Looking at the Milgauss thread reminded me of a question I was going to ask of the cognoscenti on here.
Anti-magnetic used to be a feature on watches in 'the old days'. Obviously with the rise of quartz this is not important.
But I would like to know if magnets can still be a problem on steel watches. For example, I have a pair of Sealskin gloves with magnets built in, should I be careful they do not come in contact with my Explorer? I also use neodymium discs for a special purpose, if one of these came in contact with my watch would it be damaged beyond repair?
What happens to a magnetised watch? Does it start acting up?
This question has worried me for a while. I have a couple of magnetic bracelets I do not wear when I have my autos on. I will occasionally wear now on separate wrists but won't sleep with them on as I can sleep with my hands over each other. How do I tell if they can be that close. Can it be on the same wrists etc. Is it also down to how long they are next to each other.
i came across a thread on WUS alluding to another that a 15k gaus anti-mag omega was magnetized...!
Reminds me of a story at work.
We have these neodymium magnet toys on the desks at work, they get passed around and usually someone is fiddling with them.
anyways, one day this girl decides to make a bracelet out of it and connect it to my wrist while I was working. right on top of my wrist watch.
I'll say, pulling little magnetic balls off your watch while you see the watch hands twitch about is pretty horrifying.
didn't over-react but i think she could tell it was a mistake based on how quickly i dropped the phone to deal with it.
It's a negligible issue for a modern watch. Nivarox is already very resistant to magnetic fields, and Parachrom is completely paramagnetic:
You can hold a neodymium magnet right up to a Parachrom spring without it moving, so if your Explorer is equipped with one, then I wouldn't even waste another thought on the issue.
Regarding magnetic bracelets, they should never be worn. Not because they'll hurt the watch or anything, mind you, but because they're complete and total BS.
I was lucky enough to be invited down to Rolex's service centre in King's Hill a couple of years ago when I was working for an AD. We had the chance to spend some time with one of their senior watchmakers Cormac, who oversees training of watchmakers there. He did a great practical demonstration of the impact of magnetism on a modern Rolex.
Using his own Explorer II (216570 IIRC), he placed a high strength magnet of c. 500 gauss on the glass. It stuck immediately and completely stopped the watch. He took the magnet off, placed it on the demagnetising machine, pressed a button and it was right as rain again. He did the same demonstration again on a Milgauss - this time, it carried on as if normal. He put four more on as well, and still no effect. The modern Milgauss is actually good to c. 5000 Gauss, if memory serves
A great practical demonstration
Chris