The Milgauss is an unusual model in Rolex’s lineup and certainly a niche offering, generally classified as a watch for scientists. It didn’t have the cool factor of racecars, jets, and James Bond, and, like many models in their early years, tended to sit on shelves, attracting scant interest. The Daytona was also a rather hard seller early on, so that’s not an indictment of the model itself, but it did lack a more mainstream audience given its unique focus. The Milgauss was designed in the 1950s in partnership with CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) to resist magnetic fields of up to 1,000 gauss. Surpassing most watches of the time with their limited 50 gauss magnetic resistance, the Milgauss name is a play on the French word mille, for thousand, and gauss from Carl Friedrich Gauss, the German physicist and geomagnetism scholar (among other disciplines).
1956-1960 – The Rolex Milgauss 6541
The Milgauss, reference 6541, is generally considered the first proper production model, and it adopted more familiar design elements of the series. It was, however, again produced in very small numbers, with virtually all case numbers starting with 412. Three big differentiators from the reference 6543 were a steel Oyster bracelet, a new and original bezel insert and a lightning bolt seconds hand, which became a signature element of modern Milgauss references. Caliber 1080 remained, along with the black metal-weaved dial. The new bezel insert had six sections to function as a stopwatch of sorts for scientific purposes. Its overall usefulness was perhaps debatable, but it brought a new look and personality to the Milgauss.
Interestingly (and maybe a bit of a knock to the new bezel), the American variant came with a non-rotating smooth steel bezel, which resulted in two distinctive ref. 6541 models. Before 6541 production ended in 1960, several other anti-magnetic watches had hit the market, including the Omega Railmaster, IWC Ingenieur, Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic and Patek Philippe ref. 3417.
Although this wasn’t a popular model with the Submariner, Explorer, GMT-Master and Datejust capturing more attention, Rolex gave the Milgauss to racecar drivers in the 1950s and well into the 1960s, including NASCAR and Daytona winners. Daytona 500 winner Glen Roberts was even featured in a Milgauss advertisement in 1962. Both the 6543 and 6541 are exceptionally rare today and nigh impossible to find – a particularly well preserved example of Milgauss 6451 recently sold for USD2.5 million at auction, even though this doesn’t represent the market (the buyer is supposed to be Rolex itself).
History lesson aside. I recently took up the task of building not one but two Milgauss following the completion of my 1019. The 6541 has been on my todo list for a few years now .
One being a complete build using all parts sourced from Vietnam. Dial, case, faraday cage and bracelet from Kuared If any of you recall last year when Tripdog posted his build and recall how many challenges he encountered during his build. well , I experienced many of those on top of the lume plots falling off the dial!!
Not enough binder /adhesive to hold the plot to the dial, so any sort of movement would / could cause the lume plot to detach from the dial. it remained intact so I was able to reattach it to the dial with a drop of GS but talk about an unexpected hassle and stressful frustration!! Especially for the price of these parts!! $$$ So apart it came again and again and again and again..
If this is the best you can get, they need to do a bit better.
I think I got most of them now. but once it gets some wrist time Im sure the others will make themselves known.
The dial does not fit the movement. installing dial feet to the movement was also not ideal , however resorting back to good ole dial dots I am able to secure the dial in position without it shifting or moving on the movement. The dial fits the rehaut exactly but getting the dial , movement holder and stem all aligned can be a challenge .
The hands I originally planned to use were to long so I had to source a shorter set, and then modify them slightly as they were making contact with the applied markers and lume (which resulting in the lume coming loose) The red paint was removed from the seconds hand .
The dial is very well made and the finish is durable. it looks great and as accurate as you can get, Its just the person who was applying the lume didn't quite get the mix right. disaster avoided.
Here is the result of many hours of fiddling and swearing , I had to walk away so many times with this watch as it just was not going as smoothly as hoped. however I am pleased with the final results. persistence pays off! The M in Milgauss stands for masochism
6541 Viet build:
Dial
case
faraday cage
big logo bracelet
raffles time eta hands with red paint removed.
gen eta 2824 w/ #445 2 pos. setting lever
CAC milgauss insert with pink triangle.
Now that its done I can sit back and appreciate the work that went into building it. It looks great to me!! future upgrades? An athaya brevet + crown , I was going to use mine on this one but when I found it fit the other case it was a done deal. You can easily see the difference between the raffles and viet dial and see where the extra money is spent on a dial worth $39 compared to one that is over $500.
Next up is the more elusive and even more rare offered only in US markets - the smooth bezel 6541 small font Milgauss.
The Small font dial is very rare, only 3 or so examples exists. IT is unclear if it is a service dial or just a variance in production but based on other references and their service parts, its safe to assume that it is more likely a service dial. This one was 39 dollars from Raffles.
The viet build was a stressful assembly , this build was alot of work. this one I had to do heavy case work and shaping to both the case and bezel
the engravings on the 1655 bezel were machined off and I left it in the current state that you seen it. it looked vintage enough for me but not high polish as I feel it blends in better with the case and bracelet and takes away from the appearance of how wide the bezel is .
Fun fact, The mid case had a 7mm crown and tube, removed the tube, and found out that after chasing the threads on the case with a tap, that an Athaya 6mm Brevet + crown and tube will fit the hole with no issue and a drop of gs seals the deal.
The OD of the dial had to be machined down slightly to fit the dial seat in mid case.
raffles dial on top after machining prior to aging.
viet dial in its aged glory
ebay microbrand 1655 style case set
tube removed
crown guards removed.
lug holes enlarged.
flanks flattened.
chamfers added
6mm Athaya Brevet + crown and tube
Alix Low domed acrylic crystal 30mm
machined finish flat bezel
Raffles milgauss small font dial
Pt5000 movement with 2 pos setting lever #445
weathering paints to reduce new appearance.
light ochre air brushing of text to give it an aged gilt look
relumed plots to match text detail of aged appearance.
aged hands to dull appearance.
Rounded caseback .
Ruby Rivet 7206 bracelet. with big crown clasp.
Future upgrades? I would like to get my hands on a cartel Big font dial that was offered briefly in their 6541 builds offered from TDs But it they all have switched to the small font now. so if anyone has a decommissioned Milgauss in their parts bin , hit me up and show me what you got.
Or if I could find a more accurate cornet I would attempt to swap them as that is the biggest tell on this dial. it is similar to other vintage rolex cornets from the 50, just not the actual milgauss cornet . If anyone has a source for those , please let me know.
Ive wanted this watch for many years. around the same time my fascination with the 1019 began. I couldn't find one for sale. I could not afford gen , even if I could find one, so I taught myself. the skills to build it myself.
The first 4 pics below show a more polished bezel that had more of a domed appearance and the red tipped seconds hand. this was also prior to further air brush aging on the dial and I had more of a box style crystal on the case before I found a proper low dome.
Domed crystal
flatter machined finish bezel
air brush weathering on dial
bezel and low dome make this thing look like a flying saucer!!
I also attempted to fit a faraday cap into the case. It fit over the movement and I was able to get the case back to screw down with the cover in place however not all the way. I added a secondary gasket to "mind the gap" but didn't want to risk any water ingress , A deeper case or case back and I could possibly squeeze it in. but it was removed and a cashback with a service decal was added to complete the vintage look.
As always, Questions and comments are welcome. Thanks for reading the ramblings of a mad man I hope you enjoyed it. If anyone is looking for me . I will be back in the lab turning knobs on the flux capacitor to finally achieve 1.21 jiggawatts .
Thanks for your interest. like the commando and milsub threads, please feel free too add pics and specs of your build . Lets not make this all about me, but the community!
-369
1956-1960 – The Rolex Milgauss 6541
The Milgauss, reference 6541, is generally considered the first proper production model, and it adopted more familiar design elements of the series. It was, however, again produced in very small numbers, with virtually all case numbers starting with 412. Three big differentiators from the reference 6543 were a steel Oyster bracelet, a new and original bezel insert and a lightning bolt seconds hand, which became a signature element of modern Milgauss references. Caliber 1080 remained, along with the black metal-weaved dial. The new bezel insert had six sections to function as a stopwatch of sorts for scientific purposes. Its overall usefulness was perhaps debatable, but it brought a new look and personality to the Milgauss.Interestingly (and maybe a bit of a knock to the new bezel), the American variant came with a non-rotating smooth steel bezel, which resulted in two distinctive ref. 6541 models. Before 6541 production ended in 1960, several other anti-magnetic watches had hit the market, including the Omega Railmaster, IWC Ingenieur, Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic and Patek Philippe ref. 3417.
Although this wasn’t a popular model with the Submariner, Explorer, GMT-Master and Datejust capturing more attention, Rolex gave the Milgauss to racecar drivers in the 1950s and well into the 1960s, including NASCAR and Daytona winners. Daytona 500 winner Glen Roberts was even featured in a Milgauss advertisement in 1962. Both the 6543 and 6541 are exceptionally rare today and nigh impossible to find – a particularly well preserved example of Milgauss 6451 recently sold for USD2.5 million at auction, even though this doesn’t represent the market (the buyer is supposed to be Rolex itself).
History lesson aside. I recently took up the task of building not one but two Milgauss following the completion of my 1019. The 6541 has been on my todo list for a few years now .
One being a complete build using all parts sourced from Vietnam. Dial, case, faraday cage and bracelet from Kuared If any of you recall last year when Tripdog posted his build and recall how many challenges he encountered during his build. well , I experienced many of those on top of the lume plots falling off the dial!!
Not enough binder /adhesive to hold the plot to the dial, so any sort of movement would / could cause the lume plot to detach from the dial. it remained intact so I was able to reattach it to the dial with a drop of GS but talk about an unexpected hassle and stressful frustration!! Especially for the price of these parts!! $$$ So apart it came again and again and again and again..If this is the best you can get, they need to do a bit better.
I think I got most of them now. but once it gets some wrist time Im sure the others will make themselves known.
The dial does not fit the movement. installing dial feet to the movement was also not ideal , however resorting back to good ole dial dots I am able to secure the dial in position without it shifting or moving on the movement. The dial fits the rehaut exactly but getting the dial , movement holder and stem all aligned can be a challenge .
The hands I originally planned to use were to long so I had to source a shorter set, and then modify them slightly as they were making contact with the applied markers and lume (which resulting in the lume coming loose) The red paint was removed from the seconds hand .
The dial is very well made and the finish is durable. it looks great and as accurate as you can get, Its just the person who was applying the lume didn't quite get the mix right. disaster avoided.
Here is the result of many hours of fiddling and swearing , I had to walk away so many times with this watch as it just was not going as smoothly as hoped. however I am pleased with the final results. persistence pays off! The M in Milgauss stands for masochism
6541 Viet build:
Dial
case
faraday cage
big logo bracelet
raffles time eta hands with red paint removed.
gen eta 2824 w/ #445 2 pos. setting lever
CAC milgauss insert with pink triangle.
Now that its done I can sit back and appreciate the work that went into building it. It looks great to me!! future upgrades? An athaya brevet + crown , I was going to use mine on this one but when I found it fit the other case it was a done deal. You can easily see the difference between the raffles and viet dial and see where the extra money is spent on a dial worth $39 compared to one that is over $500.
Next up is the more elusive and even more rare offered only in US markets - the smooth bezel 6541 small font Milgauss.
The Small font dial is very rare, only 3 or so examples exists. IT is unclear if it is a service dial or just a variance in production but based on other references and their service parts, its safe to assume that it is more likely a service dial. This one was 39 dollars from Raffles.
The viet build was a stressful assembly , this build was alot of work. this one I had to do heavy case work and shaping to both the case and bezel
the engravings on the 1655 bezel were machined off and I left it in the current state that you seen it. it looked vintage enough for me but not high polish as I feel it blends in better with the case and bracelet and takes away from the appearance of how wide the bezel is .
Fun fact, The mid case had a 7mm crown and tube, removed the tube, and found out that after chasing the threads on the case with a tap, that an Athaya 6mm Brevet + crown and tube will fit the hole with no issue and a drop of gs seals the deal.
The OD of the dial had to be machined down slightly to fit the dial seat in mid case.
raffles dial on top after machining prior to aging.
viet dial in its aged glory
ebay microbrand 1655 style case set
tube removed
crown guards removed.
lug holes enlarged.
flanks flattened.
chamfers added
6mm Athaya Brevet + crown and tube
Alix Low domed acrylic crystal 30mm
machined finish flat bezel
Raffles milgauss small font dial
Pt5000 movement with 2 pos setting lever #445
weathering paints to reduce new appearance.
light ochre air brushing of text to give it an aged gilt look
relumed plots to match text detail of aged appearance.
aged hands to dull appearance.
Rounded caseback .
Ruby Rivet 7206 bracelet. with big crown clasp.
Future upgrades? I would like to get my hands on a cartel Big font dial that was offered briefly in their 6541 builds offered from TDs But it they all have switched to the small font now. so if anyone has a decommissioned Milgauss in their parts bin , hit me up and show me what you got.
Or if I could find a more accurate cornet I would attempt to swap them as that is the biggest tell on this dial. it is similar to other vintage rolex cornets from the 50, just not the actual milgauss cornet . If anyone has a source for those , please let me know.
Ive wanted this watch for many years. around the same time my fascination with the 1019 began. I couldn't find one for sale. I could not afford gen , even if I could find one, so I taught myself. the skills to build it myself.
The first 4 pics below show a more polished bezel that had more of a domed appearance and the red tipped seconds hand. this was also prior to further air brush aging on the dial and I had more of a box style crystal on the case before I found a proper low dome.
Domed crystal
flatter machined finish bezel
air brush weathering on dial
bezel and low dome make this thing look like a flying saucer!!
I also attempted to fit a faraday cap into the case. It fit over the movement and I was able to get the case back to screw down with the cover in place however not all the way. I added a secondary gasket to "mind the gap" but didn't want to risk any water ingress , A deeper case or case back and I could possibly squeeze it in. but it was removed and a cashback with a service decal was added to complete the vintage look.
As always, Questions and comments are welcome. Thanks for reading the ramblings of a mad man I hope you enjoyed it. If anyone is looking for me . I will be back in the lab turning knobs on the flux capacitor to finally achieve 1.21 jiggawatts .
Thanks for your interest. like the commando and milsub threads, please feel free too add pics and specs of your build . Lets not make this all about me, but the community!
-369
Last edited:
