FROM THE EDITORS Letters + Events
Mido Baroncelli
100th Anniversary
Limited Editions
MIDO CELEBRATES 100 YEARS
century of existence is no small accomplishment, particularly one that
spanned world wars, the quartz crisis, and changing tastes and social trends.
But that’s exactly what the Swiss watch brand Mido was celebrating on May
23, in Mexico City. There, at the Antiguo Hotel Reforma—which had been transformed
into a fantastical celebratory space—the past, present and future of the brand was show-
cased via a multi-sensory experience of food, music, video and even a breathtaking
aerial performance. About 200 friends, celebrities and journalists (including me) joined
in the festivities, inspired by a curated display of Mido watches from the 1930s through
the 2000s and the words of Mido CEO Franz Linder, who toasted his guests and empha-
sized the importance of this milestone anniversary. Of course Robi the Mido robot
brand “ambassador” was on hand for any and all photo ops.
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have sustained Mido’s success, according to Linder:
innovation, quality, functionality, timeless design
and competitive price. Today, the company’s pillar
collections, ninety percent of which are automatic,
are the Commander, Multifort, Baroncelli, Belluna
and the sportier Ocean Star.
Mido was founded late in 1918, in November to be
exact, so I fully expect the anniversary festivities to
continue throughout this year and perhaps include
some additional surprises. In the meantime, happy
anniversary to a brand that has withstood the most
WHY MEXICO CITY? Besides being one of the most important economic hubs of Latin America, rich in
rigorous test of all—time. .
history, art and architecture, Mexico as a whole is Mido’s largest market and represents seventy percent to
seventy-five percent of market share within its price category. The city also hosts a broad network of Mido
retail locations, including space at the exclusive Palacio de Hierro Polanco, which I also visited.
Have fun reading,
While in Mexico, I had the fortunate opportunity to view and handle Mido’s most recent watch debuts,
introduced in honor of its centennial. These included various Baroncelli models, the Multifort GMT and
two new Commander Shade watches (see my On-the-Wrist Watch Review of the Commander Shade Special Nancy Olson
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