Perhaps I was wrong on the Milgauss

On the 10th of August, I wrote this post about the (new) Rolex Milgauss ref.116400, almost a year after its introduction during Basel 2007 (which I covered here). The post wasn’t very positive, because it seemed to me that the Milgauss wasn’t the immediate hit Rolex had hoped for. However, fast forward to 2009, it seems that the hype regains a bit. The availability of the Milgauss improved (you can even find the green sapphire version quite easily) and the prices dropped to an interesting level.

My watch friend John Chan has traded his Date-Just for a Milgauss (black dial) and after trying his and one at the airport, the watch doesn’t let me go. Last week, I ran into JK, owner of JKWatchStore.nl, and he showed me the Milgauss on his wrist. He had never been more enthusiastic about a time piece. Almost all sponsors / advertisers of this blog who sell Rolex or used watches, have one in stock at the moment. The price for a non-green sapphire model is approx 3500 euro. In the near future, I want to write a review on the green sapphire model, which I am hopefully able to borrow for a day or so.

To be honest, one of the nicest Rolex models in my opinion is the Explorer. I bought one for my girlfriend last year, which I documented on the Rolex forum of my friendly neighbours in Germany, you can view the pictorial by clicking here. However, at 36mm, this watch is simply too small for me. Although I don’t mind wearing smaller watches, this one is simply looking awkward on my wrist.

Picture by Pelue. You will find the most interesting Explorer pictorial here on the R-L-X forum. Coverage on both new & vintage Rolex Explorer watches.

Anyhows, I am drifting off again, the Milgauss seems to be (after a second try and thought) a perfect alternative for the Explorer. The dial of the Explorer is not as clean as the Milgauss dial, but it doesn’t get ‘broken’ by a date window and the smooth bezel gives the watch a ‘quiet’ and understated look. Almost sophisticated.

At first I was afraid the second hand would bore me, although I liked the idea from the start, but I don’t think it will hold me back from buying one in the future. I can always have it removed by my watchmaker anyway 🙂 The next picture is taken by R-L-X member Tony, and he wrote an interesting review on the Milgauss including a lot of history on this anti-magnetic predecessors.

Besides the refreshing look of the Milgauss, the watch also features a great bracelet. Even though I like the – often called – flimsy bracelet that Rolex used (and still does on some models), the slight adjustments that Rolex introduced are very refined. This 40 mm watch also feature the Rolex movement caliber 3131 with the new Parachrom hairspring which J.Peter of watchmaking blog Tick Talk has covered already.

Photo by Hugo @ R-l-X

Although my next time piece isn’t going to be a Milgauss, my next Rolex will probably be one. It is a great alternative for the Explorer to me (the Explorer II is more or less the same as my GMT-Master II ref.16710, dial and case-wise), and offers a lot of bang for the buck. Especially when buying a young occasion or new at one of the advertisers of FratelloWatches. However, I am afraid it is not going to happen this year…

Have a nice weekend all!