Model History
Even before Mido introduced a true dive watch, the brand had already registered the symbols that would define its identity: the starfish emblem in 1942 and the name "Oceanstar" in 1944. It is in 1959, however, that these elements come together in the Ocean Star Commander, a watch with a monocoque shell case with no back opening, paired with the Aquadura crown sealing system: a solution that allowed a level of water resistance difficult to achieve with the traditional cases of the time.
The connection to the world of diving is cemented in 1961 with the "Decompression Timer" version, recognizable for its multicolored dial and a decompression scale useful to divers for calculating safety stops during the ascent. In 1965 an Ocean Star accompanied the Antarctic expedition led by veteran Warwick Deacock, an episode the brand still cites today as field proof of the collection's ruggedness.
In current production the line has expanded in several directions: from the Ocean Star 200 Automatic, designed as an entry point into Mido's divers, to the Ocean Star 600 Chronometer, COSC-certified and fitted with a helium release valve, by way of the Tribute, which revisits the aesthetic of the 1960s in a contemporary key. The thread that unites them remains the same: a dive watch compliant with the ISO 6425 standard, typically offered at a more accessible price than many competitors in the segment.
Technical Specifications
Main Executions
The 1961 "Decompression Timer" version, highly sought after by collectors today, was not designed as a vintage object to be admired: its colorful dial scale was a calculation tool meant for real use underwater, decades before electronic dive computers made that kind of manual calculation unnecessary.