The Rolex Milgauss: unloved but why?
Hans Wilsdorf had an idea, a great idea, he wanted to put a watch on every person’s wrist who performed a task where time played a crucial part. If you were a pilot you wore a GMT Master to track different time zones but if you were a diver then a Submariner would the best choice as you could match the bezel with the minute hand to understand the elapsed time in water. Then there was the Explorer which was a clear choice for expeditions in extreme conditions and if you were a racer then the Daytona was the one to have, with this unique approach Rolex covered almost every professional out there, and let's face it who doesn't want to feel like a diver, pilot or race driver? this
strategy was the foundation of Rolex success. Although all of these professions were exciting (because they include a bit of danger or a lot) there was one still missing : the scientist. It might not be a 'métier' as sexy as a F1 driver but it still required precise timekeeping. At the time (still today) magnetism is considered a villain among watches, magnetism will not allow the inners of a watch to work properly and the results can be of accelerating or slowing down the time displayed. The solution was to mount a cage or shield inside the Oyster case and redirect the electric charge without affecting the time keeping. The result was Milgauss (mil for a thousand and gauss which is the unit to measure magnetic flux density), a sports watch for the scientist community. To be honest this watch is F"%@£$ awesome! if you look at the current Rolex line up this is probably their craziest watch, I got mine in white with orange accents and of course that bolt second hand which references its unique properties with magnetism. Rolex is know for being conservative and keeping things simple by evolving them, but the Milgauss has received many changes over the decades including green tinted glasses, white dials, rotating bezels and sunburst dials! This watch (at least for me) is perfect, its balance, no date for the purists and probably with the best history to back it up, plus how many Submariners or GMTs (I have one) are out there? for me this is the best unloved watch from the Rolex catalogue, the question is open and I still don't know why.