Last weekend, I was able to try a Rolex Milgauss with a Diamond-like Carbon (DLC) finish. Watch-Site had both this Rolex Milgauss and the Deepsea Sea-Dweller DLC’ed, where the Milgauss is ready for sale and the Deepsea needed to be assembled again. I took some pictures of the Deepsea to show the difference in color with the DLC Milgauss and to show how thick the crystal is, since the bezel was not re-attached yet.

When the the new Milgauss ref. 116400(GV) just came out in 2007, I was very impressed with it (as you can read here) but noticed that the watch didn’t get picked-up as I thought it would be (as I wrote here). Along the way, this watch really grew on me and I already decided that this new Milgauss could be a perfect alternative for the Rolex Explorer 114270, as 36mm is a bit too small for my wrists. The Rolex Explorer always attracted me for being the cleanest sports Rolex around, but just not for me due to its size.

Now, when I noticed that Watch-Site had this Rolex Milgauss DLC up for sale, I immediately asked them if I could try it for a few hours and make some pictures of it (since they are located nearby). The color of the Milgauss DLC isn’t black as most DLC watches, it has more of an anthracite color where the center links are still having that polished look and the rest of the bracelet kept the brushed finish.

Pictures can be a bit misleading when it comes to the DLC color of this Milgauss. To show you that it actually is quite dark in comparison to stainless steel, I took a picture of my wife’s Rolex Explorer 114270 next to the Rolex Milgauss 116400. Please don’t mind the dust specks on these watches, as I didn’t notice them till only later when I loaded the pictures into my computer. The picture also shows the differences in size between the Explorer and the Milgauss, but also demonstrate the clean and readable dial of both.

Although I could see myself adding a Rolex Milgauss to my modest collection of timepieces, this DLC was yet another confirmation that I am not very into DLC or black watches. I tried a (black) Sinn 142St.S a few years back and it didn’t last very long, I guess the same would go for this Milgauss. Personally, I do love the look of DLC watches, but they’re just not for me as I feel they are not as all-round usable as ‘plain’ stainless steel watches.

In the picture above, you can clearly see the difference between the center links and the outer links of the bracelet. The Milgauss is quite thick, probably due to its inner case which makes it anti-magnetic / protected against magnetic fields. It wears very differently from my GMT-Master II 16710 and Sea-Dweller 16600. I love the sapphire crystal sticking out, like the Sea-Dweller’s crystal. The matt dial is very clean and in combination with DLC, very militarish. The orange flashing bolt hand refers to the vintage Milgauss models, to people who do not know this, it might look a bit awkward 🙂

Below you’ll see two pictures of the Deepsea Sea-Dweller 116660, in parts…?Ǭ? just came back from the workshop where they applied the DLC technology to this Dipsy. Since the bezel was removed for the operation, it gives a good view on how thick the sapphire crystal of the Deepsea really is. THICK!

The DLC coating on this Deepsea is matt black and very different from the glossy looking Milgauss. The Deepsea is a heavy duty watch and the matt black DLC looks appropriate on it, being a tool watch pur sang.

Where I concluded earlier that the Milgauss or DLC (in general) is not for me, I did become even more enthusiastic about the Milgauss than I was before. Let’s see what 2010 has to offer for my watch collection! 🙂

Price of the Milgauss DLC (BNIB) is 5750 Euro. Thanks to Watch-Site for letting me handle these DLC timepieces.

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