Rolex

I’ve been searching for a new watch and have narrowed it down to three choices and for me it was surprising to include two Rolex’s:  the Yacht Master and the Milgauss.  Over the past weekend I had originally visited a local AD not for me, but to help a co-worker look at watches as a gift for a family member.  So I tagged along and ended up looking around for something to get for myself.  Funny how that turns out

Anyway, the original watch I’m considering is a Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver.  It’s a watch I’ve seriously thought about for the past few months and wasn’t really looking at anything else.  But while I was at the AD with my friend we started looking at all the models of Rolex.   The AD had a large selection and very shortly I was asking the sales rep to show me a few Rolexes.  The first was the Rolex Yacht Master 116622 with the blue dial.  It's been on the back of my mind ever since iim7v7im7 posted his initial impressions of his Rolex ( Please click here )

The blue dial on the Yacht Master looks great and reminds me of my first Rolex that I ever purchased which was an Air King also with blue soleil dial.  The 40mm case size is perfect for my small wrist.  The sales rep mentioned that the Yacht Master case is made of Rolesium which is a Rolex alloy of 904L stainless steel and platinum.  I didn’t know this and when I was handling the watch I couldn’t tell any difference.  The bezel on the Yatch Master is made of 950 platinum and I did see (and feel) the difference in the metal.  I liked how the bidirectional bezel looked with both polished and sand blasted finish.  The raised numbers and hash marks were also polished and had a nice visual contrast.  What really stood out was the beautiful blue soleil dial.  In various light the sun burst pattern look gorgeous to me and since my favorite color is blue it was an obvious choice.  One thing I never really liked about Rolex is the bracelet, to me it always seemed a little cheap and not nearly as well made as some other brands.  However the polished center links did look nice with the satin finished outer links.  Overall the Yatch Master felt nice on my wrist, and again I loved the blue dial.

The second watch I requested to see was the Rolex Milgauss 116400GV.  I was intrigued by the green tinted sapphire crystal and I liked the color contrast of the orange seconds’ hand.  The Milgauss case is also 40mm but when I tried it on it somehow felt a little smaller when compared to the Yacht Master.   Maybe it was the thinner polished concave shaped bezel.  Weight wise I could not really feel too much of a difference between the two Rolexes.  The dial was interesting with the thicker orange colored hour markers at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions.  I also liked the simpler look of the Milgauss without a date when compared to the Yacht Master with the Cyclops date. 

But now with the recent news from Baselworld 2014 Rolex novelties the new Milgauss with the blue dial and green glass might be yet another one to consider.

Not sure what I’m going to do; wait till later in the year to see a side by side comparison with the two Milgauss and also compare it to the blue Yacht Master; or just simply pick up the AP Royal Oak Offshore Diver that I had original planned.  Any thoughts from my fellow Purists?

Regards,

ED-209

I am also a big Lover of the Yachtmaster, which is very original, too, but less " mad "...

The YM is easier to wear on a daily basis, I think.

But you can't go wrong with any of these two...

Best,

Nicolas

This message has been edited by amanico on 2014-03-30 02:09:39

Thanks Nicolas, the craziness of the green glass, black dial and orange hand is what attracted me to the watch.  It's different from other Rolexes.  But the Yacht Master with the blue dial is just so nice. And to make the choice more difficult we have the new recently introduced blue dialed green glass Milgauss.   Hmmm, I'll have to think more about it.
Regards,
ED-209

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As originally planned (unless you changed your mind).
And then wait till later this year to compare the Rolexes with the 2014 novelties esp the new Milgauss (which looks extremely interesting with blue dial, which you like and a green glass). The new Milgauss may be just what you like with the combination of the Milgauss features with a blue dial.

Let us know what you decide on in the end. All the best!

Cheers
Robin

One thing I need to check is if the AP ROO diver is compatible with the original style rubber strap with deployant.  That fits me better than the new tang buckle.  Will keep you posted on what I end up getting.
Regards,
ED-209

I always suspected the ym is almost as water resistant as the sub, but due to marketing reasons they put a twin lock crown in it.

Thanks Kari, great to hear that it can live up to the pressures.  Of the two Rolexes that I saw the Yacht Master is more attractive to me. 

Regards,
ED-209

i'm not so deep in the modern Rolex world, but the YM is cool, and the case shape is unique.

Hi gensiulia, thanks for the info.  I like the Yacht Master too and wish I knew more about vintage Rolexes.  Maybe that is the next step after I get this watch.

Regards,
ED-209

At my age I prefer something a bit dressier.  I also appreciate the date.  However, I prefer the platinum dial model.

Hi SteveW, thanks for sharing your thoughts.  Seems like most of the people here in the PuristS community agree with you that the Yacht Master is the way to go.  The AD had a platinum dial too (I didn't take a pic) so I'll have to think about it some more.  Too many choices!

Regards,
ED-209

I would say it depends on one thing....the YM is a "blingy" watch....it shouts a bit and lets people know its there. The Milgauss is quirky, also prominent but without being "bling". So, both interesting watches from Rolex, but depending on how extrovert you want your watch to be....

Thanks Baron, I agree with you that the Yacht Master is more blingy.  Will have to think about it some more before making a decision.  I'm a huge fan of AP so that is also a huge factor.  I can't wait to see the new blue dial green glass Milgauss.

Regards,
ED-209

Yea I handled both pieces before and gave serious thought before tossing the coin to take the green sub 5 years ago, so I know the feeling.

Thanks Cookies, I'm sure you're right about the case material.  I was pretty sure also that only the bezel was platinum (didn't know it was an alloy).   Glad to learn about this.  I haven't seen the ss and gold combo yachtmaster.  I'm sure that the AD has it, I'll have to ask to see it on my next visit and handle it side by side. 
Regards,
ED-209

Cool thanks Cookies for posting this ss and gold version of the YM.  I need to see this in person, that gold colored dial and bezel looks really nice.  Arrrgh one more to add to the list LOL.

Regards,
ED-209

I kinda like that blue dial but definitely go with the AP.  Good luck ED-209 and let us know what you decide!

-MW

Regards,
ED-209

For you Ed, considering your collection, I'd go for the green Milgauss.  That's the one I'd go for.  It just feels more special to me.  

Hi Patrick,

In some ways the Milgauss colors does remind me of Silberstein watches.  I have the Rondo GMT that I wear a lot for travel and recently has been my travel companion more often then my Breitling Aerospace.   

The Offshore Diver I'm considering is the steel with black dial and rubber strap. 

I'm not of fan of the Blancpain Bathyscaphe, the case is too large at 43mm and to me the proportions looks strange.  I'd rather get the JLC Tribute to Deep Seas Chrono (2 subdial version) than the Blancpain.  I dislike nato straps, they make watches look cheap and the fit is too loose.

ALS 1815?  Huh??? That's not even close to any of these watches.  And I can't even imagine what it would look like on a nato, probably Fugly with a capital F. 

Regards,

Ed

This message has been edited by ED209 on 2014-03-31 08:20:14

It'll also look better on your wrist too IMO as opposed to the Yacht Master.

Cheers,
AT

Thanks Anthony.
Regards,
ED-209

..

  You're right, the Milgauss would look great with jeans and a shiny red Corvette!

Regards,
ED-209