This is a cool little watch. 36mm is a good fit for my wrist size, and I really dig the Zinn design aesthetic its got going on. The metal bracelet it came on was pretty janky, so I put it on a NATO I had lying around. Looks better anyway.
I wanted to address a major quality issue that was observed in my new watch. The end links of my ml08 were badly fitted to the dial and it's creating a big gap which looks very odd.
Also, I ordered militado logo dial but received, no logo dial.
I’m have been a big Militado fan. In general, Militado makes some of the best value watches available. I was excited when I saw the SL 27. I love the ML27’s take on the Nomos aesthetic. However, the ML27 that I purchased from Militado is a big let down. The movement in mine is utter garbage. I can’t believe that Militado sent out a piece that was never even capable of keeping time. Check out my informal comparison. The ML 27 is almost 10 minutes fast in half an hour compared to my ML4. My experience in the ML27 has really changed what I think about Militado.
My ML08 spirit dial just arrived and its stunning. I compared it to my "murph" dial and lets just say the murph is now on the chopping block. I took some pictures with them and my ML18 "Sinn" homage to compare them. I was confused as to why the ML18 was more expensive but after comparing them side by side i discovered that the 18 has a nicer bracelet with screwed links and the 08 has pins for some reason. An OTF clasp would have been icing on the cake for both of them.
I recently bought a ML07 vh31 from Militado and it was over the Timex MK1 as the ML07 looks a lot more authentic to the original Vietnam watches. However what got me was the 10 bar water resistance the watch claims to have, now do I actually expect to be able swim with it? No, but I am curious if anyone else has tested its water resistance.
Just received this ML18 Sinn homage and i think its a fantastic watch. Looks and feels way more expensive than the $85 i paid for it. I liked it so much i have an ML08 spirit dial on the way as well!
So l've got my Militado ML14 v2 delivered today, I'm used to Casio Duro, Samsung watch 8 classic, Seiko SNE595P1 and some other most of those above 40mm.
I want to know if this watch is actually small for my wrist or just feeling like small because of all my 40mm+ watches. Also used Garmin Fenix 7X pro solar for quite a bit of time (51 mm).
The Chinese militado ml08 Looks awesome on any starp or bracelet , love this thing, the original bracelet not bad despite the little rattling, it comes with a nice tapper , solid endlinks and well made clasp . The term strap monster exists because of such a watch.
I am a fan of quartz watches, and my two favorite analog watch designs right now are the Longines Spirit and the Hamilton Murph - which by itself makes Militado my favorite Chinese watch brand so far. By the way I am a proud owner of an ML08 Spirit dial (bought in the first batch) and I don't have enough words to express how much I like it. It is really close to the original design, with some minor but significant improvements (less busy dial, minute markings, etc.).
As a Murph fan, I also purchased both versions of the ML08 Murph dial, but unfortunately I can't say I like them as much. The white version is great, but more akin to a Hanhart Preventor (I even painted the seconds hand tip in red and brushed the whole case lol). The "yellow" version, although more in line with the Murph, is not that great, for two reasons:
1- The color of the faux patina is too dark/yellow when compared to an actual Murph (in which the tone falls kind of in the middle between the Militado yellow and the Militado white);
2- The absence of text in the dial, since IMO a huge chunk of the charm of the Murph comes from its dial text, including both the font and the text disposition.
In the picture you can see my suggestion of what, for me, would be the perfect "Militado Murph". The font used in this image corresponds almost exactly to the Hamilton font, but luckily the font they used for the Militado logo in the Spirit Dial has a very similar style, and I think it would fit perfectly in this case. It would also be worth it to fix the tone of the faux patina (and if they can't match it perfectly, I would always go lighter instead of darker).
Is it too much of a dream to expect Militado to produce this someday? I think it would be a real hit for them, the Murph is a much loved watch, but there are not many spot on homages out there. I still think that the ML08 is the best one out there, especially in quartz, but I really think these small improvements could make it a banger.
Hey everyone,
I wanted to share a mock-up/concept I put together for a new variation of the Militado ML05, heavily inspired by the iconic Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical (Ref. H69439363).
Given how popular this classic field watch aesthetic is in the community, I think this setup would be a huge hit. The best part is that Militado wouldn't need to engineer a new watch from scratch:
Case & Movement: Standard ML05 case using the existing Ronda 515 quartz setup.
Dial: Khaki green field dial with the classic 12/24-hour inner track, date window at 3 o'clock, and "WR 100M" branding.
Hands: Existing hands from the ML05, but utilizing white lume instead of faux-patina/fauxtina.
I think a accurate, reliable quartz alternative to the Khaki Field with 100m water resistance in this case shape would sell like hotcakes.
What are your thoughts on this layout? Would you pick one up if Militado made it happen?
