Rolex Milgauss 116400 History
Long adored by scientists and tech-savvy collectors, the Rolex Milgauss drew attention from watch enthusiasts after its discontinuation in 2023. This “mad scientist” timepiece, known for its lightning-bolt seconds hand and anti-magnetic prowess, saw resale prices surge from a $9,300 MSRP to well over $13,000 virtually overnight after the news that Rolex had stopped its production.
Originally produced in 1956 for the geniuses at CERN, the Rolex Milgauss was built to withstand magnetic fields up to 1,000 gauss (hence “mille-gauss”).
After a long hiatus from 1988 until 2007, Rolex stunned Baselworld attendees by resurrecting this niche model just as the Large Hadron Collider was being completed. The comeback brought vintage science heritage into the 21st century, with Rolex unveiling the Milgauss in contemporary 40 mm form, including a special 50th-anniversary edition featuring an unprecedented green-tinted sapphire crystal (glace verte, GV).
The unexpected farewell cast a spotlight on the Milgauss's two modern incarnations: the classic, ref. 116400, and its green-crystal sibling, ref. 116400GV.
Design and Custom Features
At first glance, both the Milgauss 116400 and 116400GV cut a distinctive profile that sets them apart from any other Rolex.
They share a robust 40 mm Oystersteel case with a smooth domed bezel and the solid heft of a tool watch, yet they gleam with polished surfaces that remind you that this is indeed a luxury object. On the wrist, the Milgauss exudes an unexpected mix of seriousness and whimsy—a scientist’s instrument on the inside, but a statement piece on the outside.
Central to this playfulness is the bright orange, zig-zag lightning bolt seconds hand. All Milgauss variants feature this quirky seconds hand, sweeping around the dial as a constant nod to the watch’s electrifying theme.
In another unconventional twist for Rolex, the outer minute track uses tinted Arabic numerals at 5-minute intervals, emphasizing legibility and precision. From the front, both the 116400 and 116400GV appear as handsome, somewhat sporty Rolex Oysters; from the side, one notices a slightly thicker case profile to accommodate the anti-magnetic shielding within. Even around back there’s a surprise: unlike most Rolexes with plain casebacks, the Milgauss has engraved text on its caseback denoting the model – a small detail collectors love as a break from Rolex tradition.
Rolex 116400 vs 116400GV: Differences
The differences between the standard 116400 and the 116400GV are largely aesthetic, but they are significant. The ref. 116400 was offered with either a glossy black dial or an opaque white dial, both topped by a conventional clear sapphire crystal. The black dial version features luminescent white hour indices (with the 3, 6, 9 o’clock markers subtly colored orange) and an orange seconds track around the perimeter, giving it a sporty flair despite the otherwise classic look. The white dial variant, meanwhile, is perhaps the most radical departure for Rolex – its luminous hour markers are bold blocks of orange, matching the eccentric seconds hand, resulting in a striking high-contrast look. On either dial, the name “MILGAUSS” is printed in vibrant orange text, lest one forget this watch’s unique identity.
By comparison, the ref. 116400GV (GV indicating the green crystal) initially came with a black dial similar to the standard version’s, but the combination of the green-tinted crystal and that dial’s orange markers created what some may consider a busy-looking dial. In 2014 Rolex added the stunning “Z-Blue” dial option to the GV, a metallic electric-blue dial that, under the green sapphire, gives off a turquoise shine unlike anything else in Rolex’s lineup.
Between the Z-Blue and black GV dials, the ever-present orange lightning hand, and the green halo of the crystal, the Milgauss GV models stand out as perhaps the most whimsical pieces ever to emerge from the otherwise orthodox Rolex design studio. It’s a testament to Rolex’s confidence that these daring colorways were not only produced, but kept in the catalog for years.
Complementing the dials, both references come on the Rolex Oyster bracelet with polished center links – adding a bit of dressy shine to an otherwise utilitarian watch. Overall, the design of the Milgauss walks a tightrope between being a high-tech tool and a conversation piece, making it a true outlier in the Rolex family.
Rolex Milgauss Anti-Magnetism
Under the hood, the 116400 and 116400GV are mechanically identical, built to Rolex’s famously exacting standards. Both are powered by Rolex’s in-house Caliber 3131 automatic movement, a 31-jewel chronometer-grade engine known for its robust accuracy and specialized anti-magnetic features.
To achieve the Milgauss’s core mission of resisting magnetic fields, Rolex employed a two-pronged approach. First, the movement itself includes anti-magnetic components (such as the Parachrom hairspring made from a niobium-zirconium alloy and escape wheels made of nickel-phosphorus) that are fundamentally insensitive to magnetism. Second, the entire movement is shielded by a soft-iron Faraday cage inside the Oyster case, which redistributes and neutralizes electromagnetic charges before they can interfere with timekeeping, giving it the 1,000 gauss namesake.
The anti-magnetic cage and slightly thicker 904L steel case do make the Milgauss a bit chunkier than a standard Datejust or Submariner, but it remains very wearable and not overly bulky on average wrists.
Rolex Milgauss Crown and Caseback
The case measures 40 mm in diameter and is roughly 13 mm thick. It is rated water-resistant to 100 m (330 ft), which is standard for Rolex professional models. The crystal on the 116400GV, despite its green tint, is just as tough as any other Rolex sapphire: scratch-resistant and fade-proof, with the color infused throughout the material rather than applied as a coating.
In terms of tactile quality, both references feature the screw-down Twinlock crown and screw-in caseback, ensuring that the watch is as sealed from dust and magnetism as it is from water. The Oyster bracelet, known for its solid links and comfortable fit, adds to the impression of a watch that is both sophisticated and indestructible – equally at home under a lab coat or peeking from a suit cuff.
Rolex 116400 vs 116400GV Prices
When it comes to pricing and rarity, the Milgauss story has been full of twists. At retail, the Milgauss has always been positioned in the upper mid-tier of Rolex’s sports watch range. It is not the priciest, but not entry-level either.
Back in the late 2000s, a brand-new Milgauss 116400 or GV was priced around $6,000–$7,000, creeping upward with each Rolex price increase. In the 2010s, it hovered in the high $7,000 to low $8,000 range, and by 2023 the official retail price for a Milgauss (all of which were by then 116400GV models) was about $9,300.
Notably, Rolex did not charge an enormous premium for the GV’s green sapphire. The price difference between the standard 116400 and the 116400GV was fairly small at retail, often just a few hundred dollars, even though the GV was harder to find at boutiques. In essence, choosing the GV was more about taste than budget.
On the secondary market, however, value dynamics flipped over time. For many years the Milgauss was something of a sleeper in the Rolex lineup: it wasn’t produced in large volumes, and demand was modest. As a result, it remained one of the few stainless steel Rolex models that could be bought pre-owned at or even below its retail price, a stark contrast to hot models like the Daytona or Submariner that traded for multiples over the retail price. Collectors who loved the Milgauss appreciated this relative bargain, while others simply overlooked the model.
This low production and sales volume from 2007 to 2022 has a silver lining for collectors today: rarity. Since the discontinuation news, prices for the Milgauss have spiked sharply. A watch that was once “under the radar” is now front and center on auction sites and dealer listings and has a market price much higher than before, depending on the model.
Final Thoughts
Culturally and historically, the Milgauss occupies a special place in the Rolex pantheon. It’s the watch that symbolically bridged the gap between the laboratory and the boardroom, bringing scientific heritage into a luxury context.
The very fact that Rolex kept the Milgauss in production for over a decade, with its eccentric styling, shows a recognition that there’s a market for timepieces that aren’t just status symbols, but conversation pieces.
In a world where many Rolex buyers gravitate to the same iconic Submariners and GMT Masters, choosing a Milgauss is a statement of individualism. It signals that the wearer is, as one collector put it, definitely a “watch person.” There’s an authenticity to the Milgauss’s appeal—it was never the obvious choice, but rather the connoisseur’s choice.
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