A Little Family History

My father was given a MIDO the day before I was born.  He wore that thing damn near to death.  I think he only stopped wearing it when it came time to have it serviced, and the local "watch maker" did not understand the concept of MIDO's monocoque case, and left a "not so nice" souvenir on the case back - a deep groove in the gold filled back as he tried to force open a case back that wasn't "openable" : (  
and a second error when he finally understood to remove the crystal, but as he didn't have a MIDO crystal tool, he opted to "smash" the crystal leaving a not-so-nice gash in the dial.  He then kindly charged my father for a new crystal and a MIDO tool kit!  And it ran for the next five years, but when the next service interval came around he was a bit gun-shy, and didn't want to take a second roll of the dice.  A series of "throw away" watches ensued, and the MIDO was consigned to a box, and later a bank deposit box.

And there it stayed for the next 15 years in a lock box.  Gears, wheels and pinions rusting from neglect.  I finally got my hands on it and it now is back in working order.  Although my father was happy to see it brought back to life, he felt the face was a bit too wee to read.  So the rest of his days were measured by a large faced quartz piece from Maurice Lacroix.

Courtesy of  MIDO

Well, it has now been five years since the old boy popped his clogs.  That small little gold filled time machine still holds pride of place on my desk here at Tempus Fugit HQ.
As this would have been his 75th year, this would have been the perfect gift for him.

MIDO seems to have finally settled down and are offering some fantastic pieces that appeal to a sense of nostalgia while keeping a foot in the present day.  Nice, substantial, and readable!

This is the Commander - 40 mm of stainless steel, self winding with day and date.  The dial is extremely clear and legible, the hands unmistakably MIDO.

I WANT ONE!