Prestigious Wristwatches

Hotel Richemond, Geneva, Mar 31, 2001

LOT 540

Rolex Oyster Perpetual "Milgauss", Superlative Chronometer, Officially Certified, Ref. 1019. Production of this reference started in 1966.Very fine, water-resistant to 50 m., center-seconds, self-winding, stainless steel gentleman's wristwatch. Accompanied by a stainless steel Oyster bracelet.

CHF 15,000 - 18,000

USD 9,000 - 11,000

Sold: CHF 18,400

C. three-body, polished and brushed, screwed-down case back and crown, anti-magnetic protecting cap.D. matte silver with tritium-coated steel indexes. "Bâton" tritium-coated steel hands. M. Cal. 1580, rhodium-plated, 26 jewels, lever escapement, monometallic balance adjusted to 5 positions and temperature, antishock system, self-compensating Breguet balance-spring.Dial, case and movement signed.Diam. 37 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3 - 6 - 01

Notes

The name: "Milgaus", combines "Mil", meaning "mille" (a thousand), and "Gaus", for the unit of measure of magnetism. A normal movement can withstand up to 70-80 Gaus, but over that its working order would be compromised. Most good watches resist magnetic fields of 60 to 70 Gauss, but the "Milgauss" keeps its astounding precision in magnetic fields up to 1000 Gauss, which were intolerable conditions for all. Yet with its dial, ring and the cover of its movement in soft iron -a true "Oyster"- Rolecreated a model which brilliantly resolved the problem.Carl Friedrich Gauss, German Astronomer, Mathematician and Physicist (1777 - 1855).Author of important works on celestial mechanics, geodesy, magnetism, electromagnetism and optics. His modern conception of the abstract nature of mathematics allowed him to extend the field of the theory of numbers. He was the first to discover the non-Euclidean hyperbolic geometry. Gauss - magnetic induction unit, symbol g in the C.G.S. system.