A couple of years ago, Jan Edöcs, the CEO of Milus, told Europa Star (2/2005) that he was redefining luxury into what he calls “True luxury”. He stated then what he meant by the phrase, “What I call ‘true luxury’ is a manner of creating, a way of feeling. It is not only about money, about the value of the piece. It is a much more personal relationship with the object, a more sensual relationship. Milus does not claim to please everyone. Our goal is to create a special atmosphere, a warm and unique atmosphere.”
Two years later, the Milus brand has spread its wings around the world and, in particular, to the United States market, one of the most difficult, but one of the most rewarding if correctly conquered.
To achieve this level of success since 2003, Milus has constantly sought to be luxuriously different inasmuch it has created watches that are eye-catching and harmonious in design, superbly crafted by its watchmakers and fascinating from the horological point of view.


Skeletons in the cupboard
Last year, Milus produced the Herios Triretrograde Seconds Skeleton for men, a strikingly handsome watch. This year, as the ladies become more and more interested in mechanical watches, the brand will launch at BaselWorld the Merea ‘TriRetrograde Seconds Skeleton’ for ladies (35.8 x 36.8 mm), which is not only mechanical, but also shows the ladies what makes a watch tick via both the dial and the sapphire crystal window in the caseback.
Through the gently curved sapphire crystal the original three-layer dial is clearly seen with its metal coating on which a layer of mother-of-pearl ricochets a superb kaleidoscope of colour. The third layer, the filigree, has numerals reminiscent of Art Nouveau styling.
The tri-retrograde-function display of the three silver-coloured seconds hands jump back in turn after 20 seconds to perform a graceful snap back in front of the mother-of-pearl seconds display segments. Positioned at 6, 10 and 2 o’clock, the seconds hands work in ‘flying relay’ clockwise. Two hand-engraved supporting elements set them off to their best advantage and accentuate this fascinating mechanical display. The first hand, positioned near 6 o'clock, jumps instantly back to the right to its starting position after 20 seconds. Going clockwise, the next seconds hand at 10 o’clock followed by the third at 2 o’clock pursue the same task offering a continuous precision dance performed by the seconds hands.




Merea ‘TriRetrograde Seconds Skeleton’


To complete the tri-retrograde seconds timing, an automatic Swiss mechanical movement with an exclusive Milus 2828 module has been added. This impressive ladies’ watch also shows its complex movement through the round sapphire crystal window in the screw-down caseback. A white alligator leather strap sets off the elegant appearance of the watch. This model, which is water-resistant to 30 metres, is also available in 18 carat red or white gold.

… and for the men
Maintaining its impetus into the mechanical watch world, Milus also introduces the Zetios Chronograph. The 18 carat red gold watch (45 mm) has a flattened bezel and a protected crown flanked by the two chronograph pushbuttons. There is a clear readable dial with a central Clous de Paris section that contrasts with the rest of the dial but highlights the counters. The electro-plated dial is available in black, blue or silvered-coloured versions with a large black on white aperture for the date.




Zetios Chronograph


The watch is equipped with a Swiss mechanical automatic movement and is water-resistant to 30 metres. The hour, minutes and counter hands are partially coated with SuperLuminova for clearer visibility, and the watch is also available in stainless steel or 18 carat white gold and comes with a black or brown alligator leather strap.

“In 2007 we are proudly launching products that we have been working on for more than two years,” Jan Edöcs explains. “We succeeded in combining the contents of the movement mechanism within the topic of ladies’ watches in the TriRetrograde model. We have given our utmost priority to avoid working with so called kitsch decorative elements for this ladies watch and have clearly focused on redesigning the mechanical aspects. It was not our main concern to strictly separate the ladies from the men’s watches, but to link certain aspects in a way that would unite the mechanical, decorative and design aspects. Another considerable achievement was to ensure that the essential character traits of Milus products are clearly recognisable and clearly reflect our brand image and statement.
“Last autumn Milus successfully entered into the US market. During the last three years we have established ourselves in the major markets, but our goal to now focus on a clear strategy within those markets and to develop them further rather than accepting to open up another twenty additional markets. Beside the further penetration in existing markets we foresee the opening of an additional three new markets staying within the list of the top fifteen export markets of the Swiss high-end watch industry.
“Our expanding business really compensates for the effort we’ve made over the past three years, but at the same time, we crave for much more!”


Source: Europa Star April-May 2007 Magazine Issue