A few questions

[Noel]

Not been on here for ages but now just spent two solid days surfing. Wasn't intenting to, but now think I'm going to have to expand my collection.

I am strangely fascinated by the Milgauss GV. I really need to get down an AD to have a proper look. Worried that the green tint will look gimmicky after a while but love the green/blue lume. However, green sapphire crystal sounds difficult to rep well. Are the green reps any good or would I be safer sticking to plain crystal? I've read the reviews but little specifically about this although I recall one member saying his 'green' had a simply been coated and was now peeling off. The versions I'm looking at appear okay in photos but can anyone confirm.

Gen Rolexes now have a feature called 'Easylink' that can extend the bracelet by 5mm. Do any dealers have these bracelets?

Should I chose the Asian 3131 rolex clone or Swiss ETA. Frankly, I will never take the back off unless it goes wrong. Is the 3131 worth the extra?

I am also considering a new GMT Master II Ceramic. Again I have seen comment on the quality of the rep ceramic but nothing conclusive as to how scratch resistant it is or whether it is really ceramic at all. The gen ceramic is apparently almost impossible to scratch.

Finally, I am also considering a DSSD. All reviews seem good and don't think I can go too far wrong. Interestingly the gen also has a new (to me at least) bracelet with something called 'Glidelock'. Not seen that on any dealer site.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Happy collecting,

Noel

[Noel]

Apologies. I was spelling Glidelock wrongly (a typo) in my search and have now found versions with this feature. Dealer I was loking at was not making a big thing of it.

[lanikai]

The Ultimate DSSD has the Glidelock.. which I did not review.. but the version in this review Here has a very good "glidelock" feature replicated to the genuine.. the V-3 was poorly done.. ironically the V1 was the best until this latest and best version.. IMO..

The clone movements (to my surprise) feel well made through the crown.. I like the feel of the gears.. unlike past Asain clones the Rolex clones in my Milgauss and Day~Date and finally my DSSD are keeping time with my genuine and service eta movement.. very nice .. as I said .. to my surprise.. my main concern is the time keeping no the aesthetics of the movement.

I too thought the Milgauss was a "gimmicky" watch .. and was not attracted to it for sometime.. but I msut say .. I love mine.. the quality of the rep and the green sapphire which is AR'd and not "tinted" is superb.. instead of the blue hue it has a very strong grenn hue at different angles .. yet when in the sunlight or when your viewing the dial straight on it is very clear.

some say the rep AR is better than the genuine .. and the rep has the 316F steel.. brighter than the old 316L of past reps.. looks like the genuine steel on the DSSD and the Milgauss..

here are some pics.. I have a pictorial of the Milgauss in the rollie section also.

hope that helps in your decisions..

AC/Lani

[Member X]

Thanks for the pics and advice, Lani

Is that one the one that has recently come onto the market at a very reasonable price (under $200?)

I've always been tempted by this and if it's got the swiss movement AND the new, lighter coloured steel, it's making it hard to resist!

[Noel]

Thanks Lani,

Pretty sure now I'll be getting one. The version I was looking at is $298 with Asian 3131 and $258 with Swiss, both from Trustytime. More than I've ever paid for a rep before so would be good if there really is a good version for less than $200.

Cheers

Noel

[Toadtorrent]

Hi Noel...and welcome aboard. There are really good versions available for less (around $100 USD mark)...but they will have a cheaper Asian 21j movement (like a DG2813)which is generally reliable but feels cheap on the crown (i.e. winding, time setting, and date setting), and can't be serviced if it breaks so a replacement is necessary (at about $12-20 for the movement + labour). The Swiss movement will be serviceable and maintainable with parts readily available if they need repair.

The Rolex clone version has a movement that looks closer to a gen movement which Lani has said is not really the issue, but more that it feels like the gen (not cheap) and seems to have good performance. Others elsewhere have noted serviceability may be an issue as no parts will likely be available for this movement. BUT, it's main strength is that the steel used in this more expensive version is higher grade and matches closer to the gen (but 99% of the population will NOT be able to tell the difference without an immediate, side-by-side comparison), and have improvements (e.g. bracelet clasp, general finish, lume, etc).

Hope this helps.