new Ocean Star novelties?
This year, we’re celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Ocean Star collection, and at Swatch, it was our ambition to showcase how far the brand has come. 75 years is a long time and not many brands have product lines that have been in production for such a duration.
It was pretty ambitious, but we wanted to offer our loyal fans a heritage piece that reflects Mido’s history, as well as the latest advancements in technology when it comes to watchmaking. So we looked back in our archives for inspiration and came up with something memorable that’s limited edition to our consumers. I think with the 2019 Ocean Star Tribute, we have a nice product with a touch of heritage and top technology.
“With the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, we’re able to share our passion for precision, architecture and performance, which are all integral parts of our DNA.”
Franz Linder, Mido president
“With the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, we’re able to share our passion for precision, architecture and performance, which are all integral parts of our DNA.”
What do you love the most about the new novelties?
Of course, it’s the azure blue dial – I think the colour is very eye-catching. In the past, the blue dials I’ve had were always very dark. I like how vibrant the blue dials on the 2019 Ocean Star Tributes are. I think it’s quite cool and goes well with casual summer styles too.
Tell us about Mido’s involvement with cliff diving. How did it come about?
When we were preparing for the 75th anniversary of the Ocean Star collection a year ago, we had a pressing question on our minds: how could we celebrate this jubilee with our prouducts and activities? As the name says “Ocean Star”, we had to find a way to link it to the sea and water. It became obvious to us that we had to find a partnership that’s related to water, but at the same time reflects the values of the brand.
Cliff diving is all about performance and extreme precision. We were lucky because it’s also a sport that can be practised in urban areas that are surrounded by architecture, which has always been an element of high importance for Mido. With the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, we’re able to share our passion for precision, architecture and performance, which are all integral parts of our DNA.
How does Mido’s qualities reflect cliff diving?
If you look at this year’s novelties, you’ll see that our ambition was to create timepieces of fantastic quality that’s able to withstand extreme activities. Previously, our dive watches were mostly of 200m water resistance. They’re good products, but for the 75th anniversary, we wanted to create a product that Mido’s never done before.
We said, “Let’s go beyond the levels we used in the past.” That’s how we created Mido’s most performative diver model. We’re proud to say we’ve got a product that’s really setting a new standard as a top range in our sports products.
What can we expect from Mido for the rest of 2019 and beyond?
Most of our novelties for 2019 have already been launched. As you can imagine, we’re currently working on launches and novelties for next year. But we want to keep you excited, so we can’t disclose anything yet – otherwise, you won’t join us anymore!