The subject of this iteration of Borro Benchmarks, the Rolex Milgauss watch is unusual in that it does not have much of a history. Debuting in the productive 1950s, the Anti-magnetic technology that defines the family today was not initially treated as a defining characteristic in its own right, rather it was simply a feature added to the Oyster Perpetual range.
In light of that, the absence of the now-iconic lightning bolt seconds hand in the earliest models makes sense – when Rolex announced their new ‘scientists’ watch’ they weren’t announcing a new family, merely a feature.
As a result, the early examples are a really interesting, hotchpotch bunch of curiosities that are ideally nuanced enough to whet any aspiring collector’s appetite.
Add to that the fact the Rolex Milgauss family was ignominiously dumped from the Rolex catalogue in 1988, and remained a forgotten friend until its 2007 revival, you have a pot-holed, fascinating, and instantly absorbing backstory.
