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While the rarity of these earlier Milgauss references gives them a truly magnetic allure for collectors, these watches also pack in some ridiculously cool technological innovations that make them historically important. And if you’re asking us, they’re some of the most handsome and subtly unique watches Rolex ever produced.
The specific Milgauss example our CEO Cam Barr analyzes in this installment is a reference 1019 from 1972, and while Cam outright refused to wear the lab coat we bought him from a Spirit Halloween in a Van Nuys stripmall for this episode, these watches were designed to be used by scientists! It’s difficult to stress how important accurate timing is to every aspect of scientific studies and the Milgauss was designed to overcome a key problem with mechanical watches worn on the wrists of scientists working in environments that exposed their watches to high levels of magnetism – which any watch collector will tell you can wreak havoc on a mechanical movement.
The Milgauss references were developed in conjunction with CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, to be used by nuclear scientists working around serious magnetic fields. These watches, including the ‘70s reference 1019 we’re looking at here, feature a substantially thicker dial and have their movements cleverly cradled in what’s known as a Faraday Cage – an invention that protects those little mechanical marvels from the rigors of electromagnetic fields. While the ref. 1019 has a slightly more muted appearance than its predecessors (which had sharp “honeycomb” dials and that signature “lightning bolt” seconds hand), it’s got a certain “all business” appeal that we can’t get enough of! It’s a watch that wasn’t a commercial success in-period (perhaps due to how specialized it was and the added cost of those innovations), but is highly sought after by collectors today. Beyond being just a rare and important watch, the 1019 we’re looking at in this episode happens to be one of the cleanest ones we’ve ever seen! So clean, its next owner may want to consider wearing that lab coat after all!
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