Mido is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and to mark the momentous occasion the Swiss firm is tapping its archives to bring back an iconic watch the brand launched way back in 1939?the Multifort Datometer. The 2018 version is a surprisingly close recreation of the historical watch, capturing much of its charm and intended functionality.
The most noticeable difference here comes through the dimensions; the case has been upsized to 40mm (with a height of 11.85mm). While I would have preferred something a bit closer to 38mm, I?ll concede that 40mm works for the vast majority of the buying public. More importantly, however, is that upscaling the design here doesn?t ruin the dial balance. This is in large part due to the lack of a date aperture, which is often placed far too close to the center of the dial in larger-cased watches housing smaller movements and results in a window that looks like its floating within the dial. Instead, what we have here is a pointer date,?a defining feature of the historical model.
Aesthetically, the Multifort Datometer is neo-vintage at its best. The silvered dial is finely sandblasted for a beautiful, frosted effect, with black print and rose gold PVD indexes to really sell the classic look. An outer ring houses the date track, which is paired to a central hand with a red-tipped crescent. Though it may not look it at first there is luminous paint on the numerals and hands, rendered here in black Super-LumiNova. My experience...