The Milus Archimedes, A Reissue of the 1970s Super Compressor

As the trend for vintage-inspired watches consolidates, brands continue to dig into their archives to find inspiration and breathe new life into past models. Milus, a brand with over 100 years of history and recently revived has some rich background in field watches and divers’ instruments. Following the Snow Star, the brand also reissues one of its most famous models, the 1970s Super Compressor dive watch, with the new and objectively cool Archimedes by Milus.

Historical Background

The name Archimedes naturally refers to the ancient Greek mathematician, physicist and inventor, Archimedes of Syracuse, often considered the greatest mathematician of antiquity and famous for the Archimedes’ principle (the forces exerted on a body immersed in a fluid).

This name has been used by Milus to label dive watches since the 1960s, in particular, the 666, a reference to its water-resistance of up to 666 feet. In the 1970s, the Archimedes was equipped with the famous water-resistant Super Compressor cases by Ervin Piquerez SA, with its unique spring-loaded sealing caseback. Ervin Piquerez’s most famous cases had dual crowns, one to wind the movement and set the time (and date if any), the other to operate the internal rotating bezel. This unique look was used across many brands, including Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, Hamilton or Bulova.

The modern Recreation, the ArchimEdes by Milus

The modern reincarnation of the Milus Archimedes comes in a 316L stainless steel case, which is 41mm in diameter and that is rated water-resistant up to 300m or 30 ATM. The two crowns and the caseback are screwed to guarantee the water-resistance. The case is nicely executed, with alternating brushed surfaces and polished accents. The case is topped by a highly domed sapphire crystal that reinforces the vintage appeal of this watch. It has all the elements of a true Super Compressor watch, including the twin crowns, with the one on top used to rotate the internal diving bezel. It also makes a few concessions to modernity and safety, as the Archimedes features a discreet helium escape valve in the caseband at 9 o’clock.

The Archimedes by Milus is a watch that combines vintage elements with more modern trends, especially on the dial side. It comes with a granulated surface and a gradient colour scheme – darker on the edges. The watch comes in two versions: black with beige indexes or blue with white indexes. All the markings are executed in Super-LumiNova for accurate timekeeping in all conditions. These are paired with luminescent “broad arrow” hour and minute hands and a lollipop seconds hand.

The Archimedes by Milus is powered by the tried-and-tested automatic ETA 2892-A2 (top grade) with indication of the hours, minutes, seconds and date. Running at 28,800 vibrations per hour, its power reserve is of 42 hours when fully wound.

The watch is paired with a brown distressed leather strap (for the black edition) or a blue textile strap (for the blue edition), secured by a steel pin buckle. On the wrist, the Archimedes by Milus has some presence due to the large opening of the dial and the almost non-existent bezel, yet it wears comfortably thanks to ergonomic lugs.

Price and Availability

The Archimedes by Milus offers a well-executed take of the Super Compressor dive watch. If you are ready for its 1960s/1970s vibes, the watch retails for CHF 1,919.

Last but not least, as mentioned in our recent article about the Snow Star, Milus is currently running a launch offer. You can get a 20% discount using the code “Milus20” when buying online on the brand’s website – code valid on all of the brand’s watches until 31 March 2020 plus Milus will pay for taxes, duties and shipment.

For more information or online orders, visit www.milus.com.