101 - Rolex - Milgauss

Rolex - Milgauss A very attractive, anti-magnetic vintage wristwatch Movement No. M023428, Ref. 1019, Cal. 1580, Case No. 6164013, Dimensions 37 mm, circa 1970, Origin: Switzerland, Accessories Case: Steel, smooth bezel, screw-down case back marked 1019 and II.70, anti-magnetic protection cap, screw-down “Twinlock” winding crown, steel “Oyster” bracelet, Ref. 78360, end links stamped 580, clasp J8 (8/1985) with applied owner’s monogram, total length 175 mm. Dial: Perfect silvered dial, applied hour markers with luminous dots (tritium), luminous hands (tritium). Movement: 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 characterized 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 The earlier rotating bezel has also been replaced by a smooth steel bezel.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 onward 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, and research facilities—to name just a few of the many sectors where scientists, engineers, and technicians are regularly exposed to strong magnetic fields. The Oyster Perpetual Milgauss was specifically designed 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 watch is resistant to a magnetic flux density of 1,000 gauss or tesla. Rolex uses its own Parachrom hairspring and an escape wheel made of a new paramagnetic material in the Milgauss. Ferromagnetic alloys provide the magnetic shielding that protects the movement. The Milgauss was sold primarily for its unusual design—not many people needed a watch with all the functions the Milgauss offered. Consequently, the watch was never a big seller, and Rolex discontinued production in 1986. However, in 2007, Rolex relaunched the Milgauss in three different styles. Case: very good. Dial: very good. Movement: very good, in working order, cleaning recommended. Please note that leather straps made from endangered or protected species—such as alligator, crocodile, or lizard—are used in our catalog or on our website for illustrative purposes only. For customs-related reasons, such straps cannot be shipped outside the EU.