The Rolex Milgauss was never the brand’s most popular watch, but it has a very special place in its history. Launched in 1954, it was the first Rolex watch to shield a movement from magnetic fields.
The first Rolex Milgauss models were the ref. 6543 and 6541. They could be easily mistaken for a Submariner at a glance, because of the rotating bezel, black dial, and Oyster bracelet.
Rolex replaced the first two models in the 1970s with the ref 1019; and the design details of the original Milgauss were changed. The ref 1019 never really found it’s footing, and in 1988, Rolex discontinued the Milgauss.
In 2007, Rolex surprised everyone at Baselworld with the return of the anti-magnetic Rolex Milgauss. Known for making small, evolutionary changes to their timepieces, Rolex created a splash with a playful, unexpected design.
For debut of the modern Milgauss ref 116400, Rolex offered three different versions: a white dial version, a black dial version, and an anniversary version with a blue dial. The first two models feature a choice between a white and a black dial. Rolex went back to the unique lightning bolt shape for the seconds hand and replaced what would have been a clinical polished stainless steel with a bright orange hand. The minutes track and hour markers received the same bright orange. The result was a look that’s clean but far from boring. In 2014, Rolex released an even more colorful version of the modern Milgauss – the Z-Blue dial, named such for its electric blue dial coated with Zirconium. Unlike classic blue watches made by Rolex, the metallic blue dial tends to veer towards green depending on how the light hits it.
Rolex eventually discontinued the non-GV Milguass models and currently produces the black and Z-blue 116400GV models.
