Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Akash Ambani spotted wearing Rolex

Akash Ambani, the Mumbai-based entrepreneur and heir to the Reliance Industries empire, was recently spotted wearing a Rolex Milgauss reference 116400 in Oystersteel — a watch that, amid the family's well-documented appetite for ultra-luxury, registers almost as an exercise in understatement.

The Rolex Milgauss ref. 116400 is the current production expression of a lineage dating back to 1956, when Rolex developed the original Milgauss at the request of scientists at CERN's Geneva research facility. The name derives from the French "mille gauss" — one thousand gauss — reflecting the watch's certified resistance to magnetic fields of that magnitude, achieved through a soft iron inner cage that shields the movement. The ref. 116400 houses the calibre 3131, a self-winding manufacture movement with a paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring that further bolsters antimagnetic performance. It beats at 28,800 vph and delivers approximately 48 hours of power reserve. The case measures 40mm in Rolex's proprietary Oystersteel, fitted with a flat sapphire crystal and the model's signature lightning bolt seconds hand.

Among collectors, the Milgauss occupies a distinct position in the Rolex catalogue — never as commercially dominant as the Submariner or Daytona, yet consistently respected for its functional rationale and design idiosyncrasy. The ref. 116400 replaced the long-dormant 1019 when Rolex revived the line in 2007, reintroducing a model that had been discontinued for over two decades. The standard dial versions, including the white and black references, remain relatively accessible in the Rolex ecosystem, which is part of their collector appeal — they reward genuine interest over speculation.

For Akash Ambani, whose public appearances have previously featured pieces from Patek Philippe and Richard Mille, the Milgauss ref. 116400 is a notably measured selection. It reads less as a status signal and more as the choice of someone who knows exactly what they're wearing and why.

At an official retail price of approximately $7,300, the Rolex Milgauss ref. 116400 sits at the more attainable end of the current Rolex steel sports watch spectrum. Grey market premiums on this reference have remained modest compared to the brand's more sought-after references, making it one of the few modern Rolex steel watches that still trades close to list — a rarity in today's market.