Anyone who reaches the professional level of a sport gets my admiration, but those who push their bodies to the limits, while also putting their lives on the line in the process, have my full respect.
Extreme Sports
Ski jumping, big wave surfing, free diving, and base jumping all come to mind, but after having joined Mido at the Red Bull Cliff World Diving World Series, I would have to argue that cliff diving is way up there in the danger stakes.
Jumping from a height of 21 metres for the female athletes and 27 metres (that’s eight stories) for the men, it takes just three seconds to reach 85 kph. That’s almost as fast as the acceleration of a Bugatti Veyron, without the mid-air flips and twists! Then imagine going from 85kph to zero in less than a second. Every muscle in the divers’ bodies needs to be tensed to protect them from the shock. As veteran cliff diver Orlando Duque puts it, “Anything that’s not straight up and down is really going to hurt!”
An Unforgettable Experience
To watch all this live with Mido – the sports’ official watch sponsor since 2019 – was absolutely wild! We met in Flüelen and took a boat over to the competition area in Sisikon, going past the picturesque William Tell Chapel and Grütli Prairie in what must be one of the most beautiful areas of Switzerland. Mooring close to the diving boards, we got an incredible view of these athletes in action. In the afternoon we took a smaller boat right up to the base of the jump, where we were almost close enough to feel the spray from the divers as they landed.
The Mido Connection
Back on the main boat, Franz Linder, Mido’s CEO, explained how the brand became connected to cliff diving: “A few years ago, when we revisited the Ocean Star Collection – a line that has existed since 1944 – we wanted to see how we could connect it to something. It had to be linked to water, of course, but we also asked ourselves what was important for Mido, and that was precision, performance, and design. Cliff diving was the perfect match. The precision of these athletes’ dives is like the precision of a Mido wristwatch!”, he laughs. “But honestly, what appealed to us the most was the lifestyle. These guys are all friends, there is such a good team spirit among them here.”
Mido Ocean Star GMT Special Edition
During the event, Mido presented its Ocean Star GMT Special Edition that was made to celebrate the partnership (and given to the winners, of course). This tough, but elegant, sports watch is water resistant to 200 metres and features two time zones, which is very handy for the divers when they are competing abroad. It comes with a deep blue dial, a high-tech blue ceramic bezel, and red touches on the inner bezel. On the inside, you will find the automatic Calibre 80, named after its impressive 80 hours of power reserve, making it a great all-round sports watch.
Mido Ambassador Jonathan Paredes
After the competition, I had the honour to chat with cliff diver and Mido ambassador Jonathan Paredes who has been working with Mido since 2018. Paredes was wearing his Mido Oceanstar 600 with pride and told me how loves working with the brand. “I’m super happy, Mido has become like a family for me, they have supported me in the worst times, even during the pandemic, and what we have been doing together is amazing.”
The last leg of the World Series will take place this weekend (October 15th 2022), so tune in to see these spectacular athletes in action.
