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Vintage Mido owned by Bugatti founder sells for $420,000 at auction Vintage Mido owned by Bugatti founder sells for $420,000 at auction

Vintage Mido owned by Bugatti founder sells for $420,000 at auction

Nick Kenyon

When Mido makes headlines for an auction result, you know it must be a special watch, and over the weekend a very special watch was sold. What was the watch? Well, it was a piece produced at the request of Ettore Bugatti, the Italian-born French founder of the eponymous automotive manufacturer. This specific watch, dated to circa 1929, fetched a remarkable €272,800 in an auction by the Stanislas Machoïr auction house over the weekend. 

mido Bugatti

The unusual “horseshoe” design is inspired by the shape of a Bugatti radiator, complete with the crosshatching of the air-vent and the Bugatti logo at 12 o’clock just below the crown. This piece is one of four that were ordered between 1926 and 1932 by Ettore Bugatti himself, which were given away to friends, family and of course his best drivers. The manually wound watch measures a modest 22.5mm by 34mm case and boasts an attractive two-tone bracelet. 

mido Bugatti

The presale estimate of this Mido Bugatti was €80,000 to €120,000, showing confidence from the auction house that the result would be strong. According to data gathered by Collector’s Square, the majority of vintage Mido watches that have been sold by the large auction houses achieve around the €5000 mark, making the result of €272,800 a truly remarkable moment for the vintage Mido market. 

mido Bugatti

Following the success of these watches produced for Bugatti, Mido produced watches for brands such as Alfa Romeo, Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, and Rolls-Royce between the years of 1925 and 1926.

mido Bugatti

In the context of Mido as a manufacturer, which was only founded a handful of years beforehand in 1918, this watch represents a critical stepping stone for the brand in its early years.