Milifortic S117 Review – A Bauhaus Quartz With California Charm

The Milifortic S117 is part of the brand’s Colorful Dial Quartz series, and visually it sits somewhere between a minimalist dress watch and a more practical everyday piece. The design is clearly Nomos-inspired, with a slim Bauhaus-style case profile, but the California dial gives it a more playful character.

This reviewed version uses a matte graphite grey main dial with an aqua blue small seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock. It also brings sapphire crystal, stainless steel construction, a Seiko VD78 quartz movement, 100 meters of water resistance, and strong green lume. Priced just south of $120 before tax, at this level of the market, buyers have no shortage of alternatives competing for attention.

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Design & Case

The S117 measures 38mm in diameter, 8.7mm thick, and 46.7mm lug-to-lug, with a standard 20mm lug width. Those dimensions give it a thin, slightly dressy profile, but it still has enough presence to work as a casual daily watch.

The case is stainless steel with a crisp, flat, polished flank. The lugs curve down quite aggressively, helping the strap wrap around the wrist and keeping the watch close when worn.

The transitions from the flank into the lug hoods are smoothed, so the watch looks sharp without feeling sharp to the touch. That balance suits the overall design well because the S117 is clean and minimal, but not fragile in character.

Up top, the sapphire crystal sits just a hairline above the fixed bezel, adding a small but visible step to the front profile. The combination of textures, materials, and proportions creates a character shared by several everyday dress watches.

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Movement & Crown

Inside the S117 is the Seiko VD78 quartz movement. It is the movement that allows the watch to use a small seconds layout at 6 o’clock, giving the dial a more considered and slightly more traditional structure than a central seconds quartz setup.

The crown is signed, screws in, and measures 5.88mm across. It is large enough to be practical, but it does not interrupt the slim, clean side profile of the case.

Paired with the screw-down caseback, the screw-in crown gives the watch 100 meters of water resistance. That is a useful practical upgrade for a watch with this dressier Bauhaus-style shape.

The setup keeps the S117 simple mechanically, but the small seconds display gives the watch more visual interest than a basic three-hand quartz dial.

Bezel

The fixed bezel adds one of the more subtle finishing details on the S117. It has a polished sidewall, while the top surface is radially brushed.

That mix of surfaces works well with the case. The polished sidewall keeps the watch connected to the dressier side of the design, while the brushed top surface adds a slightly more utilitarian detail.

The flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating sits just above the bezel, and the slight bevel at the edge of the crystal makes the transition look clean. From the front, the watch remains broad, open, and dial-focused, with the bezel working as a neat polished-and-brushed frame around the dial.

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Strap

The S117 comes on a two-piece canvas strap. I like that it is not a one-piece pass-through strap because the two-piece setup keeps the watch sitting closer to the wrist and avoids adding extra thickness under the case.

The canvas has a fairly rugged feel. It is a bit more rigid than some of the softer one-piece canvas straps, but that suits the everyday field-watch side of the design.

The strap uses standard spring bars rather than quick-release bars. It is unsigned, with no Milifortic logo or embossing on the canvas.

The buckle is a brushed milled buckle, so it does not feel cheap, but it is also unsigned. Flip the watch over and the sterile screw-down caseback keeps the rear simple and functional.

Crystal & Dial

Under the flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, the eye drops through a straight, brushed rehaut and onto a fully printed dial. There are no applied indices here, but the layout and color contrast give the watch plenty of personality.

The California dial uses Roman numerals across the upper half and Arabic numerals across the lower half. On a minimalist watch, that immediately gives the design more character without making it feel messy.

The main dial is matte graphite grey, and the white printed numerals stand out clearly against it. Around the edge, the minute chaptering is printed in blue, tying directly into the aqua blue small seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock.

That small seconds register is slightly recessed, stepping down from the main dial surface and adding a little layering. The aqua color gives the watch a sporty contrast point without overpowering the minimalist structure.

Branding is restrained, with only the Milifortic name printed under 12. The hour and minute hands are baton-style, while the small seconds sub-dial uses a simple chrome pointer. The small seconds hand is not lumed.

In darkness, the S117 performs strongly. Bright green lume is applied to the baton-style hour and minute hands as well as the California dial indices. It charges easily, glows brightly, and lasts well.

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Summary

The Milifortic S117 works because it takes a clean Bauhaus-style shape and gives it just enough personality. The slim polished case, flat sapphire crystal, printed dial, and small seconds layout all keep the watch elegant and simple.

The California dial brings the visual character. Roman numerals on the upper half, Arabic numerals on the lower half, a matte graphite grey surface, and an aqua blue recessed small seconds sub-dial make the S117 feel more distinctive than a plain minimalist quartz watch.

The practical side is also strong. The watch gets stainless steel construction, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, a Seiko VD78 quartz movement, a signed screw-in crown, screw-down caseback, 100 meters of water resistance, and surprisingly solid green lume. The canvas strap and unsigned buckle are simpler, but they keep the watch in everyday territory. If this style appeals to you, it may be worth exploring a similar release from Seestern S382 but with an automatic movement instead.

Milifortic S117 Specifications

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