A Closer Look: The Rolex Milgauss Z-Blue Edition

The story behind the Milgauss begins with its striking lightning-bolt shaped seconds hand. It's one of the most recognizable and desirable features of the original anti-magnetic Rolex, and it’s what watch enthusiasts enjoy about the latest model too.

In my own experience with the Milgauss, I've noticed that not only is it beautiful in design, it's actually one of the most comfortable watches I've ever worn. This may be attributed to its case proportions and overall design. Another reason I've been drawn to the Milgauss recently is the fact that its one of the few Rolex watches that's aged well in terms of price. Keep reading to learn more about how the Milgauss got to where it is today.

The Milgauss reference 6541 was introduced all the way back in 1956, manufactured at the European Organization for Nuclear Research. It was tested by Switzerland's most brilliant minds to withstand magnetic fields of up to 1,00 guass.

In terms of updates, The Milgauss has received one major change when Rolex introduced the reference 1019 in the 1960s. This new watch presented quite a few modifications, it included a new smooth bezel, updated hands and new indexes, and a straight seconds hands ending in a red tip to compliment the red “Milgauss” line of text.

In 2007 Rolex made the brave decision to relaunch the Milgauss, almost 20 years after removing it from their catalogue. This was one of the most exciting changes Rolex has made to a watch. For the new model, reference 116400, Rolex went back to the lighting bolt shape for the seconds hand, and ditched the clean stainless steel for a bright orange hand. The minutes and hour markers received the same color change.

Then, in 2014, Rolex really blew our minds. For the first time ever, a Milgauss was selling not just at retail, but way above it. All because of that blue dial, which Rolex calls the Z-Blue.

I love how versatile this color is as its cool and casual without being too eccentric. Also love how depending on the light and angle, this watch can actually appear green. It's such an innovative design feature that certainly sets the Milgauss apart from the rest of the Rolex models.

From a practical standpoint picking a Milgauss is actually a very wise choice. It’s everything you expect from Rolex in terms of build. It’s made with extremely resistant steel, it’s waterproof to 100 meters, antimagnetic to at least 1,000 gauss, powered by a certified Superlative Chronometer movement; and, it's a very good looking timepiece.

The Z-Blue Milgauss is currently on sale for $15,850 and can be seen here or you can opt for the black dial version with orange indexes at three, six, and nine o’clock which can be seen here.