Rolex Milgauss Ref. 1019

Every now and then we come across something extremely special. This is such an occasion. We proudly present a Rolex Milgauss ref. 1019 from ca. 1970.

For people working in magnetic environments, such as in the medical industry, power plants, or research laboratories, keeping time was a real challenge. A magnetic field of 50 Gauss is enough to disrupt a mechanical watch and render it useless for precise timekeeping.

Rolex solved the problem by housing the automatic movement in a soft iron cage. The resulting watch was tested by CERN and found to be resistant to magnetic fields up to 1000 gauss. Hence the name: Mille, Latin for 1000 and gauss as a unit of magnetism.

This beautiful example from ca. 1970 measures a contemporary 38mm. A positively massive watch for those days. Today, it combines a truly vintage look with a thoroughly modern fit. The brushed dial with subtle red details completes an amazing watch.