The Mido All Dial Special Edition watch hands-on

The Mido All Dial Special Edition watch hands-on

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The main problem you are usuallly faced with when you’re looking for an entry level watch is that it is quite difficult to find one that, at a good price, meets your expectations in terms of overall quality and technical features. Some years ago, the difference between buying a luxury watch and an affordable one (I am talking about mechanical watches) was huge and you couldn’t really find anything in the middle unless you decided to fork out a sum below €500 and up to €2,000 or even higher. The lower price bracket was full of affordable entry-level watches that were, unfortunately, all but pleasing.

In the last few years, many brands have started improving their offerings by launching a series of new, fancy and good quality watches that feature the very same design approach as luxury watches but at a fraction of their price. A good example of this range is what Hamilton did with an icon item like the Khaki: a cool and reliable timepiece (available both as manual and automatic) that features a simple but timeless design and a perfect everyday style at a reasonable price.

Today, such a watch is not only geared towards those who cannot (or are not willing to) spend a huge amount of money on a timepiece but also towards those who are looking for a three hands timepiece that can be worn on a daily basis and on different occasions alike, watches like a Khaki or even a Mido All Dial Special Edition, the latter being one of the best examples of this new trend I introduced you some time ago after spending just a few minutes in its company at the Mido‘s booth during Baselworld.

When it comes to brands, Mido is not as famous as Hamilton and I’m not going to make any comparison between the two watchmakers (keep in mind that both companies belong to the Swatch Group). I took the former just as an example but I can assure you that, when it comes to the price/quality ratio (and also to the price/style ratio), this watch is definitely one of those that, at least on paper, actually matches my initial claim. Its style is elegant with a hint of orange accents (and of orange Super-Luminova™ too) on some sort of a greysh matte dial and on the central seconds hand also. The case is round and is 42mm wide but its profile is quite unusual as it is not fully flat but rather chamfered on both sides of the back: a clear example of how to give some personality to a generally plain and no-frills case by simply adding a few design clues and a nice combination of colours.

Maybe you won’t call it a proper luxury watch but the Mido All Dial Special Edition is perhaps the closest thing to it that you will ever find: the integrated bracelet makes the timepiece appear sophisticated and it also enhances its vaguely inspired 70s style. The only flaw that I have noticed is the lack of an integrated folding clasp (why is there such a big cover with an even bigger Mido logo engraved on it?) The sapphire glass is treated with an anti-reflective technique but, at least on my sample, I have to say that it wasn’t perfectly transparent.

However, the Mido All Dial Special Edition is not all about style but it also owns a variety of interesting technical features: it sports the caliber 80 that is part of a new series of high-performing movements developed by Mido‘s sister company ETA (and shared by Hamilton too) to enhance the group’s entry level brands. The figure 80 stands for eighty hours of power reserve, quite an interesting value and, perhaps, the biggest or among the biggest power reserves on the market, when it comes to three hands mechanical entry level watches.

This timepiece is also certified as a chronometer, again something that only ten years ago was exclusively restricted to a selected list of premium brands. The Mido All Dial Special Edition is priced at €1,170, a good price point indeed (personally I would have kept it just under the €1,000 threshold) for a neat and stylish watch to use everyday.

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(Photo credit: Horbiter®’s proprietary photo-shooting)

Gaetano C. @Horbiter®

@Gaetano Cimmino

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