Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1979 Reference No: 1019 Movement No: M'712'519 Case No: 6'159'055 Model Name: Milgauss Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, max length 210mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp Signed: Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed. Accessories: Accompanied by original Rolex punched guarantee paper, Rolex calendar card for 1991 and 1992, Rolex guarantee booklet, Rolex Oyster product literature booklet, hangtag, medallion, inner presentation box, and outer box.
Catalogue Essay
The Milgauss is the result of a direct collaboration between Rolex and the Geneva-based nuclear-research organization, CERN - Centre Européen de Recherche Nucléaire (European Organization for Nuclear Research). Their aim was to develop a wristwatch that could withstand intense magnetic fields and thus be worn by the CERN engineers and laboratory workers constantly in highly magnetic environments.
The result was the Milgauss, deriving its name from the Latin “mille” meaning a thousand, and “Gauss” representing the unit measure for magnetism, deriving its name from German mathematician and physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss. In the early 1960s, the newly introduced Rolex Milgauss reference 1019, like the present lot, replaced the original two versions: references 6541 and 6543. Significantly thinner than its predecessors, it was manufactured until 1990 and was available only in stainless steel.
The present watch is fitted with a flawless black matte dial that permits the desirable red “Milgauss” text at 12 o’clock to vividly stand out. An exceptional and complete example preserved in outstanding condition, it retains all its sharp edges and bevels. The presence of the original Rolex sticker on the case back illustrates that this watch has never been worn.
Found in new-old-stock condition, the present reference 1019 retains all of its original accessories, nearly exactly how it left the factory in the 1970s. A superb find for the assiduous collector of vintage timepieces.
Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.
One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.
