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Lot Essay
Launched in 1963, reference 1019 is the third and final vintage evolution of the Milgauss line. It is one of the most specialized watches ever made by Rolex, and because of this it – like its two previous brethren ref. 6541 and 6543 – never achieved high production volumes, which ultimately led to the line discontinuation in 1988. The Milgauss however maintained an iconic status among collectors, given its rarity and its embodiment of the typical Rolex philosophy of creating highly specialized professional timepieces. This eventually led to the revival of the line in the early 2000s.
Rolex designed the Milgauss model for use in areas of high electromagnetic fields found in laboratories and electro-engineering. The model was only available in stainless steel. Its name is derived from the Greek "Mil" for thousand and "Gauss", the unit to measure magnetism. A normal watch movement can withstand to 70-90 Gauss whereas the Milgauss keeps its incredible precision in a magnetic field up to 1000 Gauss.
The present watch demonstrates the scarcity of parts in the Rolex factory for the reference 1019 Milgauss model, many later examples such as the present watch, made in 1979, were still fitted with case backs stamped with earlier dates, this watch is punched II.70 to the inside back. There are several known instances of this anomaly with the 1019, with case backs dating from 1968-70 fitted to watches as late as 1983.
Rolex designed the Milgauss model for use in areas of high electromagnetic fields found in laboratories and electro-engineering. The model was only available in stainless steel. Its name is derived from the Greek "Mil" for thousand and "Gauss", the unit to measure magnetism. A normal watch movement can withstand to 70-90 Gauss whereas the Milgauss keeps its incredible precision in a magnetic field up to 1000 Gauss.
The present watch demonstrates the scarcity of parts in the Rolex factory for the reference 1019 Milgauss model, many later examples such as the present watch, made in 1979, were still fitted with case backs stamped with earlier dates, this watch is punched II.70 to the inside back. There are several known instances of this anomaly with the 1019, with case backs dating from 1968-70 fitted to watches as late as 1983.