How can you NOT love a watch that has an orange lightning bolt for a second hand? The Rolex Milgauss is such a fine watch. Here’s what’s so cool about it. It not only looks fantastic, but it really is a neat watch with a very interesting history. I bought my Milgauss because I loved the heft of the watch and the way it looked. I’ll be honest and admit that I knew nothing about the science behind the watch when I purchased the watch. I owned this watch for about 2 months when a customer begged me to buy it off my wrist. Will I buy another one? Absolutely.
The History of The Rolex Milgauss
Introduced in 1956 by Rolex, the Milgauss was designed as an anti-magnetic watch for people who worked in power plants or medical facilities or labs where electromagnetic fields can throw off the way your watch tells time. A gauss is a unit of a magnetic field and mille means one thousand, thus the name Milgauss because this watch can withstand a magnetic flux density of 1,000 gauss.
Just like the Rolex Yacht-Master, the original Rolex Milgauss had a striking resemblance to the Rolex Submariner. But, due to low sales and lack of popularity, the Rolex Milgauss was discontinued in 1988.
The Revival of 2007
In 2007 Rolex brought the Milgauss out of retirement with a new and improved version. The Milgauss has a shield made of ferromagnetic alloys that is screwed to the Rolex movement and to the case to protect the movement. This watch comes with a white dial or black dial with a standard colorless sapphire crystal. The GV (Glace Verte) or “Anniversary” model comes with a black dial of a slightly different design and a green-tinted sapphire crystal. The GV is the only Rolex produced with a tinted crystal. Although initially rumored to be a limited edition, the GV version is still produced nearly 3 years later.
The Rolex Milgauss Reference Numbers
Ref. 6541 – Discontinued
Ref. 1019 – Discontinued
Ref. 116400
Ref. 116400V
