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Milgauss · 1956 to 1960 · Discontinued · Vintage
“Original Milgauss”
Not ranked: too few recorded sales
Market range is an estimate from dealer and auction pricing: too few recorded eBay sales to set it.
Average market price for an example in excellent condition. Dashed line marks the 1957 retail price.
The very first Milgauss, made for scientists and engineers (CERN staff among them) who needed a watch that would keep time near strong magnetic fields.
It introduced the lightning-bolt seconds hand that the modern Milgauss revived decades later, and some examples have a honeycomb-textured dial.
Very few were made because, as it turned out, scientists did not buy many expensive watches. That commercial failure is exactly what makes it a grail now.
Original examples rarely appear outside major auctions, and original honeycomb-dial examples are especially prized.
Our verdict: The scientist's grail. A six-figure-plus watch where originality is the whole price.
| Sizes | 38mm |
|---|---|
| Case & bracelet | Oystersteel (stainless) |
| Factory bracelet | Oyster |
| Factory bezels | Rotating bezel with graduations |
| Notable dials | Black, some with honeycomb pattern; CERN-issue dials without lume (extremely rare) |
| Caliber | 1066M |
| Production | 1956 to 1960 (discontinued) |