6541 Milgauss

[bertieng]

Wonder if anyone has gone thro' a super franken 6541. Seems that no much has been dicussed on this model as compared to the Daytona/GMT frankens. Is it very hard to build yet the watch looks pretty simple with the normal h.m.s. hands construction only.

Or is it the gen. is so expensive that it is not convincing that you will see one wearing on the street?

[freddy333]

Actually, I believe there have been numerous threads detailing members' attempts at building/modding this model. But, due to the complexity of the case structure & dial details (getting a dial with the correct 'weave'), most of these attempts (in my opinion) have come up short. Here is a proper gen for reference

[Nanuq]

Is that a reverse printed clear Bakelite insert?

[freddy333]

Yup. Cool huh?

[tmg]

Good point Bertieng, I don't think I've seen any members with the Vietnamese based reps just MBW 6541's. I seem to recall Jojo and XRT having nicely modded examples.

[JoJo35]

Mine was XRT's, which I had bought from him. I improved by modding but have since sold it.

[TeeJay]

I can only speak for myself on this subject, but personally speaking, while I think the watch looks awesome, the lack of lume on the hands would make it totally impractical to my personal requirements, compared to the hands of a Submariner, so I wonder if maybe others might feel the same, which might account for a lack of examples shown?

[docblackrock]

I can only speak for myself on this subject, but personally speaking, while I think the watch looks awesome, the lack of lume on the hands would make it totally impractical to my personal requirements, compared to the hands of a Submariner, so I wonder if maybe others might feel the same, which might account for a lack of examples shown?

If you're using the 'lack of lume' as a rationale to avoid the 6541, then you're really not one for vintage accuracy. "Practical" is not a usual consideration as the highly questionable dial legibility of the otherwise cool retro-looking 1655 will attest. Ask Nanuq if he can read under the bedcovers by the light of his gen 1665's lume.

The 'Gaussy hands didn't need mere tritium lume, those Dauphine beauties were easy to read in the dark anyway. If you were one of the 23 or so people worldwide that actually bought a 6541 when new, then you worked in some underground lair surrounded by copper coils the size of houses, an ID badge that turned red with time, and were subjected to a daily scrub down with wire brushes by a couple of men called Hank and Duke in a makeshift shower tent on your way out of the facility.

The 6541 is unpopular because as Freddy says it's a [censored] to put together a decent project, gen parts are rarer than unicorn's teeth, and design-wise, like its 1655 nephew, it's a bit of an "acquired taste". I have a Silix/CWP hybrid rep, in fact it's the only cheapie vintage rep I have in my collection and is currently awaiting a new crystal.

[TeeJay]

If you're using the 'lack of lume' as a rationale to avoid the 6541, then you're really not one for vintage accuracy. "Practical" is not a usual consideration as the highly questionable dial legibility of the otherwise cool retro-looking 1655 will attest. Ask Nanuq if he can read under the bedcovers by the light of his gen 1665's lume.

The 'Gaussy hands didn't need mere tritium lume, those Dauphine beauties were easy to read in the dark anyway. If you were one of the 23 or so people worldwide that actually bought a 6541 when new, then you worked in some underground lair surrounded by copper coils the size of houses, an ID badge that turned red with time, and were subjected to a daily scrub down with wire brushes by a couple of men called Hank and Duke in a makeshift shower tent on your way out of the facility.

The 6541 is unpopular because as Freddy says it's a bitch to put together a decent project, gen parts are rarer than unicorn's teeth, and design-wise, like its 1655 nephew, it's a bit of an "acquired taste". I have a Silix/CWP hybrid rep, in fact it's the only cheapie vintage rep I have in my collection and is currently awaiting a new crystal.

I'm not one for accuracy full stop, Doc, I'd've thought that was understood by now

Sure as a collection piece, it's certainly a nice watch, and I can understand it being an acquired taste, but from a personal point of view, I like to be able to read the time easily from dial lume, or at least luminous hands. I seem to remember there being a link to a similar watch on eBay within the past week or so, and I liked the look of it, from an aesthetic point of view, it just wouldn't have met my own needs, so it never struck me as one I would want to add to the collection

[docblackrock]

Teejay, why do you need lume to be able to read the time? Do you have XP or are you a vampire?

[TeeJay]

Teejay, why do you need lume to be able to read the time? Do you have XP or are you a vampire?

If I was a vampire, I wouldn't need lume to be able to read the time in the dark

The truth of the matter, is that my eyes are quite sensitive to bright light, so turning on a bedside light at 3 AM to read the time, is not only potentially disturbing for my wife, but also very painful for me, so it's much easier all round, if I wear a watch with a luminous hands and dial

[Edit to add]

In recent years, my eyes have become increasingly sensitive to bright light, and I now have to wear sunglasses if traveling by car at night, to prevent the oncoming lights hurting my eyes.

[docblackrock]

The truth of the matter, is that my eyes are quite sensitive to bright light, so turning on a bedside light at 3 AM to read the time, is not only potentially disturbing for my wife, but also very painful for me, so it's much easier all round, if I wear a watch with a luminous hands and dial

Ok, but I'm still confused as to how you'd see your lumed dial and hands at 3am without turning on a light anyway? Even SL needs to be activated by photons, and even then the glow will only last for a short period of time anyway.

Since you have eyesight problems, here's a recommendation or two. For late-night blurry-eyed 'what time is it' moments, I have small Lexon bedside travel clock which has a nice blue but faint reverse LCD display when you touch it. Also for late-night bathroom visits, we have a series of red xenon bulbs installed alongside the white spots, normally used to preserve pilot's night vision and is superb at not waking anyone up too much or causing that painful effect. Nicked the idea (and supplier) from a fantastic hotel we stayed at in Barcelona a few years back. Helps though if you have an internal bathroom, to avoid awkward looks from the neighbours

[TeeJay]

To address each in turn

Ok, but I'm still confused as to how you'd see your lumed dial and hands at 3am without turning on a light anyway? Even SL needs to be activated by photons, and even then the glow will only last for a short period of time anyway.

I charge the lume from an LED torch immediately before retiring, so although maybe not 'lightsaber bright', it is still visible through till dawn

Since you have eyesight problems, here's a recommendation or two. For late-night blurry-eyed 'what time is it' moments, I have small Lexon bedside travel clock which has a nice blue but faint reverse LCD display when you touch it. Also for late-night bathroom visits, we have a couple of red bulbs installed alongside the white spots, normally used to preserve pilot's night vision and is superb at not waking you up too much or causing that painful effect. Nicked the idea from a fantastic hotel we stayed at in Barcelona a few years back. Helps though if you have an internal bathroom, to avoid awkward looks from the neighbours

Thanks for the suggestions One of the things I have done, is put strips of luminous tape around the skirting boards in the bathroom. The house is never pitch black dark, but that just gives a little extra guidance

[TeeJay]

Actually, there is something about the Milgauss which I don't understand, and wondered if anyone could shed light on...

With the insert markings, is there a reason why they only have 1,2,3,4,5 markings, rather than the 10,20,30,40,50 minute markers on Subs/SDs?

[freddy333]

Like you, I do not know the purpose/usage of the 1-5 indicators on the inserts for the 3rd version of the 6541. This numbering is especially curious considering that the initial 2 versions of the 6541 were fitted with early Sub inserts similar to this (sorry, I do not have a pic of an early 6541 handy)

[TeeJay]

Like you, I do not know the purpose/usage of the 1-5 indicators on the inserts for the 3rd version of the 6541. This numbering is especially curious considering that the initial 2 versions of the 6541 were fitted with early Sub inserts similar to this (sorry, I do not have a pic of an early 6541 handy)

It's strange, as at least on a Sub/SD, the breakdown corresponds to the 'tens' in an hour, but on the Milgauss, it doesn't seem to have any correlation...

[Ronin]

I think it is a aesthetic thing. If you are a lab rat scientist, you can multiply by 10 and thus 1 becomes 10, 5 becomes 50.

The watch was for nerds/geeks of the day. Set it apart from a Sub.

My theory and I am stickin to it.

[TeeJay]

I think it is a aesthetic thing. If you are a lab rat scientist, you can multiply by 10 and thus 1 becomes 10, 5 becomes 50.

The watch was for nerds/geeks of the day. Set it apart from a Sub.

My theory and I am stickin to it.

Now that, is a good theory

[JoJo35]

The fake 6541 is back on the 'bay. That watch is so poor, the only thing it could possibly be good for is the movement

[Jkay]

docblackrock sez:

Ok, but I'm still confused as to how you'd see your lumed dial and hands at 3am without turning on a light anyway? Even SL needs to be activated by photons, and even then the glow will only last for a short period of time anyway.

Even the standard "rep lume" on my DSSDv5 glows ***all night*** and can be read easily in a dark room after 6 hours. I leave it under the desk lamp for 15 minutes so it's charged up and then it's good all night. No lie. I woke up at 4am once and read it plainly in the dark.

[freddy333]

I believe the purpose for fitting the Sub bezel/insert was for lab techs to be able to measure the time spent in hazardous areas. But, geeks or not, I am at a loss as to how they intended the later insert to be used.

[docblackrock]

I believe the purpose for fitting the Sub bezel/insert was for lab techs to be able to measure the time spent in hazardous areas. But, geeks or not, I am at a loss as to how they intended the later insert to be used.

Ah you see that's my own theory (time elapsed) about the later 1,2,3 etc. bezel.

1 = 1 hour exposure, maybe a little lethargy at the end of the day

2 = 2 hrs, lacking in energy and slight loss of appetite

3............. bit of hair in the bathroom sink and greying complexion

4............. some GI issues, bit of blood at both ends, and your pet goldfish could be renamed "Blinky"

5............. you don't need no lume on your 6541, you've a 'glow' all of your own

[bertieng]

Very interesting remarks, folks.

6541 to me still remains as a legend and mysterious.

It is just amazing to see the market price of it. I think is amongst the top league in the vintage range, even higher than the 1st gen. DRSD. Maybe this watch is just so rare if still in good conditions.

Wearing it on the street may just be not convincing at all. It should be sitting in the bank's security safe with perfect climate controls.

[freddy333]

Very few 6541s were ever sold, which is why Rolex ceased production in '86 & by then they were only producing a relative handful each year. With such a rare (valuable) watch, I think it is pretty unrealistic to expect to see them worn on the streets.

[TeeJay]

Very few 6541s were ever sold, which is why Rolex ceased production in '86 & by then they were only producing a relative handful each year. With such a rare (valuable) watch, I think it is pretty unrealistic to expect to see them worn on the streets.

Maybe they would have been more popular, if they'd had the lumed hands If I was in an AD, and saw a 6541 sitting next to a 1680, I know which I would choose