I have only had one watch that was magnetised - it was gaining something like 15 mins every hour, running like crazy - it came through the post and must have been magnetised somewhere en route....... the cheap "blue" demagnetiser off eBay did the trick
A question - do watches need demagnetising regularly? - i.e. every year or so - (even though they are running near to spec?), especially in these modern times when there are magnets in more and more bits of kit.
Does demagnetising harm the watch in any way?
Personally I would only do it , if the watch was gaining or losing time . If it doesnt make a difference to timekeeping then you know its service time !. I cant see any point in doing it at intervals over the year , the watchmakers may have a different view on this .
No, a watch does not need to get demagnetized constantly. You ONLY demagnetize it if it got magnetized.
Don't know if it could get damaged in the process but I'm thinking that if done improperly and if the equipment used was meant for something else it might happen.
When you demagnetize a watch you actually demagnetize the thin and fragile hairspring that normally coils in and out. When the coils are magnetized they'll stick together and thus the watch starts running fast by 20-30 minutes per hour.
There's also the fact that some hairsprings (usually modern) are made not to get magnetized...
Example pic off the net below:
appreciated that modern watches are "shielded"Originally Posted by Curtis
I suppose that to test them with a compass or the Lepsi app now and again does no harm
I’ve come across watches that are slightly magnetised. This is evident when the watch is put on a timegrapher before and after, the change in rate can be as small as 10-15 seconds but its significant. Amplitude also improves.
If a watch changes behaviour and starts to gain time, it’s worth demagnetising. Ideally, the watch should be checked on a timegrapher to see what effect this has.
The phenomena of watches getting magnetised in the post is a strange one, I’ve posted lots of watches and only had a problem once. If the equipment used in the postal system was magnetising watches I’d expect it to happen consistently.
That would only tell you if the case was magnetised. In my opinion the only way to check is to put the watch on a timegrapher, demagnetise it, then check again. If the rate and amplitude change that’s an indication that the watch was magnetised.
Morning Paul - what do you think a reasonable timegrapher to buy is - maybe the Weishi Timegrapher NO.1000 at about £150..... there is a cheaper one at around £110 ..... and most on Amazon seem to look physically the same but just have a different name
I’m out of touch with timegrapher prices, I paid about £300 in 2012 for mine, which says ‘MTG 3000’ on it. Only problem I’ve had was the in- line switch on the mains adaptor, had to replace that a couple of years ago. The screen contrast also changes if I leave it on for too long, but I can live with that.
Mine measures beat error, amplitude and rate, lift angle can be set. Beat rate can be set manually but it always auto- detects correctly so this has never been necessary.
A printer would be useful, being able to monitor a watch over several hours is useful for diagnosing some problems, but I’ve never bothered getting one.
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I’m out of touch with timegrapher prices, I paid about £300 in 2012 for mine, which says ‘MTG 3000’ on it. Only problem I’ve had was the in- line switch on the mains adaptor, had to replace that a couple of years ago. The screen contrast also changes if I leave it on for too long, but I can live with that.
Mine measures beat error, amplitude and rate, lift angle can be set. Beat rate can be set manually but it always auto- detects correctly so this has never been necessary.
A printer would be useful, being able to monitor a watch over several hours is useful for diagnosing some problems, but I’ve never bothered getting one.
Thanks Paul, always good to hear your advice
Ive just purchased one from here on sales corner , a worthwhile investment if you have a reasonable collection. As Walkerwek said you can check your watch before and after and make a more informed decision , on if you should be sending in for a service or has the watch got back to a reasonable spec with just demag session !
I would look out for used ones, as long as not too old and abused ! The little welshi I purchased ,is in very good condition as it was only used a few times by the previous owner .
Interestingly the "top quality" stuff, is made, or was made by Witschi
BUT the Weishi ones on Amazon and eBay for say £120 are supposed to be very good for what I (we) may need
Yes Bill and lots of Youtube vids showing how to use them and what to look for ! The instructions with the machine were fairly basic and translated from Chinese.
It does the job for me, as Im just starting to mess about with cheap boot sale finds and i can check my better watches if they start playing up . I would say if you have no interest in how watches work or only own a couple, it would be a waste of money.
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