The Rolex Milgauss reference 116400 watch is a modern classic. Sporty and historic, this popular Rolex timepiece today serves as the slightly avant-garde, casual-to-dress watch evoking good taste, a focus on performance, and of course, a high station in life to the owner who is wearing it. aBlogtoWatch previously reviewed the Rolex Milgauss 116400GV here. This review, however, is for something a little bit different. This is a Rolex Milgauss which has been fully engraved in America under the MadeWorn label – so, in a sense, this is a review of a customized Rolex Milgauss watch.
The fact that this timepiece is aftermarket-engraved immediately factionalizes watch lovers: on one side are those who see the modification of any Rolex as being sacrilegious, and on the other side are those who see this as a way of taking something extremely popular yet ordinary and making it a lot more exclusive and unique. You know what? They are both right.Buying a customized Cheap Rolex Replica does not come without risk, but there are also rewards. First, for the most part, you invalidate any remaining Rolex warranty, and you also greatly risk inhibiting future resale value. Of course, that latter element really depends on the customization. Most customized Rolex watches today fall into two camps. One is aftermarket diamond or jewelry setting, and the second is color or design changes to the Rolex case and dial. This is where something like a Bamford Watch Department or Project X Rolex watch comes in.
This MadeWorn customized Rolex Milgauss is different, making it among the less-common types of customized Rolex watches. Aftermarket Cheap Rolex case engraving is out there, but it is rare – and one of the major reasons for that is that there simply aren’t too many engravers who can do this type of work satisfactorily. If anyone knows this fact, it is MadeWorn founder Blaine Halvorson, who began the brand after selling his company JunkFood Clothing several years ago. Halvorson now runs MadeWorn out of its private studio and appointment-only retail space in West Hollywood – where, among other things, he continues to personally make shoes and clothing by hand.
One of the most interesting parts of the MadeWorn brand is the very literal meaning of their name in what much of their work entails. If you recall a decade or so ago there was a big to-do in the fashion world about artificially aged clothing such as t-shirts and jeans, where fashionistas would pay premiums for new items of clothing meant to look old but that were actually new. Why pay extra for someone tearing your jeans? Well, there is actually a good reason. Blaine and his crew have utterly perfected the art of making new things look old. This doesn’t just apply to clothing, but to other things such as books and household items. The brand makes a range of things from knives to bags, all with the Rolex Replica Watches brand signature look which seems to blend classic masculinity with American vintage nostalgia. This makes sense for a guy covered in tattoos originally from Bozeman, Montana, who, despite his success and fanatical following, continues to get his hands dirty on a daily basis.
While MadeWorn specializes in making new things look old, that obviously isn’t his tactic with watch customization. Instead, his tactic is to give these Rolex and other watches some “old character,” allowing them to exist in the world of high-quality tools men used to covet, such as their hunting equipment. There are lots of collectors out there who enjoy timepieces along with knives and guns – so this fits right into that mentality. In some ways, this MadeWorn-engraved Rolex Milgauss 116400 is Blaine’s vision of what the timepiece would look like if it was made 150 years ago.
With a simple polished bezel, Rolex removes a lot of the lifestyle element, making the Rolex Milgauss one of the most humble watches they make that, nevertheless, has a great personality. Inside the Rolex Milgauss 116400 is the in-house-made Rolex caliber 3131 automatic movement which is shielded by an iron core in order to prevent it from being effected negatively by magnetism. The simple three-hand automatic makes for a great daily wear, and the 40mm-wide size makes the Rolex Milgauss 116400 really versatile.
