Rolex

The Rolex Milgauss was designed to meet the demands of the scientific community and is capable of withstanding magnetic fields of up to 1,000 gauss.

The reliability and precision of an ordinary mechanical watch can be affected by a magnetic field of 50 to 100 gauss.

But many scientists are exposed to much higher magnetic fields during the course of their work. Rolex’s solution was the Milgauss — the first watch of its kind.

Hence the name of the watch, mille being French for thousand. The Milgauss became known notably as the watch worn

by scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva.

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (Organisation européenne pour la recherche nucléaire ), known as CERN;

derived from the name Conseil européen pour la recherche nucléaire ), is a European research organization that operates

the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, the organization is based in a northwest suburb of

Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border and has 22 member states.

Rolex and CERN, the world’s pre-eminent particle physics laboratory, have had an association since the 1950s.

In 1956, Rolex developed a watch to solve the problem of magnetic fields disrupting mechanical watches; the Milgauss was designed to withstand interference of up to 1,000 gauss.

Rolex asked CERN’s scientists to test the watch and they were able to confirm its magnetic resistance thanks to a patented shield protecting the movement.

Today, more than 60 years on, Rolex continues to partner CERN by supporting its scientific conferences and outreach events.