Introducing the Mido Multifort Patrimony 

I’ll admit it: over the last few weeks, I’ve felt a little bummed out that the Swatch Group brands left Baselworld behind this year. One of my favorite springtime traditions is doing back-of-the-envelope math at my desk to figure out some way, any way, that I can acquire whatever new limited edition Speedmaster or ceramic encrusted Seamaster has just been announced. And I always enjoy seeing the heritage releases from Longines and the beautiful high horology of Breguet. Obviously, things didn’t quite pan out that way this year, with the Swatch brands taking a more freewheeling approach to announcing their big new releases.

One of those brands that perhaps doesn’t get as much attention as it should here in the USA is Mido, who have recently announced a new entry into their Multifort line. While this news certainly made me wonder if I’ll see an Omega announcement come screaming into my inbox sometime soon, I was pleasantly surprised by this tasteful, vintage-inspired watch from a bit of an underdog in the Swatch stable. It seems to nail a lot of details that give it an old school, vintage charm, with the modern technology under the hood that we all expect from a Swatch brand. Let’s take a closer look at Mido’s new Multifort Patrimony.

Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial: blue, anthracite, black
Dimensions: 40mm
Crystal: Sapphire
Water Resistance: 50 meters
Movement: Automatic Mido Caliber 80 (base ETA C07.621)
Strap/bracelet: leather strap
Price: $890-$1000
Expected release: Available now

This watch is absolutely capitalizing on a recent trend that has seen sector dials coming back in a big way (see Jaeger Le Coultre’s Master Control Date at the higher end, and Pelton’s Sector for a more budget-friendly — but still excellent — take). I’m a big fan of this type of dial arrangement as I tend to prefer simple watches with a touch of visual interest that stops just short of being “busy.” A sector dial gives a brand the opportunity to play with ideas of symmetry and make the most of different finishing techniques in each of the defined sectors. While the Multifort Patrimony isn’t a showcase for high end dial finishing like the JLC linked above, it does use the circular pattern created by the sectors in other novel ways, enhancing legibility and making economical use of the outermost sector for a pulsometer scale. 

Other than the dial itself, additional vintage flourishes abound on the Patrimony. The aforementioned pulsation scale is itself a throwback, and I appreciate it for the same reasons I loved the recently discussed Farer Lander Chronograph’s telemeter scale: it’s a charming and simple detail, and to me indicates that a real human being, not a committee, had a design idea and ran with it. It doesn’t hurt that it looks nice, and has an extremely practical purpose, as well. We also have some truly old school syringe style hands, a box style crystal (sapphire, of course), and a heritage rendering of the Mido signature in a rather ornate font. These are all subtle nods to history — the Patrimony doesn’t force a vintage style on you, but if you know the design language and care to look for it, it’s definitely there.

The Multifort Patrimony is upsized for modern customers at 40mm, which is maybe just a hair bigger than what I personally find acceptable for a dress watch, but that’s a minor quibble and completely subjective.

There are three versions of the Patrimony, with stainless steel pieces sporting your choice of a bright blue or anthracite dial, and a gold tone PVD coated version with a black dial. My personal preference is for the blue, which has a nice sunburst effect, but there’s a smokiness to the anthracite and black versions that works really well too. All variations have a date at six, and are powered by an ETA based movement with an 80 hour power reserve, which is becoming something of a standard across Swatch Group offerings at the $1,000 price point. 

The Multifort Patrimony starts at $890 and is available now on Mido’s e-store.  Mido