It just bolsters the concept that exceptional watches are in very high demand

“It takes time for attention to crystallize and subsequently show a new market value,” Lijfering said. “A result like this does have an impact over time, but it doesn’t change the market dramatically in an instant.”Shear added that he got about a dozen calls in the few days after the sale, from clients looking to sell their vintage Milgauss. He says we can probably expect more Milgausses on the market over the next few months as owners see it as an opportunity to cash in.

“It doesn’t change the market for me in any way,” Shear said. “It just bolsters the concept that exceptional replica watches are in very high demand. And Rolex is buying exceptional watches at auction, which is nice to hear.” More on what might be next for the Milgauss in a moment.In 1960, Rolex retired the 6541 for the Milgauss 1019. Produced until the late 1980s, it became one of the brand’s longest-lived references, even if it wasn’t the most popular. Like the 6541, the steel case of the 1019 measures 38mm, and the caliber 1580 is housed inside an inner soft iron Faraday cage. But the 1019 is no doubt more staid than the 6541: it loses the rotating bezel, honeycomb dial, and, sadly, the lightning bolt hand. 

Most commonly, you’ll see it with a silver dial with vertical brushing or a matte black dial, though there was some variation over the years, as we’ll see. Rolex also made silver dials without lume, placing black enamel in its place – these were made for CERN, so they’re referred to as CERN dials, with the tritium lume removed, so there wasn’t any radioactivity.“The earlier the better,” Shear omega replica said of the 1019’s collectibility. “Early CERN dials with black enamel markers and hands are fascinating when in nice condition. So are all-original early black dials.” But Shear emphasized again that condition should be prioritized above rarity.