Just When I Thought I'd Seen It All From Mido...

So I am, more often than I care to admit, conflicted by my watch collection. I don't own anything to rival many of my colleagues in the Fourth and Fifth Estate, and I take some personal pride in that. The quality of a watch, and therefore one's watch collection, shouldn't be solely dictated on the retail price tag.

I don't go full "shock value" in terms of aesthetics, but I get bored pretty quickly by the "codes" insisted upon by many. How many black and blue dialed diver and chronographs can one person own? Don't answer that one ; )

One particular avenue that I keep going back and forth on is the Mido Commander. Most specifically the sub grouping referred to as the Mido Commander 1959. I finally bought a brand new one in Zurich back in 2021. I have worn it semi-sparingly, and keep toying with the idea of buying another. As I was making my semi-annual perusal of the collection on Mido's website, I came across this -

Courtesy of Mido

Mido describes the dial this way:
Printed "Pixel" pattern garnished in Super-LumiNova®

And I have to say, gentle reader, I am now officially a little obsessed. The Commander, for many, is far from an obvious choice. That is part of its attraction for me. Pretty much all of the Commander 1959 family is static - stainless or gold PVD with one wild-card in (I believe) black PVD. And that's okay. But just as Ralph Lauren shook up fashion with pairing seemingly unlikely themes such as formal and western, this Mido Commander has taken a classic (and sometimes dated feeling) design and pumped some much needed some mojo into it.

Courtesy of Mido

Now I fully get that this might not be everyone's jam, and that's okay (meaning there will hopefully be one available after I conduct negotiations with my piggy bank). In the end, unless we are talking about watches purchased to stick in a safe never to be seen until an estate sale once the owner has slipped off their mortal coil, a watch should solely speak to the wearer. We spend far too much of our lives trying to please and impress others, when we might be happier if we also considered (at least in terms of what we wear on our wrists) what pleases us.

So, if you are an unwitting member of the Henki Tribe and find yourself also pulled to this version of Mido's Commander 1959, here are some pertinents -

The case is of stainless steel, and I believe still utilizing the monocoque design and construction, less the much vaunted (and missed) Aquadura cork seal for the crown. It measures 37 mm in diameter. The bracelet is Milanese mesh. The movement is listed by Mido as Mido Automatic ETA. No day or date for this version of the Commander 1959 which I presume is owning to limitations of the dial's materials.

Priced fairly at $740.00

Mido fans here in the lower 48 are aware of the challenges of finding a Mido retailer, let alone one with this unique piece, but it might be worth the search!