Mido continues its annual Día de los Muertos series with the Multifort TV Big Date Alebrijes, bringing the Mexican celebration to life in its distinctive TV-shaped case for the first time.
The dial combines a central calavera with fantastical Alebrijes inspired by the work of Mexican artist Pedro Linares, using 12 lacquers and three colours of Super-LumiNova.
Inside is Mido’s Calibre 80 automatic movement with a Nivachron balance spring and 80-hour power reserve, while the special edition comes with a steel bracelet, Milanese mesh and red rubber strap.
Mido has marked Día de los Muertos with a dedicated watch every year since 2020, and six editions later, the series has become one of the brand’s more colourful annual traditions. Previous models have explored the familiar imagery of Mexico’s Day of the Dead through skulls, vivid colour, and plenty of lume, and for 2026, Mido has shifted the concept to the Multifort TV Big Date. It’s a natural home for something this visually busy, giving the artwork a broad, almost square canvas to work with.
This year’s theme digs a little deeper into Mexican folk art through Alebrijes, the fantastical creatures first created by Mexican artist Pedro Linares in the 1930s. Linares imagined strange hybrid animals combining different forms, colours and characteristics, and that same surreal energy now surrounds the calavera sitting at the centre of this watch. Día de los Muertos already has one of the richest visual languages of any cultural celebration, so folding Alebrijes into it gives Mido plenty to play with.
The familiar Multifort TV case measures 40mm by 39.2mm, with a 46.85mm lug-to-lug and a combination of satin-brushed and polished stainless steel surfaces. It has a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides, a screw-down crown, 100 metres of water resistance, and an exhibition caseback. Those proportions leave plenty of room for what is easily the watch’s most elaborate part.
The dial starts with a grey-to-black gradient base, with its large calavera filling most of the lower half. Around it sits a collection of Alebrijes, engraved into the surface in negative relief and highlighted with 12 different lacquers. Birds, animals, and tiny skeletal details are scattered across the dial, creating a composition that keeps your eye landing on something different.
Then there’s the lume. Mido has used three colours of Super-LumiNova across the artwork, so the dial’s personality changes dramatically in the dark as the skull, creatures, and smaller details illuminate in different shades. The recessed hour markers and diamond-cut hands are lumed too, keeping the actual time readable across the artwork. Even the Big Date display at 12 o’clock gets dragged into the theme: the numeral “1” is shaped like a bone. It’s a tiny detail, and exactly the sort of thing a watch this playful can get away with.
Underneath all of that colour is Mido’s familiar Calibre 80, based on the ETA C07.651. The automatic movement runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour, uses a Nivachron balance spring and has been adjusted in three positions, with a very useful 80-hour power reserve. Through the caseback, you can also see the rotor finished with Côtes de Genève and Mido branding.
Mido has been generous with the strap situation. The watch arrives on its integrated stainless steel bracelet, which mixes satin-finished outer surfaces with polished central links, and the bespoke box also contains a polished Milanese mesh bracelet and a bright red textured rubber strap. All three use quick-change bars, so you can move from relatively subdued steel to something considerably louder without reaching for a tool. Given how much personality is already packed into that dial, having three very different ways to wear it feels entirely appropriate.
Mido Multifort TV Big Date Alebrijes pricing and availability
The Mido Multifort TV Big Date Alebrijes is available now from the Time+Tide Shop, and the Time+Tide Studio in Melbourne Price: £1,125/A$2,125 (incl. GST)
Brand
Mido
Model
Multifort TV Big Date Alebrijes
Reference
M049.526.11.081.02
Case Dimensions
40mm (D) x 11.5mm (T) x 46.85mm (LTL)
Case Material
316L stainless steel
Water Resistance
100 metres
Crystal(s)
Sapphire front and back
Dial
Grey gradient, decorated
Lug Width
22mm
Strap
Stainless steel 3-link bracelet, butterfly clasp
Movement
Mido Calibre 80, automatic, ETA base
Power Reserve
80 hours
Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds, big date
Availability
Available now
Price
£1,125/A$2,125 (incl. GST)