Mido SA

Mido SA (Est. 1918) On June 6, 2018, the Mido SA official website posted the following announcement from Taipei, Taiwan, “Today Mido, Swiss watchmaker since 1918, held its “Past, Present, Future” event and unveiled novelties in the historic Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Taking advantage of this jubilee, the brand not only looked back at history, but also launched the Baroncelli Big Date and the Baroncelli Trilogy that add to the sophisticated Baroncelli collection. Franz Linder, President of Mido, attended this event together with Vicky Lee, the Country Manager of Swatch Group Taiwan, Mark Lan, the Brand Manager of Mido Taiwan, and the famous Taiwanese actor/teen idol Joseph Cheng.”

Mido was founded in 1918 by George G. Schaeren in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. The name, ‘Mido’ comes from the Spanish phrase, “Yo mido,” that means, “I measure.”

In the 1920s, Mido introduced ladies’ watches with color-enameled shaped cases and modern straps as well as timepieces for gentlemen in the art deco style. Mido found a market in the flourishing automotive market by producing watches in the shape of radiator grills derived from a wide range of sources including Buick, Bugatti, Fiat, Ford, Excelsior, Hispano-Suiza, and more.

In 1934, Mido launched the Multifort design, the first Mido to use a self-winding automatic movement. It was shock-resistant, anti-magnetic and water-resistant. In that same year Mido launched watches with unbreakable mainsprings. This was the first time any watch manufacturer utilized this type of spring

During this period, Mido used a Robot as its ambassador as a symbol of progress and vigor. A comic strip from this era featured the Mido Robot and its adventures. The “Robi” remains a well-known feature today in many markets.

In 1954, the company introduced the POWERWIND winding system that increased running reserve and reliability by reducing the watch’s components from 17 to 7 pieces. In 1959, the appearance of The MIDO OCEAN STAR marked the introduction of the single-shell case that eliminated water-resistance issues from the back of the watch case. The combination of this technology with the AQUADURA crown sealing system gave Mido watches the ability to withstand the most severe conditions. Today, this tradition of OCEAN STAR carries on in the Commander Watch collection.

Mido broke another barrier by launching the smallest ladies automatic watch ever manufactured in an assembly line in 1967. By 1981, World-Champion Tennis star, Björn Borg, became the official spokes-person for MIDO Swiss Watches.

1996 saw the release of two high-tech models:

The BODYGUARD acted as a personal security assistant by providing the user with an integrated security alarm (over 100 decibels) and the WORLDTIMER was the first analog watch to indicate the local time-zone anywhere in the world instantly.

To celebrate its 90th Anniversary in 2008, Mido created a new line, Belluna watches. This collection embodied the spirit and culture of Swiss watchmaking and asserted it as a mark of true design. The Belluna draws inspiration from the timeless forms of Art Deco architecture.

In 2012, the brand launched the Great Wall collection inspired by one of the most grandiose constructions in the world, the Great Wall of China. Because of its respect for and inspiration from architecture, Mido entered into a partnership with the UIA – International Union of Architects in 2014. Its membership includes over 1.3 million architects worldwide.

In 2015, Mido launched a watch design contest. It selected three professional watch designers to go head-to-head to design and develop a limited edition Mido watch inspired by Big Ben in London. The winning designer, Sébastien Perret, was chosen by a panel of judges made up of Esa Mohamed, President of the International Union of Architects, Franz Linder, President of Mido, and the general public in an online vote.

To mark the 40th Anniversary of the Baroncelli collection in 2016, Mido launched its first chronometer-certified movement with a silicon balance-spring, a component that had until then only been used in luxury watchmaking.

The following year, as a logical consequence of its attachment to architecture, the next slogan to be adopted by Mido was “Inspired by Architecture.” To promote the new slogan, Mido launched the #BeInspiredByArchitecture interactive campaign, a 12-week around-the-world trip to discover 12 cities and visit 60 iconic monuments in order to single out the one that would inspire the design of its new timepiece. Ultimately, it was New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum that was chosen as the source of inspiration for the watch, which was launched in October 2017 at exclusive event in New York City.

Today, Mido is recognized as one of the top 10 producers of certified chronometers. With 61,358 automatic movements produced through 2013, Mido is ranked number four in the production of chronometers in the Swiss watch industry. It is also a part of the Swatch Group, headquartered in Le Locle, Switzerland with a branch office in Shanghai, China.

Continuing to celebrate its centenary in November 2018, the brand held an event in the form of an ode to women in the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands. The event let numerous guests travel into Mido’s past through a selection of historic women’s watches. In a space dedicated to the brand’s present day, guests saw the unveiling of the Baroncelli Lady Day watches accented by the Baroncelli Lady Day & Night, a model featuring three easily interchangeable straps.

A highlight was the presentation of the future of Mido with a new women’s collection – Rainflower – and the launch of the new #CreateYourMido campaign, opened by internationally renowned model Romee Strijd, the first person to create her own Rainflower model on the brand’s rainflower.midowatches.com website. Fans were given two months to follow Strijd’s example and create the Rainflower of their dreams. Four selected models will be revealed to the public on March 21, 2019.

This collection is in pure Mido tradition. Its name is a delicate, subtle reference to ArtScience Museum, especially its distinctive shape in the form of an open lotus flower. The launch of the first four pieces in the Rainflower collection is scheduled for May 2019.

At this event, President Franz Linder said that Mido had never ceased to plan for the future, given impetus since 1918 by the visionary power of its founder, Georges Schaeren. “It was impossible not to look to the future during this extraordinary year of celebrations. A future which now takes the form of a new women’s collection of automatic watches that I am especially delighted to announce today in Singapore. It is in pure Mido tradition with its architectural inspiration.”

Collections not previously cited include Belluna that, with its curves, roundness and finesse, define both the watch collection and the Royal Albert Hall in London and is offered for men and women.

The Multifort Swiss watches are based on the aesthetics of the Sydney Harbour Bridge: force and strength.

Inspired by the Eiffel Tower, the iconic Commander watch collection was created in 1959 and has been produced without interruption since then.

Just like the Gibraltar Lighthouse, the Ocean Star dive watches collection is an ally to those who want to conquer the ocean and is available in unisex models.

All Dial is a collection of watches for design lovers, inspired by the Colosseum of Rome.

Brand Ambassadors include Brodie Pawson, a professional Parkour athlete who participates in the Australian Ninja Warrior competition, Thomas Mougne, a French model, actor, and also a professional Parkour athlete, the American Sam Dorman who won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Ricardo GM who is the youngest Mido ambassador is another Parkour performer, and JC Chee, a talented model who won a gold award for Best New Director at the Filmmakers of the Year Film Festival in Jakarta.

With many historical firsts during its 100-year history, Mido watches have proven to be in the forefront of advancing the watch industry with timeless designs, innovation, and functionality.

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