101 - Rolex - Milgauss

Rolex - Milgauss A very attractive, antimagnetic vintage wristwatch Movm. No. M023428, Ref. 1019, Cal. 1580, Case No. 6164013, Dimensions 37 mm, circa 1970, Origin Schweiz, Accessories Case: Steel, smooth bezel, screw back with marking 1019 and II.70, antimagnetic protection cap, screwed "Twinlock" winding crown, steel "Oyster" bracelet ref. 78360, endlinks stamped 580, clasp J8 (8/1985) with applied owner's monogram, total length 175 mm. Dial: Perfect silvered dial, applied indexes with luminous dots (tritium), luminous hands (tritium). Movm.: Automatic. Unlike the early Milgauss models – references 6541 and 6543 – and the later reference 116400, reference 1019 does not feature a lightning-shaped seconds hand. Instead, it is characterised by a straight hand with a red arrowhead. The earlier rotating bezel has also been replaced by a smooth steel bezel. Reference 1019 was manufactured from the 1960s onwards and was designed as a technically oriented watch for use in environments subject to electromagnetic interference. Its name refers to its intended resistance to magnetic fields of up to approximately “1,000 Gauss/Oersted”; structurally, this was achieved by means of an inner shield made of soft iron or an anti-magnetic cover for the movement. Telecommunications, aviation and aerospace industries, medical imaging, research facilities – to name but a few of the many sectors where scientists, engineers and technicians are exposed to strong magnetic fields on a regular basis. The Oyster Perpetual Milgauss has been purpose-built for these environments. Its name is a combination of "mil" (a thousand), and "gauss", (the unit of magnetic flux density, named after the German mathematician and physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss), and the wristwatch is resistant to a magnetic flux density of 1,000 gauss or tesla. Rolex uses its own parachrome spring and an escapement wheel made of a new paramagnetic material in the Milgauss. Ferromagnetic alloys provide the magnetic shielding protecting the movement. The Milgauss was mostly sold for its unusual design – not many people needed a watch with all those functions the Milgauss provided. Thus the watch was never a big seller and Rolex discontinued the production in 1986. However, in 2007 Rolex relaunched the Milgauss in three different styles. Case: very good. Dial: very good. Movm.: very good, capable of running, cleaning recommended. Please note that leather straps made from endangered or protected species - such as alligator, crocodile, or lizard - are used in our catalogue or on our website for illustration purposes only. For customs-related reasons, such straps cannot be shipped outside the EU.