Rolex - The New York Watch Auction: SIX New York Saturday, June 11, 2022 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1979
    Reference No: 1019
    Movement No: M'712'519
    Case No: 6'159'055
    Model Name: Milgauss
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, max length 210mm
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp
    Signed: Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed.
    Accessories: Accompanied by original Rolex punched guarantee paper, Rolex calendar card for 1991 and 1992, Rolex guarantee booklet, Rolex Oyster product literature booklet, hangtag, medallion, inner presentation box, and outer box.

  • Catalogue Essay

    The Milgauss is the result of a direct collaboration between Rolex and the Geneva-based nuclear-research organization, CERN - Centre Européen de Recherche Nucléaire (European Organization for Nuclear Research). Their aim was to develop a wristwatch that could withstand intense magnetic fields and thus be worn by the CERN engineers and laboratory workers constantly in highly magnetic environments.

    The result was the Milgauss, deriving its name from the Latin “mille” meaning a thousand, and “Gauss” representing the unit measure for magnetism, deriving its name from German mathematician and physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss. In the early 1960s, the newly introduced Rolex Milgauss reference 1019, like the present lot, replaced the original two versions: references 6541 and 6543. Significantly thinner than its predecessors, it was manufactured until 1990 and was available only in stainless steel.

    The present watch is fitted with a flawless black matte dial that permits the desirable red “Milgauss” text at 12 o’clock to vividly stand out. An exceptional and complete example preserved in outstanding condition, it retains all its sharp edges and bevels. The presence of the original Rolex sticker on the case back illustrates that this watch has never been worn.

    Found in new-old-stock condition, the present reference 1019 retains all of its original accessories, nearly exactly how it left the factory in the 1970s. A superb find for the assiduous collector of vintage timepieces.

    PROPERTY OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER

  • 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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Ref. 1019
A “new old stock” stainless steel anti-magnetic wristwatch with bracelet, factory caseback sticker, guarantee, and presentation box

Circa 1979
Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed.

Estimate
$25,000 - 50,000 
CHF24,400-48,800
€23,400-46,800
HK$196,000-392,000
S$34,400-68,800

Sold for $69,300

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros

Head of Watches, Americas

+1 (212) 940-1293

WatchesNY@Phillips.com

 

Isabella Proia

Head of Sale, New York

+1 (212) 940 1285

iproia@phillips.com

The New York Watch Auction: SIX

New York Auction 11-12 June 2022