It’s January, the year is 1956, you are a scientist working at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research but you notice your Rolex Oyster Perpetual that was presented to you appears to stick, time-keeping is poor. In steps the Milgauss; high anti-magnetism, Swiss accuracy, and a lightening bolt second-hand, all encased in a sleek, stainless… Continue reading Week on the Wrist: Rolex Milgauss 116400

It’s January, the year is 1956, you are a scientist working at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research but you notice your Rolex Oyster Perpetual that was presented to you appears to stick, time-keeping is poor. In steps the Milgauss; high anti-magnetism, Swiss accuracy, and a lightening bolt second-hand, all encased in a sleek, stainless steel faraday cage case to help protect the movement.

Thus, the Milguass was born. With the ability to withstand mille (1,000 in French) gauss (the measurement of magnetic fields).

Welcome to the “Week on the Wrist’ series where I wear a watch for one week to gauge the initial reaction and inspect those finer details which one can easily overlook or not necessarily notice during that honeymoon period of purchasing a watch.

To set the premise, my wrist is 17cm in circumference; a little on the smaller side.

My initial reaction with placing this the Rolex Milgauss 116400 on my wrist was that the case sits prouder than I expected. However, I went into wearing this without (on purpose) looking at heights and I had assumed it would be larger then its baby brother, the Oyster Perpetual. The orange hour markers along with the orange lightning bolt second-handmade adds a great pop of colour against the white face.

As any Rolex, the polishing is phenomenal which is only enhanced by the polished bezel.

I would be very surprised if this was your first Rolex as everyone else seems to talk about the Datejust’s and Submariner’s of the world so this falls under the radar a bit more. It does not help that there tends to be a lot less on the secondary market.

As someone who is partial to science, I grew very fond of this as the backstory is great. Knowing that this watch can withstand stronger magnetic fields and a higher rate of shock movement, this could also be a great activity watch. It may be frowned upon but this, on a good rubber or other activity strap could be great for mountain biking if you were not necessarily enamored with the idea of wearing a Panerai or something with a slightly more precious movement.

This watch is very easy comfortable and more understated on the oyster bracelet. It is very easy to place on the wrist and the crown hard protrudes at all. The weight is nice but initially noticeable

There were a few comments from people in the circle of friends. Only one person knew it was a Milgauss. Others noticed the white dial, and one person thought it was an Oyster Perpetual. It seems that it is very much liked by the people, especially after involuntarily telling them the backstory

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, This is a timepiece that someone could wear all year round and not have any problems with at all; you would have to however be conscious of the polished center links as (unless you’re not bothered) they will show scratches.

There are a lot of little details which begs the wearer to look closer, the power reserve is excellent, and the clasp is solid. Not having the safety clasp was a concern of mine going into wearing this as I have had a bad experience with an older watch and a similar clasp which caught my pocket and opened.

I would personally have the white face as I believe that visually, it offers more. Whilst the black face GR reference numbers have the snazzy glass which is also a nice nod to the history, I feel it this watch should be seen as it is a great discussion and conversational piece.

Let me know your thoughts or if there is a watch you would like to send to us wear or you would like me to try, you can do this by contacting us on email at info@watchwisemarketplace.co.uk with the subject “Week on the Wrist” or commenting on our social media platforms.

Thank you for reading.