This Swiss Watch is Making a Comeback in Manila

It’s not every day that a Swiss watch brand makes a comeback in Manila, let alone one with a design straight out of the golden age of retro TV. 

After years off the local radar, Swiss watchmaker Mido is back and Watchworks, Mido’s new distributor in the country, is making sure the spotlight is firmly on its wrist. Founded in 1918 and now part of the Swatch Group, the brand is relaunching with a striking new piece that speaks both to its heritage and its forward-looking design philosophy.

Mido watch collection

The Multifort TV Chronograph is a timepiece that blends 1970s nostalgia with contemporary Swiss engineering. It’s like the season premiere of a favorite TV show: familiar, stylish, and long overdue, but upgraded for today’s audience. 

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Mido introduced its first “TV-shaped” watch in 1973, with squarish cushion cases and integrated bracelet designs, reflecting the bold aesthetics of the era. It was only in 1976 that Patek Philippe launches the Nautilus ref. 3700, designed by Gérald Genta, which would later become one of the most coveted luxury sports watches of all time. This chronology is key, as it means Mido isn’t borrowing cues from anyone, but rather revisiting a design language from its own archives. The Multifort TV line, revived in 2023 with a bold Big Date model, has now been elevated with its first-ever chronograph complication. 

Mido Multifort TV Chronograph

Mido Ocean Star GMT Worldtime

This year, the Multifort TV Chronograph is being introduced, adding a chronograph complication for the first time to this distinctive silhouette. While the Nautilus may have become the watch world’s cultural icon, Mido’s TV-case design is here to remind everyone that it actually came first. 

At first glance, it’s easy to draw comparisons with icons like the Nautilus or even the Aquanaut, but the Multifort TV Chronograph stands apart once you look closer. The gradient brushed dial shifts dramatically under changing light, while white Super-LumiNova markers and nickel-coated hands ensure legibility at any hour. Inside ticks the Caliber 60, a Swiss automatic movement with a 60-hour power reserve and a modern Nivachron hairspring that offers resistance to shocks, magnetic fields, and temperature variations. 

For the first time in the line, the watch comes with three sub-dials, a 60-second counter, 30-minute totalizer, and 12-hour register with a tachymeter scale and a discreet date at the 4:30 position. Each watch ships with both a stainless steel bracelet and a fabric strap, letting wearers shift effortlessly between sporty and refined.

Mido Ocean Star GMT

The return of Mido to Manila is significant for watch enthusiasts. It means they can now expect official availability, service, and support. More importantly, the Multifort TV Chronograph offers something rare in its segment, a genuine design alternative that nods to luxury watchmaking’s greats while staying rooted in Mido’s own heritage.

“I am delighted to unveil the Multifort TV Chronograph to our friends and watch enthusiasts in Asia,” said Franz Linder, CEO of Mido, at the watch’s recent regional launch. “This creation captures the bold spirit of the original TV-shaped design, a hallmark of MIDO’s history, now elevated with contemporary precision and performance. Our team has refined every detail from the case’s distinctive silhouette to the movement’s technical mastery, to ensure it reflects both our heritage and our forward-looking vision.”

For collectors who appreciate Swiss craftsmanship but want a timepiece that feels both vintage and modern without entering seven-digit pesos price territory, the Multifort TV Chronograph may be the perfect entry point. Its mix of historical credibility, contemporary performance, and versatile design makes it clear: Mido’s comeback in Manila isn’t just about presence, it’s about making a statement.

Mido watch CEO Franz Linder

Besides the Multifort TV Chronograph, Mido’s catalog is filled with heavy-hitters to consider and bring it in the conversation with other premium Swiss watchmakers. This includes the Ocean Star Diver 600 Chronometer, a professional-grade dive watch water-resistant to 600 meters, equipped with a helium valve and COSC-certified movement. It’s the kind of overbuilt tool watch that signals serious intent. 

The Ocean Star GMT on the other hand, offers a professional watch tool precision with a practical GMT function with a good 200-meter depth reach and an 80 hour power reserve. 

But my personal favorite would be the Ocean Star GMT Worldtimer, a classic-looking watch and traveler’s companion that allows simultaneous tracking of two time zones, blending functionality with sport-chic design. Perfect for collectors who spend as much time in airports as boardrooms.