Rolex. An early, very rare and attractive stainless steel automatic anti-magnetic wristwatch with sweep centre seconds and honeycomb dial

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6543 MILGAUSS Rolex MilgaussOne of the most fascinating models made by Rolex starting from the 1950s is the Milgauss, a watch made to withstand magnetic fields of up to 1000 Gauss. Rolex’s ethos was to devote some of its production to the manufacture of watches for scientific professionals working out in the field. The most highly specialized watch devised for this purpose is the Milgauss, it works on the principle of the Faraday cage – a soft iron band bracing the movement on reference 6543 and a soft iron container enveloping the entire movement in the near contemporary reference 6541. Lot 200 is an example of the very rare first Milgauss reference 6543 – in production for three years from 1955 to 1957. Lot 201, shows the progression of the Milgauss design with reference 1019, the final vintage model originally launched in 1963. The Milgauss was only ever sold in very small numbers, finally being discontinued in 1988. Rolex reintroduced the model in 2007 to critical acclaim, the new model quickly became highly collectible. A rarer “green glass” version is offered here as Lot 202.

Rolex. An early, very rare and attractive stainless steel automatic anti-magnetic wristwatch with sweep centre seconds and honeycomb dial

Signed Rolex, Oyster Perpetual, Milgauss, ref. 6543, case no. 145’111, circa 1955

Details

Rolex. An early, very rare and attractive stainless steel automatic anti-magnetic wristwatch with sweep centre seconds and honeycomb dial
Signed Rolex, Oyster Perpetual, Milgauss, ref. 6543, case no. 145’111, circa 1955
Movement: automatic, cal. 1080, 25 jewels
Dial: black, honeycomb, luminous dot and applied dagger numerals, luminous hands
Case: screw back, bideractional revolving bezel graduated for 60 units.
Signed: case, dial and movement
Dimensions: 37 mm. diam.
With: stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp, undated Guarantee card and Chronometer Certificate card.

Special notice

On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT will be charged at 8% on both the premium as well as the hammer price.

Lot Essay

In the 1950s, Rolex began to actively and intensively pursue the market for professional watches. Possibly the most specialized of the timepieces devised over that time is the Milgauss, dedicated to the extremely rarified market of professionals working with high magnetic fields. Reference 6243 – in production for three years from ’55 to ’57 - is the first Milgauss model released. It will be joined the same year by the longer-lived reference 6541.

Reference 6543 achieves very high anti-magnetic properties thanks to a very thick case back and a soft iron band bracing the movement. This is a different approach than the nearly contemporary reference 6543, which instead achieves the faraday cage effect (magnetic isolation) through an inner soft iron container enveloping the entire movement. The case features the typical Rolex revolving bezel. Early examples mounted a black insert with “Submariner-style” graphics, which will soon be modified with the dagger markers typical of the Milgauss models.
A curious detail of this reference is the lugs width: it is slightly narrower than the canon 20 mm., thus preventing the attachment of a bracelet.

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