Owning a (time)piece of history…my history

Searching for a watch made in one's birth year is probably something all vintage watch geeks will do at some point during their lifelong addiction. As a classic car lover as well, it would be ideal if I could find both a motorcar and a watch from my year of birth at the same time!

The best excuse to start the search is when you are about to hit a new milestone in your life, reaching 30, 40, 50, 60 etc. I started my search some years back when I was a few years shy of reaching 50.




In 2009, Mido re-issued their 1959 Commander to mark its 50th anniversary, it felt like this was a perfect watch to celebrate such an important milestone for me. It had all the charm of the 50s, including a 37mm case, a steel Milanese mesh bracelet, an ultra thin crown that gave the watch a perfect round shape and a totally retro-looking dial with the word “Commander” in the same font used half a century ago.



But acquiring this 500-piece limited edition watch was just a first step for me, it still wasn't a birth year watch. I then started looking for the original piece manufactured in 1959. It wasn’t difficult because the watch was produced in substantial quantities at the time, and it took me just a few weeks to procure a piece online. These two watches mean a lot to me as one reminds me of my roots and the other draws parallels to the modern day me.


A few years later in 2018, Mido issued a new variation which had a fume grey dial, a charming iteration! What's better than wearing this gold smokey version on the wrist while enjoying a cigar accompanied by a glass of martini, shaken not stirred as a birthday gift for myself?

As for the car to complete the birth year collection? That's a story for another day...


Credit: Mido Watches (https://www.midowatches.com/us/commander-shade-m842932311.html)