In this installment of Vintage of the Week, we’re looking at the cult favorite Rolex Milgauss ref. 1019 Shop vintage Rolex watches: www.bobswatches.com/vintage-r...
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00:00 Intro
00:13 Wrist Check
01:16 Vintage Rolex Milgauss Ref. 1019
03:21 Rolex 1019 Dial
04:28 Red-Tip Seconds Hand
06:51 Comparison
08:15 Rarity
09:03 Availability
09:18 Condition
10:34 Uniqueness
12:16 Outro
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Our series Vintage of the Week will highlight a different remarkable vintage wristwatch every week, right here on our KZfaq channel.
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THE ROLEX MILGAUSS - HISTORY
This week, we’re talking about the beloved Rolex Milgauss, Rolex’s signature anti-magnetic tool watch developed for professionals such as scientists, doctors, and power plant workers.
It features a special case design that protects the movement from magnetic fields up to 1,000 gauss, hence its name, “Milgauss.”
Although the Milgauss is still in production today, that wasn’t always the case. In fact, the collection has a relatively short history that includes only two models during its early production years.
Reference 6541 hit the market first and looked very similar to the Submariner diver’s watch, featuring a similar black dial topped with luminous hour markers, a rotatable bezel with a black insert, and a three-link Oyster bracelet.
It also notably featured the collection’s signature orange lightning bolt seconds hand.
Reference 1019 followed, featuring a noticeably different design set. It did away with the rotatable bezel in favor of a smooth bezel. It also didn’t initially feature the orange lightning bolt seconds hand, although this feature would eventually make a comeback later.
It also used the newer cal. 1580 movement and it sported a 38mm case with water resistance up to 50 meters.
Overall, ref. 1019 is more akin to a classic dress watch, like the Oyster Perpetual. While reference 6541 closely resembles a traditional Rolex tool watch.
Ultimately, the Milgauss was never quite the same success as the rest of the Rolex models, and the collection was discontinued in 1988. It famously made a comeback in 2007 via ref. 116400, which is still in production today.
ROLEX 1019 MILGAUSS
Now, we’ll turn out attention to the Milgauss ref. 1019 - the subject of today’s episode of Vintage of the Week.
It boasted an impressive 28-year production run, during which a handful of variations hit the market.
THE DIAL
Depending on the year produced, the dial will feature either “half hash” markers or the rarer early production 1/5 hash markers. When we say “hash markers,” we’re referring to the lines dividing the marks between the hour markers on the dial.
Ref. 1019 also featured either a black or silver dial. Early CERN dials were always silver and never used any lume to prevent any interference in the laboratory. However, lume was eventually added to both dial variations.
Looking even further at the dial, there were also differences in the shape of the hands as well. Depending on the year the watch was made, the dial will feature either polished hands with a ridge in the center or flat hands with a brushed finish. Both variations also feature a red-tipped seconds hand.
Our example of the Milgauss 1019 tells the time on a remarkable black matte dial, complete with the red arrow seconds hand and lume in a stunning buttery yellow patina. The red Milgauss logo and arrow hand remain vibrant and bright in color.
The case appears to have been polished at some point and also features an acrylic crystal and smooth bezel with some signs of light wear.
It wears on a classic 78360 Oyster bracelet with 580 end links. Although this watch was produced in 1979, the bracelet appears to be a slightly older replacement from 1981.
The Milgauss is something of a cult favorite among avid Rolex collectors. Still, vintage models are becoming exceedingly harder to find on the pre-owned level. You can expect to pay at least $50k for a watch similar to the one showcased in this video.
However, it is possible to find other iterations for as low as $25k.