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Mido Multifort Super-Automatic, 1950–1960s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Mido (maker)
Date
1950–1960s
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Stock no.
40992294
Credit line
Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40992294)
Catalogue title (original)
Mido Multifort Super-Automatic (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40992294), this is a wristwatch by Mido, dated 1950–1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Analog/Shift

Dating from the 1950-1960s, this Mido is a classic callback to a bygone era of the watch industry with more modest case sizes, bumper automatic movements, and a robust charm. The beautifully, lightly aged dial and subsidiary seconds bring all the charm from this absolutely lovely mid-century steel gent's watch. The numerals are all intact, providing a really well-preserved example of a significant historical piece. Powered by the bumper-winding 'Super Automatic' Mido Calibre, it was introduced as part of the Multifort collection - a series of anti-magnetic automatic winding timepieces - a proud part of Mido's history. Classic and elegant, it's the perfect subdued and stylish everyday watch, sure to complete your suit or everyday outfit.

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Automatic (self-winding) watches

Self-winding watches use the wearer's motion to wind the mainspring. Abraham-Louis Perrelet and Breguet made 'perpétuelle' pocket watches with oscillating weights in the late eighteenth century, but the principle only became practical in the wristwatch. John Harwood patented a bumper automatic in 1923; Rolex's Perpetual rotor (1931) winding in one direction, and later bidirectional rotors (Eterna, Felsa Bidynator), established the modern form. Micro-rotors (Universal Genève, Buren) and peripheral rotors made automatic watches thinner.

What to look for

  • A semicircular rotor turning 360° over the movement, or a 'bumper' weight that rebounds between springs.
  • 'Automatic', 'Perpetual' or 'Self-winding' on the dial.
  • A sealed screw-back case, since automatic watches are wound less often by the crown.

Dating clues

  • Bumper automatics: 1923–c. 1955.
  • Full rotors: from 1931 (Rolex); widespread after c. 1950.
  • Micro-rotors: from 1954–1958.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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