Rolex Milgauss Z- Blue 116400GV review and long term impressions

[kieselguhr]

Rolex Milgauss Z-Blue 116400GV


I purchased the Rolex Milgauss Z-Blue 116400GV brand new from my Rolex AD in August, 2019 and have been wearing it as part of a 5 watch rotation for more than 6 months. Here are my personal impressions which encompass both form and function of the watch.

Timekeeping
A watch’s primary function is timekeeping. Whenever I purchase a new watch, I check it’s timekeeping by comparing against time.gov twice a day for a week. I repeat this process annually to get a rough idea of the watch’s “health”. At the time of purchase, the Milgauss maintained +1 sec/day. During the annual timekeeping check in January 2020, the Milgauss had a repeat performance with a consistent +1 sec/day.

The movement contained within the Milgauss is the Rolex caliber 3131. This movement is based on the Rolex caliber 3130 that powers the Oyster Perpetual line of watches. The power reserve for my Milgauss typically lasts 46 - 48 hours when left idle with a fully wound mainspring.

Rolex caliber 3131

(From WatchBase.Com)

Dial, hands, & hour markers
The Milgauss has a time only layout with hour, minute, and seconds hands.

Both hour and minute hands, as well as the hour markers are lined with white gold and are adequately filled with off white lume offering the wearer enough contrast for reading the time both in bright and low light conditions.

Hour, minute, lightning seconds hands, & hour markers



The dial as a whole is simply spectacular as the “electric blue” shifts between hues of blue and green throughout the day while dimming down to subtle shades of ultramarine and even black at night.

Orange minute track


The minute track running along the edge of the dial is applied in blazing orange and includes Arabic numerals at 5 minute intervals. Although seemingly pointless, a minute track with defined intervals is useful for simple timing tasks.

Watch case
Like the rest of the Rolex professional lineup, the Milgauss case is constructed with 904L steel. The factory finish for the entirety of the watch case is a mirror polish. The bezel is sloped and easily allows for sliding in and out of cuffed sleeves.

Side profile


The dimensions of the case are as follows;
Diameter - 40mm
Lug to lug length - 49mm
Lug width - 20mm
Case thickness - 13mm

The Milgauss variant of the oyster case is sleek despite the added thickness due to containing an anti magnetic soft iron cage within. At 150g, it definitely has heft for a solid steel watch yet remains very comfortable to wear on my 6 1/2 in wrist. For reference, I wear my watches proximal to the wrist bone. They are worn throughout the day without removal as long as there is no need to.

Crown
The Milgauss has a larger sized crown that makes it easier to manipulate than standard sized crowns. Pulling the crown out to hack the movement is easy but still requires the use of fingernails. With regard to winding, I am typically used to feeling some sort of tactile sensation but this is non existent as winding the movement is slick and almost silent.

Rolex twin lock crown side view


Rolex twin lock crown front view



Water resistance
Despite being synonymous with high tech laboratories and geeky scientists, the Rolex Milgauss still utilizes the oyster case design with twinlock crown and is inherently water resistant to 100m/330ft or 10 bar. Basically, it will easily survive the wearer both in magnetic environments and at great depths. I have worn the Z-Blue on multiple dives with a maximum depth of 33m and it hasn’t had any water infiltration issues.

Z-Blue at Barracudas reef, Playa Del Carmen, México (depth 18m/59ft)



Bracelet finish and fitting
The bracelet is a classic Rolex 3 link oyster design with polished center links, brushed shoulder links, and polished flanks. The varied finish gives both the bracelet and the case added depth.

Oyster bracelet



Typical with all Rolex bracelets I have worn in the past, fitting is a cinch and achieving a comfortably snug fit is a breeze. The addition of an easily deployable EZ link is very nice as it is useful in the summer for wrist expansion or when having to go over thin layers of clothing (i.e. lycra).

EZ link undeployed/deployed



Clasp security
Classic Rolex oyster lock. It is a clamshell design and feels secure and hasn’t opened unexpectedly, even when accidentally bumped into solid objects.

Clasp



Final remarks
Rolex’s peculiar choice in color palette for the Z-Blue realistically should have resulted in a visual disaster. Instead, it avante garde nature elicits a smile each and every time I glance for the time. The dial is truly iridescent due to the combined effect of the sunburst finish with the glacé verte (green sapphire crystal).

This watch is simply a pleasure to wear and is a reliable wrist companion in any situation and any environment while managing to look spectacular at the same time

Z-Blue in the lab


Z-Blue in the frost