Ref. 6541An extremely rare, well-preserved and important amagnetic wristwatch with "lightning" center seconds, "no lumes" chocolate tropical honeycomb dial and presentation box
Manufacturer: Rolex
Year: Circa 1958
Reference No: 6541
Movement No: N699139
Case No: 412'424
Model Name: Milgauss
Material: Stainless steel
Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1055, 25 jewels, soft iron antimagnetic inner back, butterfly rotor
Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster riveted bracelet stamped "455B" to the endlink, max length 220mm
Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp stamped "3 66"
Dimensions: 38mm Diameter
Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex wooden presentation box and additional suede strap with stainless steel Rolex pin buckleThe present watch is representative of one of the unarguably scarcest and most sought-after Rolex models to ever grace the market. Released in 1956, reference 6541 targeted at a very specific - albeit at the time novel and growing - market: scientists, engineers and technicians working with high magnetic fields in electro-industrial environments or scientific facilities; indeed its iconic “lightning” seconds hand is an obvious nod to electromagnetism.
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.
It might well be one of the scarcest Rolex models as the intended market was indeed extremely restricted. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Rolex would not first produce the watches and then ship them to retailers, but rather the other way around: given demand for the watch was so low, Rolex would wait for retailers to place an appropriate amount of orders, and then would go on and produce the batch.
The present example, with caseback stamped IV.1958 indicating it was produced in the fourth quarter of 1958, is one of the earliest examples reference 6541 produced and presents a compendium of traits which will delight the collector. Any 6541’s dial - with its surprising honeycomb texture - is fascinating, but the present example well exceeds expectations. Not only it is perfectly preserved without marks or scratches to the surface, but it furthermore achieved an outstanding dark chocolate tropicalisation. Furthermore, even the few ultra-small oxidation dots that occurred over the years have somehow tropicalised and, instead of being dark as it usually happen, they sport a metallic coppery finish granting the dial, when viewed under the loupe, a hardly ever seen “copper stardust” effect.
Its case number 412’424 is consistent with other examples of the reference, as most appear to bear a 412’xxx serial number. An additional intriguing detail of this specimen can be found behind the lugs: five service marks have been hand-engraved behind both top lugs and the bottom left lug, and all apparently done by the same watchmaker given the similarity in their code: 28060VA, 41414VA, 1805VA, 8844VA, 15651VA
While extremely unusual to find such a mark on the outside of the case (normally, watchmakers etch the inside of the caseback - and indeed the present piece features two service marks to the back, but not sharing the same “style” of those behind the lugs), other examples of the reference are known with such peculiar engraving to the outside of their cases - see lot 112 in the Geneva Watch Auction XV in May 2022. A possible explanation could lie in the fact that such a professional timepiece might have been serviced locally at the institution where the owner worked, with the numbers to the outside coding some service (or regulation) information for quick reference.
Such a thesis is boosted by the fact that this watch is a non-luminous version of the model. Ref. 6541 is known with and - such as in this instance - without luminous hands/dial. Considered the intended operational environment of the piece (scientific laboratories and such) and the high radioactivity of radium-based luminous material of the time, it is speculated that no-lumes versions were reserved for technicians which needed no outside source of radiation during their work - such as CERN technicians.
