Kite-Surfing with the MIDO Ocean Star Captain Titanium

That day we discovered the Ocean Star Captain Titanium to be the perfect kite-surfer watch

08 June 2017 | MIDO , Diving Watches , Watch Reviews Baselworld 2017

On May 27, 2016 I personally wrote an article on the MIDO Ocean Star Captain Titanium; MIDO’s diver’s watch. That was an article that constantly ranks among the most-read articles on Horbiter® and, since last year, it has been appearing on Google's first results page on a regular basis. On that occasion, the watch was photographed in the dark and somewhat smallish rooms of Baselworld; a setting, which does not fully give this watch justice because its natural scenery is - and should be - a beach and the wrist of a diver's wetsuit, since this timepiece was originally conceived as a professional scuba diving tool.

We took our timepiece to the seaside, but we did not choose a diver’s wetsuit as the place to wrap it around – that would have been quite an obvious choice, right? – but we opted for a kite-surfer’s overall instead; the overall of the owner of the renowned Xtremelement kite-surfing school in Castiglione della Pescaia to be more precise. Recently, the same school also opened its doors in Los Roques; a Venezuelan paradise place that is also loved by those who do not practice kite-surfing at all.

The summer of 2017 brought along a new surprise: the MIDO Ocean Star Captain Titanium is now also available with a nice orange rubber strap; the official color of the MIDO brand and a gorgeous – gorgeous is the right adjective to use here - titanium folding clasp like the watch, and an extension of its own length that lets the timepiece easily adapt to compression and decompression variations during scuba-diving sessions.

This is a product choice that well exceeds the comfortable - but somehow out of fashion – concept of pin buckle. In our specific case, the buckle fits perfectly well the wrist of Davide; a friend, and the founder/instructor of the kite-surfing school (along with Andrea, who runs the same school in Los Roques, where, hopefully, we will soon visit to shoot the sequel of this video, maybe in the company of the Ocean Star).

One thing is clear already; after two days in Castiglione, the MIDO Ocean Star Captain Titanium has proved to be the perfect timepiece to practice kite-surfing, and this result is not only due to the watch’s rubber strap and its ability to tighten firmly around the wrist, but to this timepiece’s lightness and thinness.These are two qualities that are quite uncharacteristic when it comes to diver’s watches, but they are also a pro for everything else, and a reason why this timepiece is generally suitable for all water sports.

We could also cite surfing and wake boarding at this point. The two kite-surfers who were alternating during our shooting were not familiar with the brand yet, and, while preparing their sails - a slow and almost religious rite for fans of this sport - we talked about the watch: titanium is fundamental because kite-surfer cannot afford to wear anything that weighs them down, especially during extreme maneuvers like grabbing, boarding-off or spinning; some of the most spectacular evolutions that this fascinating discipline has to offer.

The price of the MIDO Ocean Star Captain Titanium with an orange rubber-made strap? It is 1020 euro! This is a professional diver's watch that is water-proof up to a depth of 200m, it features a folding buckle and an extension too; something that you would usually find on timepieces that could cost as much as twice the retail price of this one. The watch is equipped with an evoluted version of the ETA caiber that other timepieces that are not part of the Swatch Group can't boast and that guarantees up to 80 hours of power reserve. All in all, this is quite an unbeatable item!

(Photo credit: Proprietary photo-shooting by Horbiter®)

Gaetano C @Horbiter®

@Gaetano Cimmino