Rolex

The reference 6541 'Milgauss' was launched in 1956 and designed to be used by scientists and those working in areas where exposure to high magnetic fields was unavoidable. Conveniently for Rolex, they were able to have their innovation tested by some brilliant scientists just a few kilometers away from their headquarters, at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

The watch was guaranteed to resist magnetic fields up to 1'000 gauss (gauss being a measurement for magnetic induction), which is also the explanation for its name. Magnetic fields can affect a watch's accuracy at just 60 gauss and at 100 gauss a regular watch will normally no longer work. The Milgauss overcame the effects of magnetic fields by using anti-magnetic alloys and an iron movement cover to create a Faraday cage (a nonporous enclosure used to block electrostatic and electromagnetic influences).

Reference 6541 has an Oyster case and graduated rotating bezel, similar in appearance to the early Submariner references. The dial is made of webbed laminated copper to protect the movement from the magnetic fields, which collectors refer to as a 'honeycomb' dial. For many aficionados, the dial is the most important part of a Rolex. It is reflection of the soul of the watch and expresses its character and charm. The dial of the present lot is incredibly attractive as the original black color has turned to an even and strong tropical brown, making it particularly unique and appealing to collectors. 

In 1960, shortly after the initial reference 6541 was released, the Milgauss received its only major update during the 20th century with the introduction of the reference 1019. The new model was equipped with a smooth bezel, new hands and new indexes. Not as successful as other models, Rolex stopped the production in 1988 and only re-launched the Milgauss in 2007 with the reference 116400.