Mido vs Seiko: Which Is Better?

The Mido Multifort Powerwind Chronometer carries the Caliber 80 Si, a COSC-certified automatic with a silicon balance spring, 25 jewels, 21,600 vph (3 Hz) and an 80-hour power reserve. The Mido Ocean Star GMT uses the Caliber 80 on an ETA C07.661 base with the same 80-hour reserve and adds a GMT hand. Both are Swiss Made.

Seiko builds its own movements at every price. The Prospex Alpinist and the Prospex SPB143 run the in-house 6R35 at 21,600 vph with 24 jewels and a 70-hour reserve; the Seiko 5 Sports runs the 4R36 with 41 hours. None of them is chronometer-certified, and none uses a silicon hairspring. The Mido reserve is 10 hours longer than the best Seiko here, and the COSC certificate is the concrete thing the Mido premium buys.

The Multifort is a 40mm steel watch with anti-reflective sapphire and 100m (10 ATM); the Ocean Star GMT is 44mm with double-sided AR sapphire, a unidirectional bezel and 200m (20 ATM). On the Seiko side the Alpinist is 39.5mm with sapphire, a cyclops and 200m; the SPB143 is 40.5mm in super-hard-coated steel with sapphire and 200m; the Seiko 5 Sports is 42.5mm with Hardlex rather than sapphire and 100m.

So the dive-grade rating is available from both brands, but only Seiko offers it under $1,000, and only the Seiko 5 gives up sapphire to get there.

Both Mido automatics in our catalogue land in the $1,000–$1,500 band. The Seiko models in this comparison span three: the 5 Sports in $250–$500, the Alpinist and Samurai in $500–$1,000, and the SPB143 in $1,000–$1,500. At the one band where they meet, the SPB143 gives you an in-house 6R35, sapphire and 200m against the Mido Ocean Star GMT's ETA-based Caliber 80, sapphire, 200m and a GMT hand. That is the fair fight, and it comes down to whether you want the extra time zone and the 80-hour reserve or the in-house calibre.