Cliff Diving With Red Bull And Mido For The Launch Of The Ocean Star 600 Chronometer
Supreme precision in every movement; that’s what the world’s best cliff divers and Mido's new Ocean Star 600 Chronometer had in common on the final day of the Red Bull cliff diving competition last weekend. Let’s dive right into it.
Beauty, performance, and precision; these are the three elements that link Swiss brand Mido to the extreme sport of cliff diving. Since 2009, an annual series of cliff diving events sponsored by Red Bull takes place in spectacular environments all over the world. These competitions offer both athletes and spectators an unforgettable dose of adrenaline and experience, and the 2021 final was no exception.
Last weekend, we had the chance to observe the final competition in the coastal, scenic Italian city of Polignano a Mare. The event featured a 20-meter-high diving platform erected in the deep blue Adriatic Sea. Combining super precision and unfailing reliability, Mido’s Ocean Star 600 Chronometer diving watch epitomized the partnership with Red Bull.
Highly anticipated in this Polignano a Mare competition, Italian cliff diver and Mido brand friend, Alessandro De Rose, was acclaimed by his many fans and finished in third place.
Robust and Accurate
Attracting thousands of spectators all over the world, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is a perfect opportunity to showcase the excellence of a Swiss watch brand that has been inextricably linked to the sea. “It’s not a coincidence that we started our partnership with Red Bull Cliff Diving. The Mido Ocean Star line reflects the same criteria and values as the cliff divers, which are robustness and accuracy,” says Mido CEO, Franz Linder.
Ocean Star 600 Chronometer New Generation
The coveted prize for the winning divers – which turned out to be Australia’s Rhiannan Iffland and France’s Gary Hunt with 383.2 and 466.3 points, respectively – was Mido’s new Ocean Star 600 Chronometer, an updated version of the brand’s super solid dive watch, first launched in 2018.
Its brushed and polished 43.5mm stainless steel case is basically the same as before, though both the caseback and bracelet are now slightly sturdier. The screw-down crown, protected by crown guards on both sides, and screw-down caseback, featuring a starfish, help to provide 600 meters of water resistance, which still makes this Mido’s only timepiece that can withstand 60 bars of pressure. Its diving pedigree is capped with a helium escape valve at 9 o’clock and notched unidirectional blue ceramic bezel. For added peace of mind, the bezel won’t budge unless it is pressed down.
The lacquered dial featuring shades of both blue and black, evoking the hues of the ocean, is where you see the most noticeable changes compared to the 2018 incarnation. There is now a triangular index at 12 o’clock and a double square index at 6 o’clock, punctuated by circular indices. The text on the dial is also now more evenly distributed. Other new elements include the partly skeletonized hour and minute hands, and the lollipop seconds hand; though, the 3 o’clock date window remains unchanged.
There is no change to the movement powering the watch, as it retains the automatic Mido calibre 80 COSC Si, based on ETA’s C07.821 movement. It packs an 80-hour power reserve and has been COSC certified for tip-top precision. That accuracy is further assured by the use of a silicon hairspring, impervious to any nearby magnetic fields.
Inspired by Architecture
For almost 20 years, Mido has been drawing inspiration for its watches’ aesthetics, engineering, and functionality from both ancient and modern architecture. “The DNA of the brand lies in innovation and timelessness. That’s why architectural monuments, such as the Sydney Harbor Bridge or Colosseum of Rome, were a natural choice for horological interpretations,” Linder says.
The Ocean Star 600 Chronometer is a neat addition to Mido’s Ocean Star collection, first created in 1944. Today the collection comprises models featuring GMT and chronograph complications, as well as diving decompression stop guides. Like all Mido collections, the Ocean Star line also takes its inspiration from a venerable piece of architecture, in this case, the ever-reliable Europa Point Lighthouse, which has watched over the Strait of Gibraltar since 1841.
Paying homage to this monument, both the hands and the applied indices have been filled with white Super-LumiNova Grade X, providing longer-lasting readability in the murky depths as powerful as the beam of the Europa Point Lighthouse.
Pricing and Availability
A non-limited edition competitively priced at CHF 1,590, the Ocean Star 600 Chronometer is obviously geared towards scuba diving, as opposed to cliff diving. However, its heady blend of precision, performance, and aesthetics make it a great choice to connect with the sport. Partnering with such an extreme sport helps put the Mido name in front of a young, hip generation of adrenaline-seeking adventurers.
More information about the Ocean Star 600 Chronometer can be found on Mido’s website.
(Images © Mido)