Rolex

Echi
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I share the same thoughts. Of course, I’m biased but setting that aside..

I’m a big fan of “balance” but is there such a thing as being too balanced? I find the single 5 to be an aid in legibility. Having a bit of dyslexia in me, I can easily misread that for a 50 even if the position is clearly at 1:00. With the double digit 5, all the numbers just become “texture”. I like the break that a single 5 gives in a ring of double digits.

I’m on the fence with the lumed 3-6-9. It works on the explorer because the other hour markers are plain stick indices. Similarly, with the gold 3-6-9, it breaks up the potential hypnosis of seeing same numbers. Having said that, i love lume. Why i’m on the fence. And, yes, putting lume on all the numbers would have been really fun.

Crown guards, yep, not with the AK. And i hope they don’t put that on the milgauss!

Then there’s the case shape. I like that the old one share a bit of elegance with the datejust and ym cases. Svelte vs. being an out-and-out tool.. so curvy if a bit chunky although i find the 13mm height to be part of the charm just short of crossing the line to becoming an unwieldy datejust II case. It just works with that clustered dial a la Seiko MM300 if one likes that aesthetic.

Lastly, the dial of the new one, while not apparent, is supposed to be 0.8mm bigger. I guess it makes the dial breathe a bit but probably affects the width of the bezel. And I like how the smooth bezel of the old one is well proportioned to the other elements of the dial and case. I should say that the new one works as well. I’m guessing the probably thinner bezel would match the thinner case.

As with all works of “art”, it is interesting to note that early pieces usually embody a sense of inspiration and excitement that only a “first” can bring. It doesn’t mean that succeeding ones suck. Not at all. But a “first”, as imperfect as it may be, carries with it a certain spirit. In the case of the 116900, it’s a certain spirit of creative rebellion a la Milgauss GV. So, yeah, that oddball charm is gone. Out with the old, in with the new. I’ll probably accept the new one at some point like how I have recently warmed up to the black dial exp2 (not the polar, i still prefer the 5 digit predecessor).

One plus thing about this new iteration is that it makes for a distinct transition from “mk1” to “mk2” unlike what they did with the exp2 release a year or 2 ago.

I’m sure the new ones will have its fans and that’s a good thing. But I’m quite happy with my old one

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