Looking to add a blue dial to the collection
Greetings wrist watchers. I'm a noob to the hobby with two watches in the "collection" so far. I've always liked blue dials but didn't have the courage to buy one right away because I wanted a more versatile look. But now I'm ready to take the plunge into the blue dial market and would love some opinions about my final two. I haven't purchased from either of these brands before but am quite fond of both aesthetically. Let me know which you prefer and any info on the companies would be appreciated!
Option one: Mido Multifort M040.407.16.040.00 - maybe a little pricier than I would like but I love the layout of the face, really like the 6 oclock date window.
Option two: Laco Augsburg Blaue Stunde 862102 - love the color on this one, pilot aesthetic. Also think it's pretty cool that the company is German, like me haha.
Edit: I done goofed up making the poll. Big sorry.
Watch noob, just getting started in the hobby. Other interests include golf and video games.
I have to try so hard to stop myself from buying everything in the blue dial variant. LOL
Both of those seem nice but I think I would go with the Laco.
I’m a blue dial guy myself. I own a blue Tudor BB 58, Tag Heuer Carerra Date, and 36mm Rolex OP. Depending on what you have in your current collection I’m leaning towards the mido since in my opinion has a more versatile dial
I am partial to the Multifort. It is a watch with great history and the ETA movement is top notch. Laco has a bit of a twisted history, having been owned by Timex and Kienzle.
Both are amazing! But, I love the Mido with blue sector dial. The Laco watch I think it looks better in Black lacquer dial rather than blue. BUT Ultimately, it is not anyone of us but you who will be wearing it. So, the question is…which piece speaks to you more?
I own the Mido. Check my wall 😀.
However, the two watches come from different categories, I think it would depends on whether you want a pilot watch.
How about the Sinn 556 in blue? Always thought this was a particularly stunning dial.
Funny with this forum. I saw the Multifort for the first time a week ago. Now this is the 3rd time. I don’t know the dimensions but the Mido is stunning. Very VC Fiftysix in my opinion.
I've got both Mido and Laco in my collection and of these 2 I would go for the Mido as it's a step higher in standard, especially when it comes to the movement.
The Laco's with the name printed on them will all have Japanese movements and come from their entry level line and they normally have an exhibition caseback. Still nice watches, but not the equivalent of the Mido.
The equivalent Laco to the Mido would be the Münster (Auto) or Memmingen (hand wind) which both have Sellita movements and no branding at all. I have the 'B' dial variant which is the Leipzig Blaue Stunde. The finishing on the dial is brilliant and in the sun it looks stunning.
I have a number of other Laco's and they are great watches, with a very long history, being one of the original flieger makers. Whether you go for the Japanese or Swiss versions, you will still get the same build quality in the case finishing. German Made stands for something!
Laco do fantastic lume as well, so it will light up with the briefest amount of sunlight. Mine lights up every time I drive back into the garage.
One thing with Laco is that their straps are on the large size. I have a 7" wrist and on some of my watches I'm on the last hole. I've got 3 spare on my Leipzig which has the same band as the Augsburg.
Having said all that, I have a Mido Multifort Chronograph and it's a fantastic watch. Mido is very underrated, but as they are part of the Swatch group you get all the bonuses that come with that and they use the same movements throughout their sister companies like Certina, Hamilton and Tissot. You can do much worse than a Mido that's for sure.
The Mido is definitely more dressier than the Laco, but you can't really compare as one is a Flieger.
have you considered this gorgeous Squale ? Price is above Laco, but not crazy.
I've got both Mido and Laco in my collection and of these 2 I would go for the Mido as it's a step higher in standard, especially when it comes to the movement.
The Laco's with the name printed on them will all have Japanese movements and come from their entry level line and they normally have an exhibition caseback. Still nice watches, but not the equivalent of the Mido.
The equivalent Laco to the Mido would be the Münster (Auto) or Memmingen (hand wind) which both have Sellita movements and no branding at all. I have the 'B' dial variant which is the Leipzig Blaue Stunde. The finishing on the dial is brilliant and in the sun it looks stunning.
I have a number of other Laco's and they are great watches, with a very long history, being one of the original flieger makers. Whether you go for the Japanese or Swiss versions, you will still get the same build quality in the case finishing. German Made stands for something!
Laco do fantastic lume as well, so it will light up with the briefest amount of sunlight. Mine lights up every time I drive back into the garage.
One thing with Laco is that their straps are on the large size. I have a 7" wrist and on some of my watches I'm on the last hole. I've got 3 spare on my Leipzig which has the same band as the Augsburg.
Having said all that, I have a Mido Multifort Chronograph and it's a fantastic watch. Mido is very underrated, but as they are part of the Swatch group you get all the bonuses that come with that and they use the same movements throughout their sister companies like Certina, Hamilton and Tissot. You can do much worse than a Mido that's for sure.
The Mido is definitely more dressier than the Laco, but you can't really compare as one is a Flieger.
At least it's better than Dievas. I think the Singaporean guy owner must have had small wrists because it's the first time I've seen a strap with no holes for a 7 inch wrist.
If you're going that high for the Mido, there are much more amazing options on this price range. So for the price/value ratio i would go with Laco. But as i've said if you already considered paying 700-800 for a blue dial, in any case i would like to share some alternatives here :D (yes i like to confuse your mind :D )
Seiko SBP259
Tissot PRX Powermatic 80
And if you check Chrono24 you can also find the below ML cheaper than what it is
ML Aikon Quartz
Mido…or…
How about the Sinn 556 in blue? Always thought this was a particularly stunning dial.
unobtanium new though .. agree lovely Flieger style more interesting than the Laco , Stowa , the only better one the IWC Spitfire in blue no date ..,
unobtanium new though .. agree lovely Flieger style more interesting than the Laco , Stowa , the only better one the IWC Spitfire in blue no date ..,
Interesting, where are you based? I'm in the UK and this is easily available new for ~£1200 from a variety of sources.
What is the other watch which you own? Would be nice to know so suggesting which would fit you more would be easier or even to suggest some other options out there.
Interesting, where are you based? I'm in the UK and this is easily available new for ~£1200 from a variety of sources.
Australia :)
I have the Laco Augsburg Blaue Stunde on the bracelet and absolutely love it. The blue of the dial and the grey sandblasted case/bracelet really complement each other. The dial changes between almost black and very blue depending on the light.
What is the other watch which you own? Would be nice to know so suggesting which would fit you more would be easier or even to suggest some other options out there.
Sorry for the late reply, workin for that next watch! I currently have a Hamilton Khaki Field auto in black dial, and a Vostok amphibia in white.
Mido…or…
the nomos is gorgeous, just not in my price bracket, at least not yet!
If you're going that high for the Mido, there are much more amazing options on this price range. So for the price/value ratio i would go with Laco. But as i've said if you already considered paying 700-800 for a blue dial, in any case i would like to share some alternatives here :D (yes i like to confuse your mind :D )
Seiko SBP259
Tissot PRX Powermatic 80
And if you check Chrono24 you can also find the below ML cheaper than what it is
ML Aikon Quartz
I really like the look of that Tissot! Very 70's chique
I've got both Mido and Laco in my collection and of these 2 I would go for the Mido as it's a step higher in standard, especially when it comes to the movement.
The Laco's with the name printed on them will all have Japanese movements and come from their entry level line and they normally have an exhibition caseback. Still nice watches, but not the equivalent of the Mido.
The equivalent Laco to the Mido would be the Münster (Auto) or Memmingen (hand wind) which both have Sellita movements and no branding at all. I have the 'B' dial variant which is the Leipzig Blaue Stunde. The finishing on the dial is brilliant and in the sun it looks stunning.
I have a number of other Laco's and they are great watches, with a very long history, being one of the original flieger makers. Whether you go for the Japanese or Swiss versions, you will still get the same build quality in the case finishing. German Made stands for something!
Laco do fantastic lume as well, so it will light up with the briefest amount of sunlight. Mine lights up every time I drive back into the garage.
One thing with Laco is that their straps are on the large size. I have a 7" wrist and on some of my watches I'm on the last hole. I've got 3 spare on my Leipzig which has the same band as the Augsburg.
Having said all that, I have a Mido Multifort Chronograph and it's a fantastic watch. Mido is very underrated, but as they are part of the Swatch group you get all the bonuses that come with that and they use the same movements throughout their sister companies like Certina, Hamilton and Tissot. You can do much worse than a Mido that's for sure.
The Mido is definitely more dressier than the Laco, but you can't really compare as one is a Flieger.
Ah thanks for letting me know about the movements. Does Laco do in house movement for the other pieces?
Funny with this forum. I saw the Multifort for the first time a week ago. Now this is the 3rd time. I don’t know the dimensions but the Mido is stunning. Very VC Fiftysix in my opinion.
They sit around 40mm in diameter (Laco is a similar at 39). My first watch was a field watch, second watch was a dive watch, so i thought it'd be cool for the third to be some sort of pilot ya know, kind of stick with the theme lol. But I absolutely LOVE the dial of the Mido so IDK.
Sorry for the late reply, workin for that next watch! I currently have a Hamilton Khaki Field auto in black dial, and a Vostok amphibia in white.
The Hamilton is already spot on versatile. You could go for something sporty and dressy at the same time, gives you that extra option to have something versatile in hand for some dressy scenarios.
You could go for the Mido, its a great dress watch and you can dress it down with other straps too. It has a nice dial and good movement for the price. Definitely ask for a discount, you will get a good price with Mido.
A blue pilot's watch feels odd, its a beautiful sunburst dial but it is always about the legibility, and Laco does nice black and white(luminous versions also) dials. With Laco, you can customize your watch and order, essentially build your own watch. You get to choose the movement...either miyota or Sellita in two grades based on the price, date or no date, solid caseback or display caseback....you have quite a bit of choices based on the model you choose.
Tissot Gentleman is also a nice option, a nice blue dial, applied markers...it is sporty with bracelet and dressy on a strap.
There is also a Seiko Alpinist Laurel SPB249. Its a nice blue dial with a nice texture. Sporty and dressy, 200m WR, a nice package for the price. Also, you can check the SPB167.
The Hamilton is already spot on versatile. You could go for something sporty and dressy at the same time, gives you that extra option to have something versatile in hand for some dressy scenarios.
You could go for the Mido, its a great dress watch and you can dress it down with other straps too. It has a nice dial and good movement for the price. Definitely ask for a discount, you will get a good price with Mido.
A blue pilot's watch feels odd, its a beautiful sunburst dial but it is always about the legibility, and Laco does nice black and white(luminous versions also) dials. With Laco, you can customize your watch and order, essentially build your own watch. You get to choose the movement...either miyota or Sellita in two grades based on the price, date or no date, solid caseback or display caseback....you have quite a bit of choices based on the model you choose.
Tissot Gentleman is also a nice option, a nice blue dial, applied markers...it is sporty with bracelet and dressy on a strap.
There is also a Seiko Alpinist Laurel SPB249. Its a nice blue dial with a nice texture. Sporty and dressy, 200m WR, a nice package for the price. Also, you can check the SPB167.
Wow! That Tissot gentleman is quite a good looking watch. Someone else posted the PRX as a suggestion earlier but I think the gentleman tops it. Very classic, and it would be nice to add a metal bracelet to the team. I agree with the blue being weird on a pilot, I just kinda thought it'd be neat to stick to a military-ish theme I had haha. Also had no idea about Laco's customizability, I'm definitely going to look into that. Thank you very much for your suggestions, honestly going to do a bit of Tissot research tonight.
Wow! That Tissot gentleman is quite a good looking watch. Someone else posted the PRX as a suggestion earlier but I think the gentleman tops it. Very classic, and it would be nice to add a metal bracelet to the team. I agree with the blue being weird on a pilot, I just kinda thought it'd be neat to stick to a military-ish theme I had haha. Also had no idea about Laco's customizability, I'm definitely going to look into that. Thank you very much for your suggestions, honestly going to do a bit of Tissot research tonight.
The Gentleman is classic in Tissot lineup. A little overshadowed by the PRX lately 😅
Its a nice watch, 40mm case with nice wearing proportions and essentially the same movement which is there in the Mido. Couple of drawbacks maybe the 21mm lug width and the bracelet, its nice but comes with a butterfly clasp and center polished links which gets scratched easily.
Other comparable model to gentleman is the Seiko Presage sharp edge SPB167. 39mm, wears a little nicer and good bracelet. I forgot to add the photo in the last comment.
Ah thanks for letting me know about the movements. Does Laco do in house movement for the other pieces?
They call it an in-house movement but my understanding is it is effectively a decorated Sellita. They call it a Laco 210 for example which is the Sellita 210 or whichever variant applies to that model.
If you buy directly from Laco you can choose whether you get a basic “Elabore” or Top Grade movement.
I honestly don’t think there’s much value in that. Mine has the Elabore and it works just fine.
They call it an in-house movement but my understanding is it is effectively a decorated Sellita. They call it a Laco 210 for example which is the Sellita 210 or whichever variant applies to that model.
If you buy directly from Laco you can choose whether you get a basic “Elabore” or Top Grade movement.
I honestly don’t think there’s much value in that. Mine has the Elabore and it works just fine.
I certainly have nothing against Japanese movement so I suppose it's not an issue. Glad to hear you like yours, it's a wonderful piece.
The Japanese movements are rock solid, so if you go that route you won't be disappointed!
I just bought this one in the last few months and it is one of the nicest blue dial watches out there.
Blue dials are super hard to decide. I searched for over one year to find a blue dial dive watch that matched my expectation. Blue is a tricky colour. I would suggest to go to an AD an try them on to see the colour in real life. Photos do not tell the whole story.
I personally really like the dial Lay-of the Mido. It seems that its a darker blue too.
I love the finish and the case of the Laco Original. The case of the „blaue Stunde“ never really did it for me. So I would suggest to go with the Mido. But definitely check it out in real life first!