Introducing: The Mido Ocean Star Decompression Timer 1961 Limited Edition In Black PVD
What We Know
You know what they say – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Mido is taking that philosophy to heart by introducing the fourth release of its incredibly successful Ocean Star Decompression Timer series, this time in a deep black PVD.
Turning back the clocks to the pandemic era, Mido released the first version in a limited run of 1,961 pieces in 2020, with the production size as an homage to the 1961 model that it’s based on – the Ocean Star Skin Diver.
Perhaps it was a design that resonated extremely well with the watch community, perhaps we were all a bit stir-crazy sitting in our homes, or perhaps it was a little bit of both. Either way, the watch sold like hotcakes. I think it was a combination of all those factors, but most importantly it was a great release that managed to capture the kind of quirky and fun heritage from the brand that customers seem to love. Plus, around that point in time, the rainbow watch craze felt like it was starting to gain traction. Breitling had just released their new Superocean Heritage ’57 capsule, featuring a limited model in a wild rainbow lume treatment, and a year or so later we would start seeing brands really go all out in wild colors.
The first Decompression Timer Limited Edition in 2020.
The sequel, this time with a white dial and turquoise bezel.
Given the popularity of the first release, Mido came back the following year in 2021 with a vengeance – an even more vivid release with a white dial and a bright turquoise bezel, yet again limited to 1961 pieces. This too was met with positive reception – it seemed different enough from the first edition and sold out quite fast. Clearly, Mido saw that they were doing something right. Fast forward to 2023, and Mido made up for a year with no Decompression Timer with two watches – a pair of Decompression “Worldtimer” GMTs, now sporting a GMT complication. These, however, were not limited. They were marketed as “special edition” watches, which meant that the production was more limited but not numbered. While the rainbow scale returned in the blue model, the orange model was what stood out to me as it felt incredibly vibrant and monochromatic at the same time.
The non-limited release of the Decompression “Worldtimer” with GMT complication.
Now, in 2024, Mido is doing a farewell tour of this series with this limited edition, back to 1,961 pieces. The brand has communicated that it will be a while until we see the Decompression Timer as we know it again. Fittingly, the piece has come full circle back to 2020, returning to the black dial of the first generation. This time, the entire case has been coated in a deep glossy PVD treatment.
All three straps come with quick-release spring bars.
Even the steel mesh bracelet is in the deep glossy black, giving it an all-around extreme contrast with the vivid rainbow decompression scale. In addition to that inky black bracelet, the watch will also come with a bright blue rubber strap (I assume to play off of the blue ring on the dial’s scale) as well as a black leather strap with four different colored side stitches to echo the four colors on the scale. All three of these straps will come with quick-release spring bars so that you can swap them to your heart’s content.
Returning from the first model is the color-matched black date wheel, a starfish motif on the caseback, as well as the unidirectional countdown bezel seen on all of the non-GMT variants.
Like the other releases, the watch contains the Mido Caliber 80, which is based on the ETA C07.621, a Swatch Group movement also used in many Hamilton automatics. It sports 80 hours of power reserve, and contains a Nivachron balance spring. It’s a workhorse automatic movement, and is a mainstay in the group for a reason.
The watch will be available on August 13th with a retail price of $1,480.
What We Think
I’ll preface this by saying that I’m never usually a fan of coated metals. I get why some people love PVD, but it’s just not for me. I just don’t like when it’s a coating as scratches are going to be very apparent on the case, not to mention that PVD tends to show fingerprints quite a lot.
For this release, though, it makes sense. In person, the stark contrast between the inky black PVD case and the vivid decompression scale is visually very strong. There are only so many ways you can make a cohesive design after four iterations with a very prominent center of your dial being four bright colors, so I see what they were trying to do as they returned the series back to the limited short run. I’d imagine the target customers for this watch are either the die-hard collectors who have picked up all of the previous releases or someone who’s wanted one of the limited ones but never was able to pick one up.
Mido’s website showcases this original 60s Decompression Timer – where it all began.
If you asked me what the next edition should be, it would be a more visually faithful recreation of the original Ocean Star Rainbow Diver that the brand publishes on its website. Double down on the bezel by making it steel, do the white dial but this time with the applied gold Mido logo like on the piece, and PVD the minute hand so that the hour and second hands are gold, and the minute hand is black just like the original. Throw all the easter eggs on there as the ultimate tribute to the OG.
Invert that, and we get this year’s new release. Given that this watch is a tribute to such a unique part of Mido’s history, it would have been interesting to see a PVD treatment in a more matte style, similar to how many vintage divers were coated back in the day. Or, if they kept the glossy richness, they do a DLC coating to make it significantly more scratch-resistant. But at under $1,500, the watch is priced right for what it offers. It’s a great package as is, especially when paired with the additional straps.
At the end of the day, it’s not much of a drastic change from the old ones, and I think that’s the point. It’s a fun, playful 200m diver that’s meant to have enough Easter eggs for the watch-collecting crowd, yet appeal to anyone looking for a colorful watch. It’s a quintessential summer diver, and I’m sure the all-black colorway will feel very sleek out in the wild.
Given that this is the so-called final run of this design for a while, I suspect that these will probably sell out quickly. I’m going to look forward to spotting it on people’s wrists this month.
The Basics
Brand: Mido
Model: Ocean Star Decompression Timer 1961
Reference Number: M026.807.33.051.00
Diameter: 40.5mm (47mm lug-to-lug)
Thickness: 13.4mm
Case Material: Polished black PVD-treated stainless steel
Dial Color: Black with multi-colored decompression scale
Indexes: Polished and applied, with Super-LumiNova
Lume: Yes
Water Resistance: 200m
Strap/Bracelet: Black PVD Milanese mesh steel bracelet, blue rubber strap, black calfskin leather strap
The Movement
Caliber: Mido Caliber 80 (ETA C07.621 base)
Functions: Time and date
Diameter: 25.60mm
Thickness: 5.31mm
Power Reserve: 80 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 21,600 bph
Jewels: 25
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Adjusted in three different positions
Pricing & Availability
Price: $1,480 USD
Availability: At Mido authorized retailers
Limited Edition: 1,961 pieces, not numbered
For more, click here.
Hodinkee
