I’ve recently been wanting an affordable automatic diver in the collection again, the last one in the long line of brave watches was the Citizen NY0040, but it did not have staying power. So I decided to finally give Mido a try, after hearing some great things on here and having helped the missus choose one as a present for her father. I’ve owned a few divers over the years, many sub-$3k – a category that I think produces some of the fiercest competitions, as there isn’t a clear SMP-equivalent, if that makes sense – and this Mido Ocean Star 200 might just be the most memorable one yet. This SS Ocean Star 200 (there’s also a Ti version) retails for $930, but realistically you’re looking at far less than that. I would like to say I came away feeling like I'd found the biggest bargain in watches, and that I'm confused as to why Mido hasn’t yet gained more traction, at the very least on here, but I’ll save that for the full review 
. I’ve only had two days with the watch, but here are some of my thoughts and first impressions thus far.
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. I’ve only had two days with the watch, but here are some of my thoughts and first impressions thus far.- The case measures 42.5mm in diameter, 11.8mm thick, 48.5mm lug-to-lug, with a 22mm lug width, and is rated to 200m. The bracelet tapers from 22mm to 19mm. Sized for my ~7 1/8” wrist it comes in at a respectable 168 grams. On the wrist it presents somewhat similarly to my 43mm Bathyscaphe, which, for my wrist size, I find to be a nice and comfortable size for a casual diver, but I can hear some moaning for a 40mm. The thickness, or thinness rather, is refreshing in the sea of chunky divers. The brushing is very well done and there are beautiful, polished chamfers that run alongside the case, onto the crown guard and down the lugs, which flows nicely onto the chamfers on the bracelet; and get this, even the edges on the underside of the case are bevelled. If you were cut by the new 3861 Speedmaster maybe Mido is for you!
- AR coatings have been applied on both sides of the flat sapphire crystal. My concern regarding scratches on the outer AR aside, the application is effective and the crystal often disappears completely. Looking forward to seeing how it holds up after a couple months of use.
- The dial is well executed and feels markedly more upscale than most other divers I've come across at this price point. The applied indices, and handset for that matter, are finished very well and look very clean. I like the use of square indices for the 12/3/6/9, this way the 3 and 9 they can maintain symmetry despite the day/date window. Speaking of the day/date, to my eyes it looks slightly larger than those I've had in other watches and I like that, but having matching backgrounds makes it very discreet; the blue dial variant has white disks and thus I feel it's not as well executed. I like the pop of orange on the dial and second hand. The overall design works for me. Printing could be a bit sharper, however, though it may just be my aging eyes.
- The blue Super-Luminova looks cool and appears evenly applied. I have yet to check it in the wee morning hours, but initial impressions are that it’s about average to slightly above average for a diver. If sufficiently applied I don’t see why it shouldn’t last all night, but I’ll have to see if the skeletonized hands prove to be a challenge to read. Here's a shot in a dimly lit room a few minutes after sun exposure:
- Based on the reviews I’ve seen I expected to be underwhelmed by the bezel action, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's really nice. It’s a 60-click bezel, which I know some dislike, but I actually prefer (my favorite bezel action of all time is the Panerai Submersible and that’s also 60-click). I find the action quite refined; it snaps cleanly between clicks with little to no backplay, and has a soft, cushioned feel, somewhere between a SMP and a Tudor BB58 I feel, i.e. worlds removed from the tinny, gritty bezels often found on entry-level divers. Due to the slim profile, however, traction suffers slightly, though it's still better than the SMP’s scalloped bezel. Based on the examples I’ve seen alignment is rarely perfect, mine is just a hair to the left, but if $10-20k divers can have bezel misalignment I won't complain. A review I saw said it’s a ceramic insert, but I can’t find any literature to confirm that and to my eyes it’s aluminum.
- A complaint I’ve heard is that the crown can be difficult to operate due to its size and the crown guard. It is on the smaller size and there’s a slight learning curve to it, but it’s on par with a few divers I’ve had, including the Blancpain FF Mil-Spec, and still much easier than the SLA033 Captain Willard. It threads/unthreads smooth enough, with little to no wobble when operating, and the crown itself is nicely signed and engraved (looking at you, Seiko).
- Where I feel this watch really punches above its weight is the bracelet, and IMO it's worth the price of admission alone. As far as I'm concern, in the sub-$2k category the Oris Aquis has long enjoyed its seat at the throne, so that’s what I’ll use as a baseline for this Mido. Having owned a few Aquis’ in the past I find the drape to be slightly silkier/more luxurious, so perhaps tolerances are better, but in practice the 3-link bracelet of the Mido more than makes up for it in comfort and practicality; all the more astonishing considering what’s offered by the competition actually in its price range. The first thing I feel when picking up the watch is the reassuring heft and solidity of the bracelet. All the links are beveled on both the top and bottom sides, something I wish more manufacturers would do because it greatly reduces the probability of a hot spot. A criticism some will have is that the SEL has a male centerlink; it may be a problem for wrists ~6.75” or smaller. Sizing was a straightforward affair overall, though one screw did prove stubborn, I think it was machined a hair too wide, though if I had a hollow ground screwdriver set it probably would’ve gone smoother.
- The clasp is one of the best sports watch clasps I've handled, regardless of price. It's relatively thin, fully milled, nicely finished, twin trigger, has a tool-less microadjust/diver extension system, and feels snaps close with a reassuring click. Though similar in design to the clasps ubiquitous amongst microbrands, the execution here is far more polished. The ability to fine tune the fit without ever needing to take the watch off is fantastic, I probably use it 4-5 times throughout the day. In keeping with the rest of the watch, if the underside of the clasp was chamfered as well that would truly be next level. The first two notches on the extension do feel a little ‘sticky’ to deploy at times, would be curious to hear if other owners experience the same thing. Also, the length could be a too long for those with much smaller wrists.
- Movement is the Mido Caliber 80, which is an ETA C07.621 with a modified rotor, which in itself is essentially a 2836 with tweaked mainspring and slower beat rate I believe. Since Mido is part of the Swatch group this is technically an in-house, if that matters. I don't mind the slower beat rate one bit (I love the old 2.5 Hz Big Pilots), but I understand that some will find this unsightly, though I think most can appreciate the 80-hour PR, especially at this price point. I appreciate the day/date changeover that’s simultaneous and instantaneous, no going on for hours, as well as the English/German day wheel (was starting to miss that about my old Sinn/Damasko; who doesn't love graduating from MIT on Wednesday, meeting with the don on Thursday to quit your job, enjoying your first day as a free man on Friday, marrying a nice girl named Sam on Saturday, welcoming a son on Sunday, run out of money on Monday, and die on Tuesday). Accuracy has been great so far, knock on wood, averaging just under +3 spd.
- Last, but certainly not least, the caseback is a thing of beauty, IMO. This is one of those cases I prefer a solid caseback to a display caseback, as I don’t imagine the Caliber 80 to be anything special to gawk at. Besides Omega, I can’t remember seeing a better engraved caseback; though simple in design, the Ocean Star logo has been executed very well and appears very dimensional. It’s not a screwdown caseback, but rather a screwed-down caseback, the first I’ve seen on a diver, but that’s apparently made no significant difference to the WR so it’s fine with me. And the screws are recessed so you don’t have to worry about it catching hairs like on resin G-Shock squares, for example. Opening it should also be a breeze when it comes time for service.
