Rolex - The Hong Kong Watch Auction: EIGHT Hong Kong Monday, May 27, 2019 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: 1958
    Reference No: 6541, repeated in the inner caseback with IV.1958
    Movement No: N751’980
    Case No: 412’043
    Model Name: Milgauss
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1065, 25 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster riveted bracelet stamped 6636, endlinks stamped 65, max length 190mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster deployant clasp stamped 2.59
    Dimensions: 38mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
    Literature: For another example of a reference 6541 with honeycomb dial and "lightning flash" hand, please see 100 Superlative Rolex Watches, by John Goldberger, pp. 224 - 225

  • Catalogue Essay

    Exquisite and exceedingly rare — the present example is indisputably one of the scarcest and finest Rolex models to ever grace the market. Rolex released the very first Milgauss, the ref. 6541, in 1956. As a matter of fact, the Milgauss was the manufacturer’s response to the increasing demand for wristwatches that could resist high magnetic fields in electro-industrial environments.

    Most impressively, the Milgauss was guaranteed to resist magnetic fields up to 1,000 oersted. The name Milgauss is derived from the Latin word mille, which means 1,000, and gauss, the unit of a magnetic field. The Milgauss overcomes the effects of magnetic fields by using anti-magnetic alloys and an iron movement cover to create a Faraday cage.

    The present example, created in 1958, is one of the earliest reference 6541 produced. The most prominent feature of the watch is its unusual and awe-inspiring seconds hand in the shape of a lightning bolt. Giving the watch an unmistakable appearance, the present watch is fitted with a wondrously beautiful and exceedingly rare black “Honeycomb” dial, with circular hour markers and faceted triangular indexes at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock.

    Adding another element of collectability, the watch also includes a rotating bezel with a red-colored triangle and a honeycomb-patterned dial. The present example features an extremely well preserved case with sharp lines and beveled edges, and is by all means a superb example of this highly coveted reference.

  • Artist Biography

    Rolex

    Swiss • 1905

    Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.

    One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.

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1151

Ref. 6541, repeated in the inner caseback with IV.1958
An early, exceedingly rare and highly attractive anti-magnetic stainless steel wristwatch with black honeycomb dial, flash seconds hand and bracelet

1958
38mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and clasp signed

Estimate
HK$2,300,000 - 4,000,000 
€259,000-451,000
$295,000-513,000

Sold for HK$1,750,000

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
thomasperazzi@phillips.com
+852 2318 2001

The Hong Kong Watch Auction: EIGHT

Hong Kong Auction 28 May 2019