The Mido's Multifort collection marked its 80th anniversary last year and it draws inspiration from Sydney's Harbour Bridge. Without having to go into details about Multifort's history and the source of inspiration for its design, I think that spending a few words about the brand will allow us to understand and appreciate better. Mido was originally founded in 1918 and it was subsequently acquired by the Swatch Group, whose technology and industrial capability it uses. Mido is an entry level brand whose timepieces feature a few technical complications and a logical communication strategy, that is as simple as its name (Mido = “I measure” in Spanish) and whose style is primarily based on the orange colour.
This colour, quite uncommon among mechanical timepieces, is one of its strengths as well as one of its trademarks. Orange is paired with black in the Mido Multifort Chrono Special Edition, a 44mm-diameter-chrono featuring a three C-shape-counters layout and the reliability of the evergreen ETA 7750, the most used industrial chrono movement in Swiss watchmaking. Over the last few years the Group has constantly improved this chrono movement (see the Glucydur balance spring and the Incabloc shock device as two examples) and its decoration motifs (like using, for instance, blue-colured screws.)
The Multifort pays particular attention to the case and the dial's detailing. The first one is made of three parts and is in treated PVD stainless steel. This treatment makes the watch's case black and it gives it a matte black look; it also provides it with a better anti-scratch surface than that offered by a steel only case (unlike in the case of the Rado Original).
The dial is by far the most appealing component of this timepiece: its central part consists of 1-mm-deep-disc pierced on the tree registers and embossed on the base of the dial and featuring a Cotes de Geneve decoration. When you use the multilayer-dial-assembly-technique, like in this case, you will notice a special effect: as you move the watch to different positions the dial tends to reflect the light and it also appear deeper. Everything is perfect in this timepiece except, maybe, the tachy scale's size and typology.
The orange colour features on all the scales and on both the central chrono's second hand and the index's hand. The indexes placed at 12, 3, 6 and 9 are applied and aligned to the central plate, while the orange dots are in bas-relief. An apparently basic and simple dial, but quite an original one, that pays particular attention to details. Once you wear this timepiece for the first time you need to get used to its leather strap: it looks nice and it is well manufactured but it is definitely not too comfortable. In my opinion, they should have applied a rubber layer to the inside of the strap: a necessary feature if you plan to wear this watch from springtime on (remember that springtime in Milan can be very hot), I also find that the strap is rather stiff and, at least in the first months of use of the watch, this results in the case tending to rotate to the upper part of the wrist and not fitting the wrist properly, a problem that is made even more complicate by the watch's weight. An alternative aesthetic option is the second orange leather strap the watch comes with.
The Mido Multifort Crono Special Edition comes in a special box containing a second strap and it is a good alternative to a classic and somewhat boring three-counter-automatic-chrono made of steel. The timepiece sells at a competitive price, under the 1700€ threshold, and it is a nice-looking, all-black chrono. It is quite appealing in terms of finishes – it features a superior category, dial typical of more expensive timepieces and it is also good on the mechanical side: the perfect fit for an important wrist.
