1940s Mido Multifort Manually Wound Gilt

It was listed on ebay for a ridiculously low price, title of 'Mido watch' and 2 photos, one blurry and the other in a hand and still looked like it was taken with a potato... But from that potato photo, I thought it had potential and looked larger than usual, as these typically come up at 28/30mm. After a few too many pints with my watchmaker, I showed him the photo, and he said it looks nice, but shame about the size of these models, to which I responded it looks bigger to me in the photos and a bet was quickly made. He had never seen a larger reference of this design, so the bet was simple: I would buy it and if it turned up and was bigger than 28/30mm, he would service it for free; if it was the size he suspected it to be, I would pay the full retail service price. The watch was so ridiculously priced that to me it still made a potentially good deal even if it was 28/30mm.

Well, when it arrived, we were both shocked. Not only was it 35mm, it also featured an incredible black gilt dial under the crazed crystal, which wasn't visible in the photos, plus the hands were some of the best-designed hands I had ever seen, especially the seconds hand. That was nearly 5 years ago, and I still think this is one of my best purchases to date, not the one that will get me the biggest return, but one that has given me the biggest enjoyment, and I would say is one of the most attractive watches I have purchased. I don't wear it often, but when I do, it often ends up staying on my wrist for a fair few days, which is rare for me!