ED209[Purist]
7307
Rolex Yacht Master or Milgauss?
Mar 30, 2014,01:59 AM
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
Comments:
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Rolex Yacht Master or Milgauss?
By: ED209 : March 30th, 2014-01:59
Ive been searching for a new watch and have narrowed it down to three choices and for me it was surprising to include two Rolexs: 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-w...
Not common at all
By: ED209 : March 30th, 2014-17:57
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 n...
Pick up the AP first...
By: jrwong23 (aka watchthebin) : March 30th, 2014-02:12
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 Milg...
Tough decision
By: ED209 : March 30th, 2014-17:59
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
Without smallest hesitation, I would take the
By: dr.kol : March 30th, 2014-03:04
Yacht Master. I am a diver and Yacht Master can be taken to any depth one can dive with normal equipment. For me the Yacht Master is a Gentleman Submariner. An AD checked one in the pressure machine and 300 m was not a problem. Best, Kari
Good to hear from you Kari
By: Cookies : March 30th, 2014-08:41
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.
At least in my YM
By: dr.kol : March 30th, 2014-09:48
there is the same crown than in the Submariner. Only the case back is slightly thinner but according to my watchmaker friend who has been working in Rolex, the watch can easily take 300 meters. YM is a wonderful watch and my intention is to pick up the bl...
Good to know
By: ED209 : March 30th, 2014-18:01
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
YM for me.
By: gensiulia : March 30th, 2014-03:07
i'm not so deep in the modern Rolex world, but the YM is cool, and the case shape is unique.
I don't know much about vintage
By: ED209 : March 30th, 2014-18:02
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
YachMaster for me too.
By: SteveW : March 30th, 2014-03:16
At my age I prefer something a bit dressier. I also appreciate the date. However, I prefer the platinum dial model.
The platinum dial
By: ED209 : March 30th, 2014-18:04
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. ...
Interesting question
By: Baron - Mr Red : March 30th, 2014-05:10
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 ...
Agree about the styling
By: ED209 : March 30th, 2014-18:06
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, E...
My thoughts
By: Cookies : March 30th, 2014-08:38
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. The AD has misrepresented the yachmaster as the case is in SS instead of platinum. Only the bezel is of the platinu...
You're right about the alloy
By: ED209 : March 30th, 2014-18:08
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, ...
There it is!
By: ED209 : March 30th, 2014-21:31
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
Like the others...
By: DRMW : March 30th, 2014-20:36
I kinda like that blue dial but definitely go with the AP. Good luck ED-209 and let us know what you decide! -MW
It's for you right?
By: patrick_y : March 31st, 2014-02:35
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. Remember those A. Silberstein watches with their funky hands and dials? This Milgauss has the funky lightning bolt hand, b...
Yep it's for me
By: ED209 : March 31st, 2014-08:18
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 t...
You know me well! :)
By: ED209 : April 2nd, 2014-19:26
:) You're right, the Milgauss would look great with jeans and a shiny red Corvette! Regards, ED-209 ...