99th Auction

2019/5/11

Lot 238

Rolex "Oyster Perpetual Milgauss, Superlative Chronometer officially certified", Movement No. M711756, Case No. 6136907, Ref. 1019, Cal. 1580, 37 mm, circa 1979
An automatic, antimagnetic vintage wristwatch in near mint condition
Case: steel, polished bezel, screw back ref. 1019 II/70, antimagnetic protection cap, screwed "Twinlock" winding crown, steel "Oyster" bracelet ref. 78360 in mint condition, with endlinks stamped 580, clasp O8, bracelet length 145 mm, total length 200 mm. Dial: black, luminous hands (Super-LumiNova).
The screw back of this watch bears its original green Rolex sticker with reference marking.

The name "Milgauss" is a combination of "Mil" (a thousand), and "Gauss", (the unit of the measurement of magnetism). Normal movements can take up to 70-80 Gauss; anything higher comprimises their working order. Good watches usually resist magnetic fields of 60 to 70 Gauss; the 'Milgauss', however, keeps its astounding precision in magnetic fields up to 1000 Gauss. The watch's dial, ring and cover of its movement are made in soft iron forming a Faraday cage - Rolex managed to create a brilliant solution to the problem. Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855) was a German astronomer, mathematician and physicist; he published several important works on celestial mechanics, geodesy, magnetism, electromagnetism and optics. The English chemist and physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867) was known for his groundbreaking experiments in electricity and magnetism. Many of his concepts were derived directly from his experiments (such as lines of magnetic force) and became common ideas in modern physics. Gauss - a magnetic induction unit, symbol 'g' in the C.G.S. system.
A similar watch is described and illustrated in "Rolex, Collecting Wristwatches", by Osvaldo Patrizzi, 2001 Edition, pp. 352, 353.

Sold

estimated
15.00030.000 €
Price realized
27.500 €