First Look: The Mido Baroncelli Big Date

Mido is celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion the storied Swiss brand is releasing a handful of centennial novelties throughout the year. One such watch is the Mido Baroncelli Big Date, which, as the name indicates, features a big date complication.

I’m a big fan of the Baroncelli line. As someone who often prefers more classically styled watches, the Baroncelli collection delivers on presenting reasonably priced, traditionally designed pieces with certain flourishes that make them stand out among their peers.

Powering the Big Date is the Caliber 80 movement, which is ETA’s 80-hour automatic caliber. It’s used, in one form or another, throughout Swatch Group’s lower to mid-tier brands, and it’s a nice touch of added value beyond a traditional ETA 2824.

Adding to the preexisting five variants, the Big Date will come in two new versions—both with 40-millimeter cases. The first features a two-tone case and bracelet, mixing PVD rose gold and classic steel. The second is rendered entirely in rose gold PVD and comes fitted on a black leather strap. The crystal is domed sapphire with AR treatment on both sides, and around back the movement is visible via an open case back.

The dial picks up cues from the rest of the Baroncelli line. Polished, applied indexes sit over a grained white dial. One of my favorite details across the Baroncelli range is the way Mido executes the hands. The hands, which are in fact flat, appear to be faceted through the use of mixed finishes—one-half is polished, and the other is sandblasted. It’s a great visual trick that you generally see from higher-end watchmakers, among them Hermes. The big date complication sits at six o’clock, and it’s achieved via a two-level aperture. If I could change one thing about this watch, and this is purely a matter of personal preference, I would omit the Roman “12.” It feels like a bit of an outlier, and I think the watch would be better served with a simple baton index or maybe a doubled-up one.  Big dates are not common, especially with mechanical watches at this price—which, by the way, is $1,000 on strap and $1,080 on bracelet‚ so it’s cool to see it here. The Mido Baroncelli Big Date is currently available to purchase. Mido

Editor’s note: edited to include additional models.