By launching the Mido Multifort Patrimony, the Swiss brand plays the vintage-watch theme, as it did when it introduced the Mido Ocean Star Tribute, earlier this year. The new Patrimony is not apparently playing any tribute to an old Mido watch; it just draws inspiration from those ones so popular during the forties and the fifties.
This strategy sets Mido apart from most competitors that opted to keep reissuing their original watches instead. It confirms the brand’s vision of promoting modernity and innovation over pure heritage.
The choice of printing a pulsometric scale along the chapter ring is a nod to the so-called “doctor’s watches“: when a wristwatch was more than just a luxury accessory, and an instrument to help you safely diving, flying or hiking, the dial was like a portable device: a slide rule, a rotating bezel or a pulsometric scale all had a clear purpose.
The pulsometric scale is barely used today unless you’re meeting an old-school doctor. Mido always tries to stand out by combining a sleek, minimalistic design to technical features that are often ahead of its competitors, price-wise. Their classic-looking vintage-inspired three-hand timepiece showcases a vivid blue dial along with some original design cues.
The case is 40mm wide, and it’s not first-page news, given the category the Patrimony belongs. Designers managed to give the steel case a distinctive look; the lugs are therefore not elongated but slightly curved towards the inside.
This unique case geometry is paired with a convex sapphire glass. From afar, it somehow looks like a classic take on the Mido Multifort Chronometer One: it’s a no-frills wristwatch, yet offers plenty of details here and there.
The intense blue dial paired with a cognac-colored leather strap is a stunning combination. The contrast between those two colors and the font adds to the overall appeal and sharpness of the Patrimony.
Regarding the dial: I love Mido‘s old logo and the font in italics, but it’s a pity it appears just on the dial, replaced by the current one on tang buckle, and, especially, case-back.
I understand that from a brand and communication perspective, the new logo is the way to go, but this choice “affects” the timepiece’s vintage feel a bit.
Generally speaking, and excluding the Patrimony‘s top-class performance, like the 80–hour maximum power reserve, a classic three-hand wristwatch has to be super-comfortable when wrapped around the wrist, and the Mido Multifort Patrimony lives up to the highest expectations.
The case is thin and the leather strap exceptionally soft, and a pin buckle avoids any unwanted pinching. Retailed at €740, a “Black Friday” ready price point, the Mido Multifort Patrimony also comes with an anthracite dial or black dial paired to a steel or pink gold PVD treated steel case (retailed at € 820), respectively. After all, my choice goes to the product pictured above.
(Photo credit: Horbiter®)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
