The Rolex Milgauss 116400GV has three features that are hard to copy: a green sapphire crystal, a caliber 3131 movement rated to 1,000 gauss, and no date window. Most replicas miss at least one of the three. Check the crystal edge, the rehaut engraving, the seconds hand, and the movement.
Genuine 116400GV specs
- 40 mm Oystersteel case, about 13 mm thick
- Caliber 3131, automatic, 28,800 vph, 48-hour power reserve
- Magnetic resistance rated to 1,000 gauss (80,000 A/m)
- Green sapphire crystal, GV stands for Glace Verte
- No date, no cyclops, no display case back
- 100 m water resistance, Oyster bracelet with 5 mm Easylink
- Discontinued by Rolex in 2023
The crystal is the first check
On the 116400GV the green sits inside the sapphire. Look at the crystal at an angle. The rim shows a green line that follows the full circle, and the center stays clear. A replica uses a green film on top of a clear crystal, or a green gasket under the glass. A film scratches and flakes. If a scratch shows clear sapphire under the green, the crystal is coated. Gasket copies show a green ring at the case edge with no green in the glass itself.
Dial and hand tells
No date window. No cyclops. A Milgauss with a date is not a Milgauss. The seconds hand is a lightning bolt in orange. Genuine: three sharp zigzag segments, thin body, flat tips. Copies: thicker hand, blunt tips, uneven bolt angles. MILGAUSS sits in orange above 6 o'clock. Lume is blue Chromalight on the hands and hour markers. Replica lume is green or weak.
The rehaut, the inner ring, carries ROLEXROLEXROLEX around the dial. Each repetition centers on a minute marker. Copies show shallow cuts, uneven spacing, and a seam at 12 o'clock.
Case, bracelet, and markings
Genuine case backs are solid steel. A sapphire display back means the watch is not a Rolex. Case thickness runs near 13 mm. Many replicas run 14 mm or more. Lug width is 20 mm. The model and serial number sit between the lugs at 12 and 6 o'clock. A laser-etched coronet sits inside the crystal at 6 o'clock. Copies etch it too deep. Genuine etching is faint and shows at an angle.
Movement
Caliber 3131 uses a blue Parachrom hairspring, a nickel-phosphorus escape wheel, and an amagnetic pallet fork. A soft iron inner case adds shielding. Most replicas run an ETA 2824 clone or a Seagull ST2130. Those movements hold 100 to 200 gauss. A watchmaker with a timing machine can read beat rate and amplitude. A gauss test reads magnetic resistance.
Market and legal notes
The 116400GV came with a black dial (116400GV-0001) and a blue dial (116400GV-0002). Rolex stopped production in 2023. Trade in counterfeit watches is illegal in the United States under 18 U.S.C. 2320, and CBP can seize shipments. First copy is a trade term, not a Rolex grade.