Month: August 2017

Rolex at entry level – the new Air-king, the Milgauss and the Explorer

 
Rolex updated its Air-King in 2016. The price of the watch is around 47k HKD. At this price point, it is definitely an entry-level Rolex. So, is it an able contender against the Explorer and the Milgauss, which have always been very iconic?

Let’s look at what the new Air-King has to offer. At first glance, I almost could not believe it is a watch produced by Rolex. Its design is unlike any other Rolex which are mostly conservatively designed. The new 116900 Air-King is a bold watch. At 40mm, the watch has a polished bezel and a dial full of fun. Some may argue that the dial is too busy. However, it is also the dial that sticks to the aviation theme. It mixes the hour markers 3,6 and 9 with the minute markers. It does look like an Explorer I 214270 with Arabic minute markers. But is this what Rolex has to offer? A modified Explorer I?

No. The new Air-King has a fun dial as I mentioned. Other than the mixture of hour and minute markers, the dial features a yellow Rolex crown, green “Rolex” letters and a green second hand. Green is the color of Rolex and this watch has a theme of green. The font of the letters Air-King is full of style as well. The watch has soft-iron case inside which makes the new Air-King anti-magnetic and truly adheres to the aviation theme.

This is quite a comprehensive package for an entry-level Rolex, isn’t it? But how does it compare with the Milgauss and the Explorer I?

First, let’s talk about the Explorer I. At a slightly higher price, you can get a 39mm watch which has very rich history. The dial of the Explorer I is much cleaner and simpler. It is also more classic, if that is the word. However, it lacks the funky elements that exist on the Air-King dial. It has the shock absorber that the new Air-King does not have. However, it is not anti-magnetic like the new Air-King.

How about the 116400GV Milgauss? The Milgauss is famous for its green sapphire crystal and its anti-magnetic capability. It is a very accurate watch. The dial of the Milgauss is not as busy as the new Air-King but it is colorful enough. It has an all polished case and polished center links on the bracelet. On the wrist, the Milgauss looks very sharp and elegant. The shades of green on the sapphire crystal keep bringing you surprises under different lighting.

If you happen to dislike the GV Milgauss, you can pick the white dial version which blends orange with white and looks stunning in the metal.

The price? It is slightly higher than the new Air-King. But I do think that the design elements of the Milgauss seem better than that of the Air-King and that makes the Milgauss my choice among the three contenders here
 
What is your choice?

Divers are always meant to dive. So are these.


Which watch can be more associated to diving than the Rolex Submariner? The Rolex Deepsea. With its capacity to withstand water pressure at 3900m, it is a beast you can rely on when you someday for some reason have to dive into that depth to look for your lost wedding ring. This D-Blue special edition is even better. This watch is to commemorate James Cameron’s dive in his green Deepsea Challenge submarine to the Mariana Trench. It features a D-Blue dial, which is a gradient dial that goes from blue to black to manifest the change of sea water color during a dive.

The watch is water resistant up to 3900m and it has a ceramic bezel with numerals and graduations coated in platinum. Inside beating is a Rolex 3135 movement, Rolex’s most famous workhorse. The case back is made of Grade 5 titanium. At 44mm, this could well be the ultimate dive watch in the world.

But what if the Deep Sea D-Blue is not elegant enough? Try the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver at 42mm. Manufactured by one of the most prestigious watchmaking houses, the Royal Oak Offshore Diver, in both black dial and white dial, in every way demonstrates power, elegance and reliability.

The watch features the brand’s signature octagon bezel with polished edges and polished white gold screws each of which is aligned according to their positions. The screws are parallel to each of their bezel edge. It demonstrates very strict craftsmanship. The inner bezel of the watch is controlled by a crown at 10 o’ clock and it is water resistant to 300m. With its display back, you can see AP’s signature 22k gold engraved rotor and the beautifully finished cal.3210 movement.

The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is a bit different from the AP Diver. Very different actually. Introduced even before the Rolex Submariner, the Fifty Fathoms has a case that is way different from any dive watch. It does not look rugged. Instead, it looks more elegant than any of its counterpart. Thanks to the bezel which is made in sapphire, it is one of the most robust bezel on a dive watch. Not only that, the sapphire bezel adds a lot of shine to the watch as well.

Another distinct feature on the bezel is that every numeral and graduation has Superluminova applied. That definitely makes your dive much safer. At 45mm, this watch is very wearable. Beating inside is a Blancpain in-house Cal 1315 movement that has 120 hours of power reserve.

Thinking 300m is not good enough? What about ten times more? The Hublot King Power Oceangraphic is such beast. It will still work at 4000m depth, just 100m more than the Rolex Deep Sea.

At 48mm, the case is huge and thick. However, as it is made of titanium, it wears on your wrist very much like a 300m diver. According to some additional tests, this watch can go as deep as 5000m.

The case of this watch absolutely looks very rugged. The screws on the bezel may remind you of the AP Diver, although they are not quite the same breed.

Something in the middle,simple and without so much depth rating can be a good daily beater and we have the Panerai 389 Submersible here with us. Panerai has been renowned for making military dive watches for the Italian navy in the Second World War. Their watches are big and bold in a fashionable way. The Submersible series is their best dive watch line.

The Pam389 is water resistant to 1000m and it has a very beautiful sandblasted ceramic bezel. The bezel keeps you from scratches and makes it more care-free when you dive with the watch. The bezel will remind you of the windows of ships that are screwed to the body of the ship. This watch has a date and small seconds display. More to that, the Pam 389 is also anti-magnetic, which is not very commonly seen on a diver. The watch has a three-day power reserve with its in-house P9000 movement. The whole watch is in titanium, which makes diving with it a joy.