- 9/7/12
- 23,600
- 20,461
- 113
This build took quite a long time to complete - around 6 months. The case and dial took several months to be made, then the maker forgot to include the hands in the parcel - only discovered when it was delivered, obviously.
A second set of hands were shipped, and they never arrived. . .
A third set went out and were finally delivered.
The case, dial and hands are made to genuine specifications, the movement is a NOS freshly serviced 2842. Getting Rolex size hands on an ETA is not easy, getting an ETA into a Faraday cage made for a Rolex 1580 is also not easy.
The Faraday cage had to be extensively modified in order to firmly hold the ETA movement inside, and then for the Faraday cage to be clamped in place inside the case.
The Chinese factories have never replicated any of the Milgauss models accurately - too may variations on dials, hands, cases etc. So if you want an accurate Milgauss, the only option is high end cases and dials from those great guys in 'Nam.
No genuine Rolex parts on this watch - all is aftermarket. Even so, the total bill on this is close to $3k.
The Milgauss is an odd watch. In the 50s and 60s, Rolex began to develop purpose built watches that would appeal to specific segments of the market. The Submariner was aimed at the diver, the GMT-Master the international traveller, the Daytona the racer, the Explorer was aimed at the adventurer. And the Milgauss was the scientists watch.
The story is that scientists at the CERN nuclear research facility in Switzerland were unable to wear standard watches because of the magnetic fields - which rendered a standard watch useless. They asked Rolex if they could jointly find a solution, and the Milgauss was the result.
Able to withstand up to 1000 gauss of magnetism (mille = 1000, thus the name Milgauss), the Milgauss was a watch that CERN scientists were finally able to wear in their fabulously magnetic laboratories.
The first Rolex Milgauss, the ref. 6541 was produced in 1956 and looked a lot like the Submariner. The Rolex Milgauss 1019 followed in 1960, with a new calibre 1580 movement. The case diameter was a little larger at 38mm, and the 1019 was a more simpler, refined looking watch. Production of the 1019 ended in 1988.
In that time there were the inevitable design variations in the dial. Two colors were produced - black or silver, and the early CERN dials always silver. There was also the half-hash dials and the rare 1/5 hash dials. The CERN dials also had no lume at all, so that there would be no interference with any sort of radioactive testing.
There were variations in hands as well. On early models the hands were polished with a ridge down the middle. Later models had hands that were flat, with a brushed finish. The lightning bolt second hand was featured on the 6541, but disappeared for the 1019 The 1019’s second hand was tipped with a unique red arrowhead.
Thanks for looking.
A second set of hands were shipped, and they never arrived. . .
A third set went out and were finally delivered.
The case, dial and hands are made to genuine specifications, the movement is a NOS freshly serviced 2842. Getting Rolex size hands on an ETA is not easy, getting an ETA into a Faraday cage made for a Rolex 1580 is also not easy.
The Faraday cage had to be extensively modified in order to firmly hold the ETA movement inside, and then for the Faraday cage to be clamped in place inside the case.
The Chinese factories have never replicated any of the Milgauss models accurately - too may variations on dials, hands, cases etc. So if you want an accurate Milgauss, the only option is high end cases and dials from those great guys in 'Nam.
No genuine Rolex parts on this watch - all is aftermarket. Even so, the total bill on this is close to $3k.
The Milgauss is an odd watch. In the 50s and 60s, Rolex began to develop purpose built watches that would appeal to specific segments of the market. The Submariner was aimed at the diver, the GMT-Master the international traveller, the Daytona the racer, the Explorer was aimed at the adventurer. And the Milgauss was the scientists watch.
The story is that scientists at the CERN nuclear research facility in Switzerland were unable to wear standard watches because of the magnetic fields - which rendered a standard watch useless. They asked Rolex if they could jointly find a solution, and the Milgauss was the result.
Able to withstand up to 1000 gauss of magnetism (mille = 1000, thus the name Milgauss), the Milgauss was a watch that CERN scientists were finally able to wear in their fabulously magnetic laboratories.
The first Rolex Milgauss, the ref. 6541 was produced in 1956 and looked a lot like the Submariner. The Rolex Milgauss 1019 followed in 1960, with a new calibre 1580 movement. The case diameter was a little larger at 38mm, and the 1019 was a more simpler, refined looking watch. Production of the 1019 ended in 1988.
In that time there were the inevitable design variations in the dial. Two colors were produced - black or silver, and the early CERN dials always silver. There was also the half-hash dials and the rare 1/5 hash dials. The CERN dials also had no lume at all, so that there would be no interference with any sort of radioactive testing.
There were variations in hands as well. On early models the hands were polished with a ridge down the middle. Later models had hands that were flat, with a brushed finish. The lightning bolt second hand was featured on the 6541, but disappeared for the 1019 The 1019’s second hand was tipped with a unique red arrowhead.
Thanks for looking.
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