Is the Rolex Milgauss a nod to "retro futurism"?

[RolexRog]

Do you think the design of the current Rolex Milgauss is a strong nod to retro futurism? I can kind of see where they were going with the seconds hand: retro futurism impressionism? Yes?

[Jona]

I sincerely doubt Rolex had that in mind. I can see your point with the second hand though.

[enjoythemusic]

Nod to those who work around strong magnets. CERN, etc.

Weird thing is, my OMEGA 50th Anniv Speedy has a higher resistance to magnetic interference than the Rollie.

[Bruce_Wayne]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Nod to those who work around strong magnets. CERN, etc.

Weird thing is, my OMEGA 50th Anniv Speedy has a higher resistance to magnetic interference than the Rollie.

Many people make this comparison, but part of me prefers the more historical method of achieving magnetic resistance with a ferrous cage. Sure Rolex has the capability to use a silicon hairspring and any other antimagnetic materials. If they get rid of the ferrous cage it is like Porsche going from air cooled to water cooled. Better technology->yes Less character->maybe Will people stop buy the product-> No

As far as the OPs question, I doubt it was Rolex’s intent, but I think it could be viewed as such.


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[JR16]

Originally Posted by Bruce_Wayne

Many people make this comparison, but part of me prefers the more historical method of achieving magnetic resistance with a ferrous cage. Sure Rolex has the capability to use a silicon hairspring and any other antimagnetic materials. If they get rid of the ferrous cage it is like Porsche going from air cooled to water cooled. Better technology->yes Less character->maybe Will people stop buy the product-> No

As far as the OPs question, I doubt it was Rolex’s intent, but I think it could be viewed as such.


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Out of curiosity, how does a ferrous cage (that you can’t see w a closed case back) give the watch more character ? To me seems to just add unnecessary bulk/thickness and less antimagnateism than the use of silicon components.


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[Bruce_Wayne]

Originally Posted by JR16

Out of curiosity, how does a ferrous cage (that you can’t see w a closed case back) give the watch more character ? To me seems to just add unnecessary bulk/thickness and less antimagnateism than the use of silicon components.


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I think the “character” of an object is subjective. For me, know that the technology to achieve desired goal is more historically aligned with the original adds character. I don’t have to visually see it. In this day in age, I can’t think of a situation where a professional model Rolex is best tool for it’s historical intended purpose, nor do I think it is necessary to be.


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[Rashid.bk]

Originally Posted by Bruce_Wayne

Many people make this comparison, but part of me prefers the more historical method of achieving magnetic resistance with a ferrous cage. Sure Rolex has the capability to use a silicon hairspring and any other antimagnetic materials. If they get rid of the ferrous cage it is like Porsche going from air cooled to water cooled. Better technology->yes Less character->maybe Will people stop buy the product-> No

As far as the OPs question, I doubt it was Rolex’s intent, but I think it could be viewed as such.


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Rolex has indeed already done this, with the new 3235 caliber they have used these materials to make a more amagnetic watch than the Milguass, they just don’t use it as a marketing tool, plus if they did they would make the Milguass instantly obsolete from a marketing point of view, since it’s biggest point is anti-magnetism. Although the Milguass also benefits from certain improvements.
However, there’s just no way that an outdated technology like the cage will ever be better than what Omega does with it’s 15,000 gauss plus movements(on every master chronometer) versus a mere 1,000g in the Milguass.

But we all know Rolex isn’t selling the best watch in any particular category, they’re selling and marketing their steadfast ethos of conservative design and rich heritage, in a timeless, durable and reliable package.

In most cases versus an Omega, I’d choose the Milguass, besides I’m not working near a giant magnet.
I can say from experience that the only time I had a watch get magnetized(on two occasions) was in the military where I did a lot of activity around Blackhawk helos who discharge an enormous amount of static electricity.
Both times it took my watchmaker less than 10 min to fix.

[Spanky4888]

I love my Milgauss...not your typical Rolex

[synrrgy]

Originally Posted by Spanky4888

I love my Milgauss...not your typical Rolex

+1 to this! Especially the Z-Blue dial... it looks so good in person!

[Monty22]

Originally Posted by Spanky4888

I love my Milgauss...not your typical Rolex

+1.


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[Ketler]

Originally Posted by Spanky4888

I love my Milgauss...not your typical Rolex

[irate.alien]

for all intents and purposes, yes. i kind of think of it as decopunk. i have a white dial milgauss and I feel like it's the watch The Rocketeer would wear. I am honestly not a big fan of Rolex, and the Milgauss is one of the few that get me excited.

[JonnyBCisco]

Originally Posted by irate.alien

for all intents and purposes, yes. I kind of think of it as decopunk. I have a white dial milgauss and i feel like it's the watch the rocketeer would wear. I am honestly not a big fan of rolex, and the milgauss is one of the few that get me excited.

+1

[kieselguhr]

In its current iteration, the Milgauss is likely a way for Rolex to demonstrate that it can be fun and playful if it wanted to without risking the image of its other professional models.

[VegasMilgauss]

To me it’s a nod to Usain on breaking the 100m wr.

[Warregl]

I've actually had the urge to buy a Milgauss, but a vintage one. I'm just not a fan of that modern second hand (to each his own - part of the beauty of collecting). However based on the prices I have seen I am not the only one digging the vintage Milgauss.

[Goochy]

Originally Posted by Warregl

I've actually had the urge to buy a Milgauss, but a vintage one. I'm just not a fan of that modern second hand (to each his own - part of the beauty of collecting). However based on the prices I have seen I am not the only one digging the vintage Milgauss.

Just for you.

[jltait]

Originally Posted by Goochy

Just for you.

Yowza that’s nice

[Warregl]

Originally Posted by Goochy

Just for you.

Beautiful piece! I’m green with envy

[904VT]

Originally Posted by RolexRog

Do you think the design of the current Rolex Milgauss is a strong nod to retro futurism? I can kind of see where they were going with the seconds hand: retro futurism impressionism? Yes?

I do appreciate the design aspect of watches, but prefer retro futurism in my mosaic tiles more than my watches. I think the second hand is neither retro nor futuristic, but just a nod to use of the Milgauss historically by those in the field of electromagnetics.

[GradyPhilpott]

The lightning bolt seconds hand is a throwback to the original Milgauss 6543.

https://www.timepiecechronicle.com/f...rolex-milgauss

[Warregl]

Originally Posted by GradyPhilpott

The lightning bolt seconds hand is a throwback to the original Milgauss 6543.

https://www.timepiecechronicle.com/f...rolex-milgauss

Very cool, I didn’t know that. Thanks for the link!

[morglaw]

I really liked the Milgauss design, but not sure they wanted it to be a retro futurism impressionism :D

[GradyPhilpott]

I'm not sure that this is retro-futurism, but I was very much stricken by the similarity, which I doubt was coincidental.

[Xenon]

This Oyster Perpetual Milgauss features a black dial with luminescent hour markers, a green sapphire crystal produces light reflections while preserving optimal legibility.
With its clean lines and evocative orange seconds hand, shaped like a lightning bolt to echo the original model, the Milgauss is recognizable at a glance.

Green sapphire crystal
A secret process
The green sapphire crystal is a unique watch crystal developed by Rolex, it is scratchproof, fade-proof and available exclusively on the Milgauss. Its light green shade, tinted throughout the entire crystal, turns nearly luminescent at the bevelled edges. The result of a secret process that required years of development to master and takes weeks to produce.

[RolexRog]

Originally Posted by Xenon

This Oyster Perpetual Milgauss features a black dial with luminescent hour markers, a green sapphire crystal produces light reflections while preserving optimal legibility.
With its clean lines and evocative orange seconds hand, shaped like a lightning bolt to echo the original model, the Milgauss is recognizable at a glance.

Green sapphire crystal
A secret process
The green sapphire crystal is a unique watch crystal developed by Rolex, it is scratchproof, fade-proof and available exclusively on the Milgauss. Its light green shade, tinted throughout the entire crystal, turns nearly luminescent at the bevelled edges. The result of a secret process that required years of development to master and takes weeks to produce.

But the original didn't have a seconds hand shaped like a lightning bolt.

[Bruce_Wayne]

Originally Posted by RolexRog

But the original didn't have a seconds hand shaped like a lightning bolt.

Touché. ref 6543 did not have the lightning bolt.


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[horseShu]

Omega has stolen the anti-magnetic thunder from Milgauss for quite some time now.
The "master chronometer" text on the dial guarantees that the movement has at least 15000 gauss of anti-magnetic resistance.

As for the Milgauss, we don't even know how much magnetic resistance it really has. I'm sure it is way more than 1000 gauss given the advancement of materials and technology. But seriously, no one really knows or cares.

[77T]

As we move towards a new day in the Gig economy, the demand for a Milgauss could shrink. Continuing to make the model is a nod to something at Rolex, almost like “because we can”.

But the ratio of people working in very strong EMI (compared to the total workforce) is dropping as automation and robotics reduces staffing in those environments. So it may get dropped again soon - it came back in 2007 after being dropped in late ‘80’s.

It is overdue for reimagining - maybe using more paramagnetic materials could reduce the cage and its extra bulk.




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[justdate]

Not in my opinion, the Milgauss is a pretty standard rolex style other than the second hand, which is just a nod to the original model.

Would a Milgauss look right in the scene below? I really don’t think so.