46 Rolex Rare and Extremely Well Preserved Milgauss Automatic Wristwatch in Steel, Reference 1019, With Black Dial and Bracelet
Estimate: €18,000 – 30,000
Sold (Premium)€22,100
Model: Milgauss
Material: Stainless Steel
Reference N°: 1019
Year: 1968
Case N°: 1918278
Caliber: 1570
Movement type: Automatic
Bracelet: Stainless Steel
Dimensions: 37 mm
Signed: Dial, case and movement
The Rolex Milgauss is one of those watches with a very fascinating story behind it and it’s often considered one of the most avant-garde models ever produced by the brand with the crown. The Milgauss was designed for being used in areas of high electromagnetic fields, specifically found in laboratories and electro-engineering. Its perfect functionality was given to the use of a “bell” made of soft iron which, acting as a “Faraday cage”, isolated the gauge from any external electromagnetic field. This also explains the origin of the name chosen, coming from “Mil” for thousand and “Gauss”, the unit to measure magnetism. The very first model was released in 1954 and was the reference 6543. Instead, the first example to use the distinctive “bell” was the well known 6541 characterized by the iconic thunderbolt hand for the seconds and the honeycomb dial, specimens that nowadays are absolutely cult pieces for collectors. In 1963 this reference was then replaced by the also renowned ref. 1019, such as the present watch, which remained in production till 1988. The old graduated bezel gave free way to a much simple and smooth one, while the movement equipped was substituted with the caliber 1570. The dial was available in two-color variants: silver with a “scratched” finish or, such as the present watch, black. The black layout is nowadays very appreciated by the collectors’ world, especially when its conditions are nice. This reference 1019 offered is one of these examples and has been preserved in an almost sacred way by the last owner: the stainless steel tonneau case is beautiful with satin finish; the black matte aluminum dial with applied baton indexes and luminous accents is untouched and slightly above the hands stands the writing Milgauss in a bright red. Another example of Rolex foresight, the Milgauss is now a must for every collection of sports watches.