Time To Watches: Milus

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Real Time Show – "Time To Watches: Milus"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Real Time Show
• Hosts: Rob Nudds & Alon Ben Joseph
• Episode: Time To Watches: Milus
• Release Date: May 20, 2025
• Description: Real questions. Real Answers. Real talk. The world's most interactive watchmaking podcast, hosted by Rob Nudds and Alon Ben Joseph.

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Introduction

In the episode titled "Time To Watches: Milus," hosts Rob Nudds and Alon Ben Joseph delve into the rich history and innovative offerings of Milus, a venerable watchmaking brand. Filmed at the glass igloo front of Vassar Saint during Time To Watches 2025, the episode features an engaging conversation with Katja, a representative from Milus, who provides in-depth insights into the brand's heritage, current collections, and future directions.

Brand Pronunciation and Philosophy

Rob Nudds opens the discussion by addressing a common debate about the pronunciation of "Milus."

• Rob (00:00-00:50): “We had a debate if it's Milus or Milus, so we'll ask Katja herself.”

Katja clarifies:

• Katja (00:45-00:50): “We pronounce it Milos in English and we pronounce it Milus in French.”

This dual pronunciation strategy highlights Milus's international presence and adaptability in diverse markets.

Snowstorm Collection: Inspiration and Features

Katja introduces the Snowstorm Collection, inspired by a historical barter kit used by American pilots during the Pacific Wars of the 1940s.

• Katja (01:19-02:36): “The Snowstorm collection is inspired by a live barter kit that the American army procured for their pilots participating in the Pacific wars. The barter kit contained a Milus watch and a few items in 14 karat gold...”

This collection not only pays homage to a significant historical event—the Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Pacific War—but also integrates functionality and craftsmanship.

Rob expresses admiration for the story:

• Rob (02:36-02:39): “How amazing is this story?”

Alon Ben Joseph adds enthusiasm:

• Alon (02:37-02:39): “It's really cool. I love it.”

Packaging and Included Goodies

The hosts examine the meticulously crafted backlight box, reminiscent of a vintage cigar case, which contains the Snowstorm kit.

• Rob (04:05-04:14): “So I have in my hands a backlight box in the size of a cigar case from back in the day.”

Inside, the kit includes the Snow Star watch, a NATO-style strap, two pink gold earrings, a gold locket hanger shaped like a heart, and gourmet gold links.

• Katja (04:14-05:16): “...there's no place to put the bracelet because the box had to be small and it was fitting, in fact in the pocket of the jacket of the pilot...”

The thoughtful packaging underscores Milus's commitment to quality and historical fidelity.

History of Milus Watches

Katja provides a comprehensive overview of Milus's storied history, emphasizing its century-long legacy.

• Katja (07:31-09:00): “Meyers is a 106-year-old company... created in 1919 by the family Junot... changed hands in 2017 when Mr. Luc Tissot from the Tissot family decided to take over the company and in a way bring it back to Swiss hands.”

This revival under the Tissot family's stewardship marks a new chapter, allowing Milus to leverage its rich heritage while innovating for the future.

Current Collections and Product Lines

Snowstar Collection:

• Inspired by military history, combining the Snowstorm watch with a Swiss knife by Swiza in the Midway special editions.

Achivement Diver Collection:

• Katja introduces the Achivement Diver Collection, a nod to Milus's active history in diver watches during the 60s and 70s.
• Katja (09:50-10:24): “...the Diver collection we have a new model which is the Diver. But we including the world time function... It’s a compressor style.”

The collection features twin crowns, internal rotating bezels, and refined dial finishes, blending classic diver aesthetics with modern functionality.

Market Presence and Distribution

Milus has strategically expanded its global footprint, particularly excelling in the United States and leveraging e-commerce platforms to reach a broader audience.

• Katja (09:00-09:34): “Well, in the United States, definitely... we are developing now the German market very nicely. France, Italy and in Asia we are present in India.”

In India, Milus collaborates with Titan, a prominent retailer, to distribute its watches, ensuring accessibility in key markets.

Future Plans and Innovations

Looking ahead, Milus is poised to introduce a chronograph model and explore advanced complications.

• Katja (10:38-11:10): “We will for sure also develop a chronograph model... Myles has also complications with dedicated movements. One of them was the tri retrograde movement...”

These innovations reflect Milus's dedication to maintaining its competitive edge through technical advancements.

Feedback from Time To Watches Fair

The reception at the Time To Watches Fair has been overwhelmingly positive, with stakeholders noting that the perceived value of Milus products surpasses their price points.

• Katja (12:17-12:26): “The perceived value of our product is higher than the price.”

Pricing details:

• Snowstorm Collection: CHF 1,800 - CHF 2,000 for the kit; CHF 2,300 - CHF 2,500 for special editions with the knife.
• Achivement Line: CHF 2,000 - CHF 2,400.

Hosts’ Personal Impressions and Conclusion

Alon Ben Joseph lauds the quality and design of Milus watches, emphasizing their superior machining and finishing.

• Alon (05:16-06:01): “...the delicate touches of the plating or the color choices... Milus makes a really good product and I don't think enough people know about that.”

Sam highlights the exceptional build quality and the seamless integration of Milus products into daily wear.

• Sam (23:13-20:43): “Every time I hold a Milus watch in my hands... they just work and they just fit. And especially some of the special editions they were doing, like, the all black Snow Star is absolutely wicked in real life.”

Rob Nudds expresses personal admiration and excitement for Milus's offerings and the brand's future.

• Rob (14:12-22:53): “...congratulations. I'm in love... And the moral of the story is don't count the family business... Kudos to Miles. Keep up the good work.”

Notable Quotes

• Katja (01:19): “...in case of a forced landing, the pilot could use the Milus watch and the gold items as a bartering item to procure food or to find his way or eventually to save his life.”

• Alon (06:01): “Milos makes a really good product and I don't think enough people know about that.”

• Sam (20:43): “...when you get them in hand, you can just feel the machining quality and that the attention has been paid to the right parts of watch design and watch construction.”

• Rob (12:47): “...the perceived value of our product is higher than the price.”

Conclusion

The "Time To Watches: Milus" episode offers a comprehensive exploration of Milus's dedication to craftsmanship, historical homage, and innovative product development. Through engaging dialogue and firsthand experiences, hosts Rob Nudds and Alon Ben Joseph shed light on why Milus stands out in the competitive watchmaking industry. For enthusiasts and newcomers alike, this episode underscores Milus's commitment to quality, heritage, and future-forward design.

Transcript

[Sam]

Foreign.

[Rob]

Watch fans and welcome to another edition of the Real Time show. We're here today still in the glass igloo front of Vassar Saint at time to watches 2025. I'm your friendly neighborhood jeweler, together with my friendly neighborhood watchmaker who's actually sitting next to me, so I don't need to ask where he is in the world today. Oh, I'm very pleased to have in front of me Katja of the brand that I actually love because I wear your cufflinks on a regular basis. We had a debate if it's Milus or Milus, so we'll ask Katja herself. Welcome, Katja.

[Katja]

Thank you.

[Rob]

So how do you guys pronounce the brand?

[Katja]

We pronounce it Milos in English and we pronounce it Milus in French.

[Rob]

Okay, thank you for that. It's good dual strategy.

[Alon]

Yeah, it's a nice name. It's a short name, five letters, always good. Great logo, easy to understand. You've brought along some little treats for us to see today, Katja. There's a box of goodies in front of us with impeccable presentation, as is something that you will notice with my ils if you ever order one of their pieces. The packaging is superb and the watches always come with extraneous goodies that tell us a story a little bit deeper than just the watch itself. So could you explain to us what you've brought along?

[Katja]

Yeah, with pleasure. Well, we have here the Snowstorm collection. This collection is inspired by a live barter kit that the American army procured for their pilots participating in the Pacific wars. The barter kit contained a miler's watch and a few items in 14 karat gold. So in case of a forced landing, the pilot could use the Mirel's watch and the gold items as a bartering item to procure food or to find his way or eventually to save his life. This barter kit is part of the Snowstar collection. And as the original watch was called Snowstar, our collection is still called Snowstar in 2025. We are making two special editions of this collection which we have called Midway special editions. And the two kits will in fact have the Snow Star watch and a Swiss knife produced by the company Swiza. We are combining in these special kits the know how of 200 years old companies both for Milos and for Suiza.

[Rob]

How amazing is this story?

[Alon]

It's really cool. I love it.

[Rob]

What year are we talking about? So Pacific wars are what, 70s?

[Katja]

No, the Pacific wars was in the 40s. In fact, it was the war between Japan led by the United States. And that's why, in fact, we call the editions Midway special editions, because Midway was a battle where, in fact, which was the turning point of the Pacific, of the Pacific war.

[Rob]

So how did Miles get to be a supplier? Because back then they would also could have opted for American watches.

[Katja]

Well, we don't know actually. And frankly speaking, milers didn't know until the 80s because the company, the US Navy, procured the watches. Then they did these live markets, but this information was secret. And in the 80s they declassified and made an auction sale of few remaining pieces. There were articles that appeared in the press, in the American press. And this is how the public understood this, I think amazing story. And also this is how Milos understood. But what we know for sure is that even at the time the American army considered that the Milos watch is of real value. So it could be easily exchanged, you know, it could be easily bartered for, against. Against whatever the pilot could, could have needed. So it's a, for us, it's a pride to, to have been chosen for this live barter kit.

[Rob]

Is this a backlight box I'm holding in my hands?

[Katja]

Yes.

[Rob]

So I have in my hands a backlight box in the size of a cigar case from back in the day.

[Katja]

Yes.

[Rob]

With six compartments. We have, of course in the middle, the watch without a strap, a rolled up, well, NATO ish strap, two pink earrings in gold, a gold locket hanger in the shape of an heart, and a few gourmet links made of gold. This is amazing. Could it be that back in the day a distributor of Milos had the watches, the heads, no straps, and they simply sold it to the mod or back then. Yeah. Department of Defense.

[Katja]

Yes.

[Rob]

And that's why you guys didn't know about it? Yes.

[Katja]

It could have been. It could have been. Then my understanding for not having a proper bracelet inside the box is that there's no place to put the bracelet because the box had to be small and it was fitting, in fact in the pocket of the jacket of the pilot. But anyway, if they had to exchange the watch, then they could use the NATO strap. Yeah.

[Alon]

Every time I hold a Milas watch in my hands, and this isn't the first time at all because we worked together back in 2020 and that was the first time I saw the Snow Star collection. I am amazed at the quality. You know, it's very difficult sometimes to tell from press releases or from online imagery how one watch that looks similar to another watch can be so superior. Just through its machining or its finishing, the delicate touches of the plating or the color choices, for example, or the sharpness of the applied indices. Milos makes a really good product and I don't think enough people know about that. What is your strategy to get the watches into people's hands so that they can see and really feel for themselves exactly what kind of quality you're working with?

[Katja]

Yeah. Thank you. Well, when we launched this collection, we were fully in the COVID period in 2020, like you mentioned, and we focused on our E platform in our website, which we developed, I think, nicely. And after the COVID period, of course, we are now looking in increasing our distribution channels and making our watches more known to the public.

[Alon]

I've got the knife in my hands here. This is a piece of kit. Sweezer.

[Katja]

Sweezer.

[Alon]

Sweezer Swiz A. If anybody doesn't know this, this is a Swiss made blade. It is a. It's hefty, it's beautifully engraved. It's got an ergonomic handle with a leather insert. It feels nice Milus engraving on there. This is a.

[Sam]

This is a tasty little.

[Rob]

I've been playing around with it for five minutes. I love, yeah, knives, pocket knives, obviously, Swiss army knives. And I had to look for how to fold back the main blade, but actually has a push mechanism. So for those that are into it, definitely check it out. If you're not familiar with Milos, Dear Katja, I kind of lost track because I think in the last decade or so it changed hands a few times. So maybe if you can, a quick history lesson.

[Katja]

Yeah. Well, Meyers is a 106-year-old company. It was created in 1919 by the family Junot. This is a family of watchmakers from Bil Bien. And the company stayed in the hands of three generations of this family. And during these 80 periods of development, they did very nice accomplishments both in men's and ladies watches. One of the pieces is the live barter kit that we just spoke. Then in the 90s, Milers, very nice developments in the quartz watches. And for example, they did a collaboration with the MoMA Museum in New York for special edition. Then in the early 2000 years, 2000, the company, like you said, changed hands and the company stayed Swiss, always in Vienna. But then the shareholders were foreign. And in 2017, Mr. Luc Tissot from the Tissot family decided to take over the company and in a way bring it back to Swiss hands. So this is the moment where we in fact started dealing with the company and we Reviewed the history, we reviewed the archives and this is the basis of our new collection.

[Alon]

Where do you find most interest commercially in the Milas product. In what part of the world does the brand succeed?

[Katja]

Well, in the United States, definitely. Especially with this North Star collection which has an American story. Then in terms also of E commerce, the American customers are very easy to buy online. Then we are developing now the German market very nicely. France, Italy and in Asia we are present in India.

[Alon]

Okay, who's stocking you in India? Sorry, which retailers do you work with?

[Katja]

Titan.

[Alon]

Titan, okay. That's very interesting. And in terms of other models outside of the Snowstar line, what can people expect to see from Milos?

[Katja]

Well, we have another line which is also historically inspired. It is our Diver Diver collection. The diver collection is called Achiment by Milos. And Miles has been very active in diver watches in the 60s and in the 70s, including the super compressor watch from these years. And in this collection, in the Diver collection we have a new model which is the Diver. But we including the world time function.

[Alon]

Is it still a true compressor or is it a compressor style?

[Katja]

It's a compressor style.

[Alon]

Okay, so we've got the twin crowns at 2 and 4 correct, internal rotating bezels, some very nice dial finishes there as well. What can we expect to see from Alice in the future as you move forward and expand into more markets around. Around the world?

[Katja]

Well, we will for sure also develop a chronograph model. This is already in a study. And in terms of development in the middle, in more far future, Myles has also complications with dedicated movements. One of them was the tri retrograde movement. And we are also thinking of how we can represent this movement in a more modern way.

[Alon]

How are you finding the time to watch this event? Has it been a success for you so far?

[Katja]

Yes, definitely, definitely. We like the place and I think the place also contributed a lot to the increase of the. Of the. Of the visitors which I. Which I. Which I notice. And it is also very interactive, very well organized also. And both these elements help really to have meetings in contacts of quality.

[Alon]

What were your goals when you came here? Did you want to meet new retail contacts, new end consumers, new media partners? What was your aim?

[Katja]

I would say the three.

[Alon]

All three.

[Katja]

I would say the all three because they all contribute to have the company being known and also to prepare the promotion and all these aspects are very important for Watch for Watch brand.

[Alon]

So on those three fronts on retail, media and consumer, what's the feedback you've received on the product? Because obviously all three look at it slightly differently. Some look more price focused, some more quality focused, some more innovation focused.

[Sam]

What have you heard?

[Katja]

Well, I think the three combined in saying that the perceived value of our product is higher than the price.

[Alon]

And what is the price?

[Katja]

The price of the Snowstorm collection is between 1800 and 2000 Swiss francs for the kit. For the special editions with the knife, we are to 2,300 to 2500 Swiss francs. And in the Archimet line, we are between 2000 and 2400 Swiss francs.

[Alon]

Okay, so I'm just going to try and spell the name of the diver for our listeners. It's A R, C, H, I, M, I, D, E. Yeah, Bullseye. Okay, catch you. Thank you very much for your time. Really appreciate you bringing this stuff to show us. It's incredible. That knife, by the way, if anyone's wondering, is worth the premium you have to pay for it. It's an absolute beast of a tool.

[Rob]

I need me one because I took out the black one.

[Alon]

Yeah, I missed that.

[Rob]

That has a wooden inlay.

[Alon]

That's cool.

[Rob]

It's fully satinated. Katya, congratulations. I'm in love.

[Katja]

Thank you. Thank you for your time.

[Alon]

Thank you also. Yeah, I wish you the best for the rest of the fair.

[Katja]

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

[Sam]

It's always fun to spend time with Milos or Milos watches, because when you get them in hand, you can just feel the machining quality and that the attention has been paid to the right parts of watch design and watch construction. I say this often, and I mean it every time I say it. You have to see him in real life to really get it, because otherwise, the one drawback from my list is that they are so, well, what could we say? Versatile or work a day that online you'd never pick them out of a crowd, but on the wrist, they just work and they just fit. And especially some of the special editions they were doing, like, the all black Snow Star is absolutely wicked in real life. What did you make of the product in hand? Alon.

[Rob]

This is very high on my list of favorites for the whole week. Not just time to watches, but the actual week. And that was twofold. Not only because I was very impressed with what Milas or Milas does today, because this brand has gone through several hands today. And Katya, the new owner of Millis, is a very elegant and very charming lady. And although she was very modest, we discovered she's actually part of the Tissot family. And I don't mean Tissot nowadays. The brand that's owned by the Swatch Group, but the actual Tissot family that is synonymous to Le Locle, the city in Switzerland. And the second part of why I was so impressed they relaunched the Millis watch that is an actual tribute to the life barter kit made for us pilots. And what does it mean? Well, the word says it all. This was a Bakelite box made by the U.S. army or the Air Force for the pilots to put inside their pocket, their breast pocket of their jackets that in case they crash or use their ejection seat and get well caught or running behind enemy lines for their lives. So they would have little things to barter to save their lives besides a Mille's watch and a NATO strap. In that box they had some gold lockets, a three gold gourmet links that you can cut up or break open to use as a monetary means to buy and escape or save your life. The cool thing about this is Minas themselves apparently did not know these watches were used in these life barter kits and only discovered this years and years later. Now most probably the distributor formulas back in the day in the U.S. probably sold them to the U.S. army or the Air Force and never reported this back to HQ or obviously in the selling of the company, this information got lost. So the new watch is not a complete life barter kit. But what they did I think was very cool. They created two versions, a stainless steel one and a DLC black one. You'll get a beautiful Swiss knife. The steel one has a steel look and the black one as a black look. What did you think of them Rob?

[Sam]

The knives or the watches?

[Rob]

Both.

[Sam]

I was really impressed with the knives actually. I've had a lot more to do with knife makers over the last couple of years than I ever expected. I would. I like a good knife, but it's not something, you know, I'm not an EDC maniac, although I've got enough cool.

[Alon]

Stuff now to probably become one if.

[Sam]

I just find a better pouch to carry it all around with. But yeah, I'm more aware of what goes into making knives now and certainly with the blades and the, the spring settings. And I thought the build quality of these was top notch. I like the decoration. I thought that they matched very nicely with the watches. Now this is something I was saying to a colleague the other day when it comes to creating non watch products that are branded with a watch brand's logo, whatever it is, I said to them if you see your watch brand as one of the top 10% of watch brands in the world, then you should make sure that every single thing that you create with that brand's name on it is in the top 10% of its own field. So if you want to make a jacket with Milas on it, make sure it's in the top 10% of jackets worldwide. If you think that you can't do that, if it's not financially viable, then don't do it. Don't put your name on something that doesn't reflect the values and the quality of the brand. Never make that mistake. I remember one time when I was with Nomos, sounds like the American pie. That one time at band camp, one time with Nomos. We were coming up to Baselworld and I'd been very vocal about the quality of giveaways and the importance of having good quality giveaway during a fair that would be kept and talked about by journalists and retailers alike for years after. And Roland contacted Makita, a Berlin based optics brand making beautiful sunglasses. And instead of cheap giveaways or edible giveaways or this, that or the other, he had 300 pairs of mike no Musculositor sunglasses made and given to the top ranking retailers and the most prolific journalists throughout the fair. And because they weren't readily available, they weren't just chucked in a gift bag and giving away willy nilly. It created this buzz and this murmur of excitement going through the entire fair. And people have kept those glasses and ever since, because you know my key, sunglasses retail for about 300 quid. So this was a proper, proper, decent gift. And those glasses still pop up on Instagram, they're still talked about now, years after the fact, because they extolled exactly this principle of making sure everything you put your name on is within the same bracket as the primary function of the company and that's making watches. And I have to say that those knives, to me, they feel like good quality, they speak highly of the brand, they make me somehow think even more of Milas, a brand that I have known for years to make really rock solid products. And I do, I think they could be a bit more ambitious with designs with colors, with straps, even something like that, to just spice it up a little bit. Yeah, I do think there's scope for that, but I think their baseline is great. And just like we said with Erhan and Lebart & Co. From Tom Van Vwille a few days ago, it's a tight collection. It knows what it is. It's not going to set your socks alight, this one, but it is going to turn up every day and keep on working through rain, snow or sun.

[Rob]

And the motto is the Snow Star. I forgot the manufacture of the knives. It's not Victorinox. It's even better. So it underlines what you just said. I am with you 100%. Goodies should be indeed the best of the best or don't do them at all. And I vouch for your story about Mikita and I salute and thank you because I still have those glasses and wear them regularly and people want to nick them off my nose.

[Sam]

Well, you got to thank Roland. It was Roland that made the partnership. It was my concept that I was banging the drum for, for a long time. But I didn't actually design the sunglasses. I don't know who designed them, but they did a damn good job. I've still got mine as well, actually. I just.

[Alon]

Oh, there they are.

[Sam]

Yeah, very nice.

[Rob]

Yeah, amazing. Kudos to Miles. Keep up the good work. And I'm very curious what they'll bring next. Fun little fact. Katja was very modest and she didn't say so much about both her husband's families or her own. So I got so excited after our interview again and I went into the villa again to go see the rest of the collection because I've been admiring Miles for a long time and I actually been wearing Miles cufflinks in the shape of a watch caliber with an actual rotating rotor that are now back in the collection. So if you wear cufflinks, check them out. I went to see them at their booth on the first floor. They were actually around the corner in another room from Tom of Eran ellebonco. And there was another elegant, charming lady there, a bit younger. So as a joke, I said, oh, lovely to meet your daughter Katja. She's like, how did you know?

[Sam]

So, oh my God, you got lucky this time. You've got to stop doing that.

[Rob]

No. Well, there were similarities, but I said the age gap was very little, but it was a bit bigger. But I did take a well calculated gamble. But the moral of the story is don't count the family business. And that's lovely because you know what my stance is on family owned and family run businesses.

[Sam]

Yeah, absolutely. And that's why my list is a brand I hope that we get to work with more closely in the future because I think we'd be a good team and I, I hope that the audience enjoys the products as well. So if you do have any questions for Milos, then do get in touch because we can get them on the show. For a full hour. And I'm sure that we'll be chatting about them in the future as they look to diversify their product range even more.

[Alon]

All right.

[Sam]

And on. Let's wrap this one up and catch up with each other tomorrow.

[Rob]

And stay tuned. We will record more of these epilogues after these short time to Watches episodes. If you enjoyed them, please let us know. If you didn't enjoy them, let us know. You want to be part of the ongoing discussions of the Real time show Community. Send us a message and we'll add you to our WhatsApp community. Stay sane and keep on ticking. Sam.