Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Value Proposition – Hands-On with the Mido Multifort Escape
Founded in 1918, Mido is a company of the Swatch group based in Le Locle. For whatever reason, the brand is sometimes a bit underrated but it does deserve a closer look. Mido watches are well made and offer superb value. The Multifort was originally presented in 1934 and was among the first antimagnetic watches with a self-winding movement. A commercial success for the brand, it is one of its oldest collections. Today, we look at its descendant, the Mido Multifort Escape.
Presented at Baselworld this year, the Multifort Escape is the latest addition to the line. It is a stylish, slightly vintage-inspired, rugged watch designed for outdoor use. Its case is a well-proportioned, classic design with a large conical fluted crown. It is presented in stainless steel with an aged and sandblasted PVD treatment creating an interesting patina. The thin, sloped bezel frames a sapphire glass that is slightly domed and comes with double-sided anti-reflective coating. At 44mm in diameter, it wears its size exceptionally well thanks to its short lugs. It is rated water resistant to 10 ATM / 100m. It has all of the characteristics of a good-old sports watch…
The dial has a lot of graphic clarity and features vertical Geneva stripes, creating a subtle play of light. The luminescent Arabic numerals are paired with luminescent hands for enhanced legibility in the dark. The orange details on the ‘flinqué’ chapter ring are a nice touch and a nod to Mido’s corporate colour. The date is shown at 6 o’clock in a small window just under the model’s name because of the relatively small size of the movement.
The Multifort Escape is powered by the Mido calibre 80 – an ETA C07.611 which is a version of the ubiquitous and reliable ETA 2824.2, with a beefed up 80-hour power reserve – this was achieved thanks in particular to a frequency reduced to 21,600 vibrations per hour and modified kinetic chain. Its balance has no regulator (it is adjusted once for all during production thanks to computers) but regulating weights instead. It shows hours, minutes, seconds and the date, and features a stop seconds mechanism.
The movement is shown through the exhibition caseback and features a clean, industrial finish with Geneva stripes on the rotor. With this movement, Swatch Group was indeed a precursor in proposing long power reserve for entry/mid-range (vs. the standard 40h autonomy). It can also be found in other brands of the group including Tissot or Hamilton.
The Mido Multifort Escape is worn on a straight-cut leather strap with a discrete off-white stitching and secured with a PVD-steel pin buckle.
All in all, the Mido Multifort Escape is a no-nonsense, good-looking watch priced at CHF 850 / USD 890 / EUR 810 and offering superb value for money. Sure, you are not getting a high-end hand-finished movement or anything fancy but still, this is a super qualitative package overall for well under 1,000 (whatever the currency)! For more information, please visit www.midowatches.com.
Technical specifications – Mido Multifort Escape
- Case: 44 mm x 11.88 mm – PVD-coated steel – Sapphire crystal with double-sided AR coating – transparent caseback – water resistant to 100m
- Movement: self-winding Mido calibre 80 (ETA C07.111 – based on ETA 2824.2) – Ø25.60 mm – 21,600 vibrations per hour – power reserve 80 hours – 25 jewels – hours, minutes, seconds and date
- Strap: calf skin with pin buckle
- Reference: M032.607.36.050.00
- Price: CHF 850 / USD 890 / EUR 810
5 responses
At 44 mm it simply looks huge.. Also would have preferred non-skeletonized hands.
A very cool looking “field watch” with the premature case pvd wear.
Nice looking watch indeed! Very well priced as well ????????
I bought the Special Edition yesterday and am very happy with it. I couldn’t resist the offer of 2 Horween straps for a reasonable price. My wrists are 7.25 to 7.5 inches radius (depending on temperature) so I definitely wouldn’t want this watch to be any bigger, but the short lugs and relatively slim case allow it to sit on my wrist comfortably. This watch is reviewed on ablogtowatch, Hodinkee as well as this site and no-one seems to have pointed out that it is in fact a Flieger Type A; the size is therefore perfectly in keeping with the style.
During the first day of wear, the Cal.80 gained 2 seconds.
I must note that the luminescence is a tad weak. This is disappointing from a watch whose entire remit is legibility. After the watch spent an evening in low light in my living room and then a night on my wrist under a duvet, I could still faintly read the time just before sunrise, but I was hoping for better. This is not the first time I have been disappointed with Superluminova, although I suspect that the “vintage” coloring on the limited edition has something to do with it.
One final plus-point is the strap-pin arrangement, which does not seem to be included in the standard versions pictured above. The Horween straps have a channel cut out of them to allow a small metal button or hook to be added to the springbars. Changing straps requires nothing more than a fingernail. This is quick, convenient and above all negates the chance of damaging the case. This should be standard throughout the watch industry.
Edit: Apologies. This is a “Type 20” pilot watch.