Underappreciated watches that deserve our love
They may not be the star of the watchmaker’s show, but sometimes the opening act can be surprising and delightful.
If you ask a watch collector to start naming the different models of a brand, some models will always be named first. Jaeger-LeCoultre would be the Reverso, Rolex would be the Submariner or GMT, and Cartier would be the Tank or Santos. There will always be models that the watchmaker is associated with, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are the best replica watches for you.
Jaeger-LeCoultre started with the Reverso, followed by the Master series. These imitation watches helped keep the company alive during the quartz crisis and earned their place in history. On the other hand, the Polaris is a relative newcomer, launched in 2018. It is a modern sports watch from one of the most respected Swiss watchmakers. The stepped dial goes from a sunburst in the middle to a textured ring housing the hour markers and finishes with a frosted internal diving bezel.
Ten years ago, Grand Seiko was largely unknown outside the world of hard-core collectors. Today, it is one of the best-known and most sought-after watchmakers. The combination of a unique dial design, a polish unmatched in its price range, and a highly regarded in-house movement has helped the company earn the respect of all who have encountered its clone watches.
Even Rolex has some underappreciated models. Aside from the entire Cellini collection, the Milgauss is often the watch that gets overlooked when it comes to buying a crown. The Milgauss is an anti-magnetic watch originally designed for professionals who spend their days in magnetic fields. This feature offers them the opportunity to work despite these conditions, similar to the origins of the OMEGA Railmaster. The modern version of the watch enjoys more freedom in its design than most of Rolex’s offerings. The lightning bolt hands and orange luminous markers always remind me of orange tic-tacs, an interesting departure from Rolex’s more homogeneous offerings. Later models also have a green sapphire crystal, which is specific to Milgauss. For my taste, I agree with the man in charge, Nick Marino, that this is the best Milgauss.