Mido 90th Anniversary

Mido introduced this commemorative timepiece, called the Baroncelli Chronometer Jubilee, earlier this year at the Basel Fair. We were allocated limited quantities and our ONLY piece on is now available at All Watches, Lucky Plaza .

The actual celebration on the occasion of the brand's 90th anniversary was held at Lotte Hotel in Jeju , Korea . Here's a picture of Mr Franz Linder (President, Mido S.A.) with his key personnel and celebrities including 金善雅, 余文乐, 吕颂贤, 杨恭如 and 孟广美 addressing the audience.

And here’s one with Mr Linder, Miss Laurence Wolfrath (Communication & Merchandising Manager, Mido S.A.) and my wife for the album.

Mr Linder took the opportunity to further reiterate Mido’s long standing philosophy to produce watches with timeless design and of exemplary value. And among the new releases planned for 2009 is the Baroncelli Tonneau collection.

All guests were each presented a set of unique First Day Covers. For stamp collectors, detailed pictures and story of the stamps can be viewed at http://yeomanseiko.spaces.live.com - entry posted on 28th Nov 2008. These stamps were nicely slotted inside this Mido commemorative folder.

It is interesting to note that Mido was founded on the very same day that World War One officially ended.
Battles and conflicts aside, science and technology created an ever changing and often unpredictable environment. Thus, isn’t it heartening to note that every Mido was painstakingly crafted with the same philosophy for the past 90 years? And this tradition will be proudly guarded beyond the next 90 years. Best of all, it promises to remain an affordable luxury.

Me and My Scooby

My current car is a black Subaru Outback 2.5. It was registered in Sept 05 and has clocked more than 90,000 km. The car is due for major service and replacement of several components including timing belt, water pump, engine mountings and shock absorbers. Prior to sending the car to Andy (Espace Service Centre) for the routine maintenance job, I thought why not stretch the dollar a little further? Hence, I decided to revisit Endau Rompin National Park, Johore – a relatively undisturbed tropical rainforest ideal for off road safari, jungle survival and team building activities. My 79 year-old father, Carmen (my younger daughter), Rosalind (my sister from San Diego) and her friend, Gregory were the brave-hearted people who accompanied me for the trip.


Like any other day during the year end season, it was raining and the water level of the flowing rivers was unusually high.


Is this a picture of another river? No, it was one of the many flooded sections of our route!


At times, the flooding water rose as high as 1 meter. The Outback was definitely no amphibian, but its self-leveling suspension helped to keep us adequately high and dry. We even managed to overtake some slower-moving vehicles, including this truck. For obvious reasons, lane discipline is secondary under such trying conditions.


Here’s a picture that provides further proof that the route was not passable to ordinary vehicles. The Outback’s All-Wheel-Drive system was put to good use at many treacherous and muddy sections including this inclination and narrow crossing.


Amid our family-packaged adventure, we found time for a kit-kat break and enjoyed the occasional sight of the migratory birds.


Outside the primary forest area, the route was mostly lined with palm trees.


Due to the constant rain, we spent most of our time in the car. Still, it was an educational trip, especially for Carmen who also enjoyed bringing you these pictures with this Cyber-shot camera.


Given the mileage and stock-condition of my Outback, its overall performance in the jungle with full load was remarkable. For those with similar type of cars or suitable off roaders, you may be pleased to know that you could attempt such an expedition with a group in an organised outing. For more information, please contact Chris Ng at chrisng@footworksmedia.com.sg

Mido in Singapore

Background
The brand was positioned as an affordable luxury watch right from early days. For the more mature folks in Singapore , Malaysia and Indonesia , Mido was the preferred choice when a Titoni was considered too generic; Oris was then making cheap watches while the Tag brand was little known. In Thailand , Mido was the 'official' watch for those working in high government offices as Rolex or Omega were considered too ostentatious. By default, the brand enjoyed the 'high-end but unpretentious' status. Thus, it's small wonder that Thailand is constantly in the top 3 market for Mido till this very day.
Swatch Group
The domineering era of Japanese quartz watches resulted in many Swiss brands to either close shop or undergo restructuring. In the case of Mido, it was acquired by the Swatch Group during the mid 90's. Shortly, for reasons unknown, Thong Sia Group relinquished their distributorship for Singapore , Malaysia and Thailand . It was estimated that the inventory carried by Thong Sia at that time far exceeded 30,000 pieces. Many bargain hunters had the opportunity to buy this signature model (ref: LC8269) at clearing prices during the late 90's through early 2000's.

Leslie Chang Pte Ltd
Seo Choon Watch was appointed the official importer of Mido watches in Singapore in May 2001. Both the company and the brand were no stranger to the local watch community. However, the re-entry into the market was initially difficult due to the comparatively high prices of the new Mido collection amid the abundance availability of the signature model dumped by the previous distributor. Fortunately, long term strategy, faith and perseverance prevail. Seo Choon Watch now enjoys a steady 20% annual growth rate with the brand. Recently, the company was renamed Leslie Chang Pte Ltd and its main showroom shown here is located along Sims Avenue .
Mission
Mido strives "to produce watches with the characteristics of a good friend. You feel good when you see it; it is very reliable and always there when you need it; it has a character of its own and you will pass your life together". Here's Robi, the friendly mascot from Mido.
Achievement
Mido is proud to join the Top 10* Chronometer producers of the world.
The table shows that Mido is the only affordable luxury brand among the industry's big names.
This achievement further reiterates Mido's exceptionally characteristics and timeless image.

COSC figures 2006 :-
1. Rolex 710,752
2. Omega 257,187
3. Breitling 182,223
4. Panerai 46,454
5. Chopard 22,880
6. Ulysse Nardin 10,111
7. Corum 8,189
8. Tag Heuer 7,450
9. Chanel 6,980
10. Mido 5,722

*Source: The COSC (Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronometres – Official Swiss Chronometer Control) yearly report published in 2006

Promise
Mido's philosophy is to combine timeless design with functionality rather than following fashion trends. True design outlives all fashion trends. The objective is to create timepieces made of high quality materials, endowed with precise movements and offering outstanding water-resistance in order to last a long time. This philosophy remains unchanged since 1918.


Celebration
This year, Mido celebrates its 90th Anniversary with a series of grand events throughout the world.. The Asian leg will be held at lovely Jeju island of South Korea which be attended by more than 200 participants including the media and celebrities from mainland China and Korea .

I am looking forward to attend the event as it is likely to showcase the latest collection and future marketing plan. And, I shall share my experience with all of you upon my return to Singapore later this week. Meanwhile, Mido fans can view www.mido.ch for more information.

P.S. The main feature of this article first appeared on Yeoman's weblog