The Mido Ocean Star Powerwind 1000 ref. 5907 is a vintage dive watch best known for its brightly colored concentric dial rings, which were designed to indicate decompression timing by depth. Usually called the Rainbow Diver, it dates to approximately 1961–65. It is collectible today for that unusual functional design, but its historical scale is not a substitute for modern dive-planning equipment or training.
What is the Mido Rainbow Diver ref. 5907?
The ref. 5907 is a vintage member of Mido’s Ocean Star line, also described as the Powerwind 1000 or “deep dive timer.” The Ocean Star line predates this reference; sources commonly place the 5907’s production around 1961–65 rather than treating the line’s earlier launch as the watch’s introduction. Alpha Hands, Fratello and Monaco Legend Auctions all describe the model as a 1960s watch associated with that period.
The nickname comes from the vivid rings on the dial, not from a modern electronic feature. Those colored circles encode decompression timing information, making the watch’s face both its defining visual element and a record of mid-century dive-watch design.
How the colored dial scale works
The rings relate elapsed dive time to decompression timing at different depths. In the arrangement described by Alpha Hands, a “0” marks the start and numbers increase clockwise; the minute hand’s position is read against the circle for the relevant depth. Fratello likewise describes the minute hand intersecting the depth ring to indicate decompression time. Some examples use feet and others metres, so the specific dial matters.
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#1 Best Overall
- Swiss Made Watch
- Movement: Automatic MIDO caliber with Day/Date calendar - Power reserve 80 hours
- Case Type: 41mm Diver-style stainless steel case with black rotating bezel - Capable of withstanding pressures of up to 20 bar (200 m/660 ft), and equipped with a screw-down crown, this watch offers optimal protection against water. Case Thickness: 11.7mm
- Dial: Black with grained finish, polished nickelled indexes coated with white Super-LumiNova, day and date at 3 o’clock. Sand-blasted flange with minute indication. Crystal: Sapphire crystal with double sided anti-reflection treatment Crystal: Sapphire crystal with double sided anti-reflection treatmentCrystal: Sapphire crystal with double sided anti-reflection treatment.
- Band Type: Satin-finished stainless steel bracelet with polished central link. Folding clasp with diving extension and engraved MIDO logo. MIDO quick-change system.
This is the historical purpose of the scale, not current dive guidance. Do not use a vintage 5907 to plan or conduct a dive. Dive profiles and decompression planning require current, appropriate equipment and training; a decades-old dial and published descriptions cannot replace a current dive computer or certified planning method.
Case, size and movement
The 5907 uses a distinctive front-loading, monocoque case associated with Mido’s Ocean Star construction. Alpha Hands describes a patented Bernard Taubert design in which the movement is fitted before the crown and winding stem, avoiding a conventional caseback opening. The specialist guide gives dimensions of 38 mm across and 45 mm lug-to-lug.
Rank #2
- Swiss Made Watch
- Movement: Automatic MIDO caliber with Day/Date calendar - Power reserve 80 hours
- Case Type: 41mm Diver-style stainless steel case with black rotating bezel - Capable of withstanding pressures of up to 20 bar (200 m/660 ft), and equipped with a screw-down crown, this watch offers optimal protection against water. Case Thickness: 11.7mm
- Dial: Silver with grained finish, polished nickelled indexes coated with white Super-LumiNova, day and date at 3 o’clock. Sand-blasted flange with minute indication. Crystal: Sapphire crystal with double sided anti-reflection treatment Crystal: Sapphire crystal with double sided anti-reflection treatmentCrystal: Sapphire crystal with double sided anti-reflection treatment.
- Band Type: Satin-finished stainless steel bracelet with polished central link. Folding clasp with diving extension and engraved MIDO logo. MIDO quick-change system.
That construction has practical consequences for servicing: Alpha Hands says the crystal must be removed first and that a dedicated Mido tool is used to remove and fit it. Owners should seek a watchmaker familiar with vintage Mido front-loading cases rather than assume generic crystal tools will fit safely.
The Monaco Legend Auctions catalog documents one stainless-steel example with automatic caliber 1137OC, based on AS 1717, and a stated 43-hour power reserve. Those are catalog details for that specimen, not proof that every ref. 5907 retains the same movement or condition.
Rank #3
- GMT Swiss Watch: The practical GMT function makes it possible to display two time zones simultaneously thanks to an additional hand that makes one complete revolution in 24 hours and uses a bezel graduated over 24 hours to indicate a second time zone.
- Movement: Automatic Mido Caliber 80 with Navichron balance spring which reduces magnetic interference and is remarkably robust against impacts and the effects of time. This caliber ensures exceptional autonomy of up to 80 hours.
- Water Resistance: This Swiss-made MIDO timepiece is capable of withstanding pressures of up to 20 bar (200 m/660 ft), and equipped with a screw-down crown, this watch offers optimal protection against water.
- Case Size: 44mm - Case Thickness: 13.38mm. Stainless steel case with blue ceramic bezel and Sapphire crystal with double sided anti-reflection treatment - Lug Width 22mm
- Strap: Tapered, Blue Fabric Strap with Pin Buckle
Why surviving examples vary
There is no single configuration that covers every 5907. Documented variations include black or white dials, date or no-date layouts, feet or metres scales, different tension-ring colors and differing lume plots. Fratello quotes Alpha Hands author Norm describing enough combinations that some surviving watches appear nearly unique in configuration.
Alpha Hands outlines broad production patterns, but explicitly cautions that some observations come from photographs and may be uncertain where details are unclear:
Rank #4
- Swiss Made Automatic Watch
- Movement: Automatic Movement Mido Caliber 72 - With 72 hours of power reserve and nivachron balance spring
- Case Type: 316L Stainless steel diver style with screw-down crown and unidirectional rotating bezel
- Case Size: 39mm - Band Width: 20mm - Case Thickness: 10.5mm - Sapphire crystal with double sided anti-reflection treatment
- Band: Satin-finished stainless steel bracelet and folding clasp with diver’s extension, with polished centre link bevels, MIDO quick-change system. Additional blue rubber strap included.
- Early Mk 1 pattern, roughly 1959–62: often associated with a white dial, no date and a serial number between the lugs.
- Transitional pattern, around 1962: reported changes include caseback reference numbers, black dials, date windows and silver hands.
- Mk 2 pattern, roughly 1962–65: casebacks are reported to carry both serial and reference numbers.
These are clues, not universal authentication rules. A caseback marking or a photograph alone cannot establish that a particular watch is original.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to check when considering a vintage 5907
Because configurations differ and published descriptions do not authenticate current listings, evaluate a specific watch on its own evidence. Where practical, have a vintage-watch specialist examine it in person.
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- Movement: Automatic Mido Caliber - Power reserve 80 hours - COSC Certified
- Case Type: Stainless steel and ceramic bezel - Screw-down crown
- Case Size: 43.5mm - Band Width: 22mm - Case Thickness: 14.55mm
- Crystal: Sapphire crystal with double sided anti-reflection treatment
- Strap: Stainless steel bracelet - Folding clasp with diving extension
- Dial and scale: note whether it is black or white, uses feet or metres, and has a date window. Compare the hands, lume plots and tension ring with the claimed configuration.
- Case and markings: inspect serial placement, reference markings and the relationship between the case details and the claimed production pattern. Treat batch patterns as supporting evidence, not proof.
- Originality and condition: assess dial printing, hands, bezel, crystal, crown and any replaced parts. Ask what has been changed or refinished.
- Service competence: ask who last serviced the watch and whether that watchmaker understands the front-loading case and its crystal requirements.
No representative current market valuation is established by the cited sources, and a historical auction record should not be read as a current average price.
The original 5907 versus the modern Decompression Timer 1961
Mido’s Ocean Star Decompression Timer 1961 is a modern reinterpretation, not a new production run of the vintage ref. 5907. It borrows the colorful decompression-table look but has modern construction and specifications. In a 2020 introduction, Hodinkee described the modern model with a 40.5 mm case, one-way bezel, 200 m water-resistance rating and Caliber 80. These figures describe the modern watch as reported in that 2020 article; consult Mido for current product specifications.
| Detail | Vintage Ocean Star Powerwind 1000 ref. 5907 | Modern Ocean Star Decompression Timer 1961 |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Original vintage reference, commonly dated circa 1961–65 | Modern reinterpretation; not the original ref. 5907 |
| Case and movement details established in these sources | Alpha Hands reports 38 mm case width and 45 mm lug-to-lug; Monaco Legend catalogs one specimen with automatic caliber 1137OC | Hodinkee reported a 40.5 mm case, one-way bezel, 200 m rating and Caliber 80 in 2020 |
| Dial concept | Historical decompression timing scale, with variant feet/metres and dial configurations | Modern watch that reinterprets the colorful decompression-table design |
For the vintage watch’s construction and reported variations, see Alpha Hands’ ref. 5907 guide and Fratello’s 2020 account. The modern model’s historical specifications are covered in Hodinkee’s 2020 introduction.
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