If you asked watch collectors about the fate of the Milgauss just a few years ago, the majority would have either told you the collection was slated for a long-overdue upgrade or would be discontinued entirely. Sadly, the latter proved to be true. The Rolex Milgauss was quietly discontinued in 2023 for the second time since it joined the professional series lineup in the 1950s. It was often overshadowed by more function-forward models such as the Submariner, Explorer II, and GMT-Master. While those collections appeal to the adventurous at heart, the Rolex Milgauss served a different purpose: to resist magnetic fields up to 1,000 gauss (hence the name “Milgauss) by incorporating a soft iron Faraday cage into the case. The Milgauss earned a very niche audience, but the ubiquity of high magnetic resistance in modern luxury watches might have led to its downfall. This guide will cover everything you need to know about Rolex’s discontinued scientist’s watch.
What is the Rolex Soft Iron Faraday Cage?
The concept of the Faraday cage is quite simple. The conductive iron disperses magnetic interference, preventing it from entering the cage and essentially acting as a shield for whatever is inside of it. As you can imagine, the Faraday cage required a slightly thicker case than other Rolex sports watches.
The idea of a Faraday cage wasn’t new when Rolex dreamt up the Milgauss, and the Crown wasn’t even the first company to produce a mechanical wristwatch with a Faraday cage enveloping the movement. IWC released the Ingenieur Ref. 1832 around the same time, initially creating the watch to help pilots keep accurate time among the magnetic instruments in their cockpits during WWII. It doesn’t really matter if Rolex made a faraday cage before IWC, though, because Tissot beat them both by a quarter-century.
Rolex Milgauss Timeline
| 1954/1955: | Rolex developed the first Milguass, “prototype” ref. 6543. |
| 1956: | The second iteration of the Milgauss, ref. 6541 was released, complete with the now-iconic lightning bolt seconds hand. |
| 1960: | Rolex Released Ref. 1019. |
| 1988: | Ref. 1019 is discontinued. |
| 2007: | The Milgauss made a comeback via ref. 116400. |
| 2014: | The “Z-Blue” Milgauss with a Glace Verte crystal joined the lineup. |
| 2023: | Rolex once again discontinued the Milgauss. |
The First Generation: Ref. 6543 & 6541
The inaugural Milgauss developed in the 1950s, ref. 6543, looked vastly different than the 6-digit generation that recently ushered the collection into retirement. Like other professional series watches developed around the same time, it had a rotatable bezel calibrated to 60 minutes and luminescent dot hour markers. However, the distinctive honeycomb dial set the Milgauss apart.
Although visually striking, the crosshatch texture served a purpose and was made of metal to aid the watch’s overall magnetic resistance. Ref. 6543 had dauphine hands and was produced in very limited quantities of a few hundred watches. Like all Rolex Milgauss models, it utilized the previously-mentioned soft-iron Faraday cage to shield the movement from magnetic interference, but 6543 is the only one with a thick, one-piece caseback.
Rolex Milgauss Ref. 6543 Specs
| Case Size: | 38mm |
| Lugs: | 19.5mm |
| Case Material: | Stainless Steel |
| Movement: | Caliber 1065/66, Automatic |
| Functions: | Time-Only, Soft-Iron Faraday Cage |
| Bezel: | Rotatable, 60-Minutes |
| Seconds Hand: | Straight |
| Crystal: | Acrylic |
| Dial: | Black Honeycomb |
Ref. 6541 followed a few years later with an “inner caseback” that looks like a metal X-Men logo inside the caseback. This completed the Faraday cage without so much thickness. The Rolex Milgauss 6541 features the same iconic honeycomb dial as the 6543, but a slightly different rotatable bezel. It was still calibrated to 60 minutes, but the zeroes were omitted–so “1-2-3-4-5” appeared on the bezel instead of “10-20-30-40-50.” Also, the hash marks were triangular, but that’s not the most important design change. It was through reference 6541 that we also got our first glimpse of one of the collection’s most distinguishing feature: the quirky lightning bolt seconds hand.
It’s important to note that there are some versions of ref. 6541 with a smooth bezel, which some say were made for the American market. Like the inaugural Milgauss, Rolex didn’t make very many ref. 6541s. Both versions of the early Milgauss are incredibly elusive, particularly examples with all the correct original parts still intact. Many 6541’s have Submariner-like service replacement bezels at this point:
Rolex Milgauss Ref. 6541 Specs
| Case Size: | 38mm |
| Lugs: | 20mm |
| Case Material: | Stainless Steel |
| Movement: | Caliber 1065/66, Automatic |
| Functions: | Time-Only, Soft-Iron Faraday Cage |
| Bezel: | Rotatable, 60-Minutes, or Smooth |
| Seconds Hand: | Lightning Bolt |
| Crystal: | Acrylic |
| Dial: | Black Honeycomb |
The Second Generation: Ref. 1019
The next expression of the Milgauss came in the 1960s. Rolex decided not to carry over the lightning bolt seconds hand, rotatable bezel, or honeycomb dial from the first two references, opting instead for a sleeker, more luxurious design more reminiscent of traditional dress watches, such as the Oyster Perpetual. Instead, ref. 1019 was outfitted with a smooth bezel, straight seconds hand, and a few dial options, including black or a silver brushed dial.
Rolex kept ref. 1019 in its catalog until the 1980s, during which a few iterations came to market, including rare models without luminescent material on the dial made exclusively for CERN – the European Organization for Nuclear Research. Particle physicists there didn’t want any radioactive material whatsoever interfering with their instruments, which is why Rolex made the famous “CERN” Milgausses with black vitreous enamel instead of lume.
Additionally, ref. 1019 dials initially had small Rolex logos and a seconds track marked down to a fraction of a second, while later-production dials had larger Rolex logos and a traditional seconds track. Depending on when the watch was made, the hands will either be polished and slightly raised in the middle or flat and matte. Even though ref. 1019 spanned several decades, it was never as successful as other professional series models. Ultimately, Rolex discontinued the collection entirely around the late 1980s.
Rolex Milgauss Ref. 1019 Specs
| Case Size: | 38mm |
| Case Material: | Stainless Steel |
| Movement: | Caliber 1580 Automatic |
| Functions: | Time-Only, Soft-Iron Faraday Cage |
| Bezel: | Smooth |
| Seconds Hand: | Straight |
| Crystal: | Acrylic |
| Dial: | Black, Silver |
The Third Generation: Ref. 116400
The scientist’s watch was revived in the mid-2000s, this time under ref. 116400 with either a white dial with orange hour markers or a black dial with white and orange hour markers. The re-release watch also included a black dial variation with a green “Glace Verte” sapphire crystal, a feature that was exclusive to the Milgauss collection.
It recalled design elements from both previous generations by featuring a smooth bezel and a lightning bolt seconds hand. At the same time, it was undeniably modern with a slightly larger 40mm case, fully-lume baton hour markers, and a vibrant orange lightning bolt seconds hand. Perhaps the most notable change was the movement. The caliber 3131 was still protected by the collection’s trusty soft-iron Faraday cage but now also incorporated the then-new Rolex Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring and an escape wheel made of anti-magnetic metals.
Rolex stopped producing the models with a clear sapphire crystal a few years after the ref. 116400 was released, selling only the Glace Verte (GV) variation with either a black or Z-Blue dial until the very end. The rest is, as they say, history because the Milgauss was discontinued again in 2023.
Rolex Milgauss Ref. 116400 Specs:
| Case Size: | 40mm |
| Case Material: | Stainless Steel |
| Movement: | Caliber 3131 |
| Functions: | Time-Only, Soft-Iron Faraday Cage |
| Bezel: | Smooth |
| Seconds Hand: | Orange Lightning Bolt |
| Crystal: | Clear or Green “Glace Verte” Sapphire Crystal |
| Dial: | Black, White, Z-Blue |
How Much is the Rolex Milgauss?
References 6543 and 6541 can command well into the six figures because they are so rare. In what might be a one-off incident, an example of the ref. 6541 sold at auction in 2023 for a staggering $2.5 million. However, there is speculation that Rolex bought the watch, which does not necessarily reflect a rising value for the recently discontinued collection. In fact, it only encourages more collectors with vintage models in their watch boxes to sell.
Reference 1019, which was produced for decades and is much more prominent on the secondary market, trades hands for anywhere between $15,000 and $30,000. The newly-discontinued ref. 116400 is even more approachable, with prices starting around $8,000 and climbing up to about $15,000.
The big question now is, why was the Rolex Milgauss discontinued? Anti-magnetism up to 1,000 gauss was groundbreaking when the Rolex Milgauss was introduced in the 1950s. However, the industry has far surpassed that technology, and now that the Parachrom hairspring exists, it renders the model almost entirely obsolete. Not to mention, the Faraday cage requires a thicker case. Will Rolex re-release the Milgauss? If they do, we will see the triumphant return of the Milgauss with a rotatable bezel and, dare I say it, a honeycomb dial? Only time will tell. However, with Rolex’s track record, we might have to wait decades to find out.
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