Will alcohol based hand sanitisers damage watch seals?

[RobDad]

I’ve been careful to keep hand sanitiser from splashing onto my watch when I use it on my hands, largely because I’ve been wearing a G shock throughout and I know things like Deet melt the bezel and straps. I’m clearly not a chemist but I did wonder whether it might also affect the caseback and crown seals on any watch - the one I’m using is 80% alcohol and doesn’t leave any residue I can detect, although other brands leave a slightly sticky residue. Am I right to be careful or should I have spent more time studying chemistry ‘O’ Level?!


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[walkerwek1958]

O level chemistry wouldn’t be much help, this is a materials compatibility question. There’s plenty of data available if you know what the seals are made of, I assume the modern 0 ring seals are all made from nitrile rubber, which is fine with ethanol and isopropanol so you should be OK. Viton rubber doesn’t like alcohols but I can’t see Viton being used for watch seals.



If I can find some hand sanitiser I could try soaking an O ring and check, I have plenty of O rings but no hand sanitiser.........could always use whisky but that’s only 40% ethanol.

[village]

My immediate first thought is how much hand sanitiser are you using if you are worried about getting it all over your watch!

[alfat33]

I believe the main risk from alcohol is to the external anti-reflective coating on the crystal.

[Kingstepper]

O level chemistry wouldn’t be much help, this is a materials compatibility question. There’s plenty of data available if you know what the seals are made of, I assume the modern 0 ring seals are all made from nitrile rubber, which is fine with ethanol and isopropanol so you should be OK. Viton rubber doesn’t like alcohols but I can’t see Viton being used for watch seals.



If I can find some hand sanitiser I could try soaking an O ring and check, I have plenty of O rings but no hand sanitiser.........could always use whisky but that’s only 40% ethanol.

Ethanol doubtful according to this chart https://mykin.com/rubber-chemical-resistance-chart-3

isoPropanol fares better.

[RobDad]

My immediate first thought is how much hand sanitiser are you using if you are worried about getting it all over your watch!

Not a lot but I find it quite ‘splashy’ - the ones I have are no thicker than water and it’s not far from hands and wrists to caseback!


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[Kingstepper]

Not a lot but I find it quite ‘splashy’ - the ones I have are no thicker than water and it’s not far from hands and wrists to caseback!


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Made my own (IPA + glycerol/aloe vera) and it’s like that. Not sure what they put in them to make it gel-like.

[walkerwek1958]

My mistake, I meant to type ‘neoprene’, not nitrile rubber!

[Hocuspocus]

O level chemistry wouldn’t be much help, this is a materials compatibility question. There’s plenty of data available if you know what the seals are made of, I assume the modern 0 ring seals are all made from nitrile rubber, which is fine with ethanol and isopropanol so you should be OK. Viton rubber doesn’t like alcohols but I can’t see Viton being used for watch seals.



If I can find some hand sanitiser I could try soaking an O ring and check, I have plenty of O rings but no hand sanitiser.........could always use whisky but that’s only 40% ethanol.

Don't Damasko use Viton seals? I think I've read that they do. Not seen other manufacturers referencing Viton though. It's an interesting discussion.

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[RobDad]

Didn’t Eddies PRS18 use Viton?


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[walkerwek1958]

Viton is excellent for acid resistance, I used it at work in the past, it's also been used in fuel systems but the proposals to increase ethanol content in petrol is putting a question mark over this application. I hadn`t heard of its use in watch applications and I can`t see an obvious advantage in doing so.

Putting the OPs question into context, an aqueous solution of ethanol or isopropanol will behave differently from pure material (hydration and hydrogen-bonding effects) so I think there's little risk.

[pacifichrono]

Alcohol...near watches? Never! I only sanitize my hands with WD-40!

[Frantastic]

Sinn and Damasko use Viton gaskets, I suspect Damasko do so as they used to be heavily involved with Sinn. The gasket contact area to the outside would be minimal, even doubtful if anything at normal room pressure would even get on it. At the worst it would be the extreme outer layer and the gaskets are compressed by the case back... I would not worry about it...


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[Christian]

I believe the main risk from alcohol is to the external anti-reflective coating on the crystal.

Agree with this...I've seen pictures on forums over the years where people accidentally got perfume/EDT on their watch face which left spots that wouldn't come off. I'm particularly careful about keeping anything with a high alcohol concentration away from crystals with AR coatings on the outside.

[magirus]

The new "Baby" Dreadnought has a Viton seal inside the caseback.

[earlofsodbury]

The Seals say it takes more than a spot of hand-sanitiser to perturb them...

[verv]

With the exception of AP etc who have visible seals, surely the casebacks/screw down crowns etc would be the first line of defence against gel sanitisers?
I would expect that the stuff had evaporated before it got to defcon level melt-a-seal ?

[Kingstepper]

With the exception of AP etc who have visible seals, surely the casebacks/screw down crowns etc would be the first line of defence against gel sanitisers?
I would expect that the stuff had evaporated before it got to defcon level melt-a-seal ?

Alcohol will but other stuff in there (like glycerol) probably won’t.

[verv]

Ahh ok

[walkerwek1958]

Viton and alcohols such as methanol and ethanol isn`t a good combination, I`m guessing the hand sanitisers use isopropanol, but considering it's in aqueous solution it'll probably be fine and its not something I`d worry about. As for the AR coatings, I hadn`t considered that, I think it would be OK but can`t be sure.

AR coatings on the outside are a bad idea IMO, they always get marked at some point.

[Sonos]

What are peoples thoughts on a lense wipe for cleaning your watch? I think they may contain alcohol?

[P9CLY]

Im not sure Id be using an amount on my hands that would get anywhere near my watch,Id just be aware to not allow that to happen just as I do when washing my hands,I wash my hands only and dont let my watch get drenched too,no need to is there tbh!.
And so no need to worry if doing the above Id say.

[P9CLY]

What are peoples thoughts on a lense wipe for cleaning your watch? I think they may contain alcohol?

OMG how dirty is the glass on anyones watch (on here at least) for you to want to use anything with a chemical in it!,bottom of my cotton t-shirt works perfectly fine,and when sat watching tv the glasses cleaning cloth at the side of me,to clean glasses/ipad @ more importantly "The Watch".

Not saying there is anything wrong with chemical wipes,just saying anything that will wipe the glass is perfectly fine.

[stefmcd]

I clean my glasses quite often with the alcohol wipes. My habit is then to wipe my watch then my phone screen with same wipe. Hope I've not caused any damage!

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[verv]

What are peoples thoughts on a lense wipe for cleaning your watch? I think they may contain alcohol?

I use them on my vintage watches. They're fine.

[verv]

OMG how dirty is the glass on anyones watch (on here at least) for you to want to use anything with a chemical in it!,bottom of my cotton t-shirt works perfectly fine,and when sat watching tv the glasses cleaning cloth at the side of me,to clean glasses/ipad @ more importantly "The Watch".

Not saying there is anything wrong with chemical wipes,just saying anything that will wipe the glass is perfectly fine.

Its not just the glass on a watch that gets grubby.
If you want to transfer wrist cheese onto your clothing I don't think anybody is stopping you.
Others may prefer to use a disposable wipe.

[P9CLY]

Its not just the glass on a watch that gets grubby.
If you want to transfer wrist cheese onto your clothing I don't think anybody is stopping you.
Others may prefer to use a disposable wipe.

Good ol soap and water with a small toothbrush does it for me,you can see the water change colour!,amazing how grime builds up.....urrrgh.

But Im not so sure Id describe any of my watches as grubby tbh,just something Id do regularly as habit rather than needing it.

[Sonos]

I use them on my vintage watches. They're fine.

Good to hear. They clean the strap and crystal perfectly and you can watch the moisture evaporate from the material as you wipe away a layer of dust and grime. I am conscious there are no specs of grit or dirt in a sealed wipe that would add micro scratches to a watch. Minimal cost at 5pence per wipe once a week.

[Lukaslife]

Ok, I'm sure hand sanitizer does nothing harmfull to you watch. there are much more hamfull things for it.

[wileeeeeey]

Ok, I'm sure hand sanitizer does nothing harmfull to you watch. there are much more hamfull things for it.

Go away.