For you Inteli- intalgn- intelang- SMART People

[TheVTCGuy]

So, I hear about this (supposed) TRUE story today on Satelite Radio. The year is 1951 and the place is the Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific, where the US is doing nuclear weapons testing. A Navy photographer was assigned the duty of taking pictures on a small island that had been involved in one of the tests. Although the Island is hot with radiation, he is safe if he doesn't eat anything, drink anything, or dig into the sand of the island, and as long as he'd not there for an extended period of time, something like 8 or 10 hours or something. Well, accidentally he gets left there over night. Now, here is the point/question. SUPPOSEDLY, his ROLEX stopped during the night, DUE TO THE RADIATION.

I find that very hard to believe. If there was enough radiation to stop a mechanical watch, there certainly would be enought to kill a human being... wouldn't there? Why would radiation effect the workings of a watch anyway?
It's not magnetisim...

[Yume-sama]

Hmm, and he didn't even turn in to a giant lizard and terrorize a large Asian city?

[onkyo]

A mechanical watch would continue to work despite being exposed to ionizing radiation.

This is someones imagination.

His watch probably stopped working because he didn't get it serviced.

[SeamasterGMT]

it is April Fools day.

[Singslinger]

Reports said that when shaken vigorously the watch which originally was a black Sub, turned green.

[Porsche]

Originally Posted by Singslinger

Reports said that when shaken vigorously the watch which originally was a black Sub, turned green.

No no no... it's BRUCE BANNER (aka The Hulk) who turns Green if shaken too hard!

[Jimbits76]

Wouldn't the setting off of an atomic bomb cause an initial magnetic pulse which would magnetise the movement and stop it working?

I thought that was why all literature regarding the potential of nuclear war stated that the first bombs would be targetted to explode in the air over cities in order to disable electro magnetic devices?

J

[The GMT Master]

Originally Posted by Jimbits76

Wouldn't the setting off of an atomic bomb cause an initial magnetic pulse which would magnetise the movement and stop it working?

I thought that was why all literature regarding the potential of nuclear war stated that the first bombs would be targetted to explode in the air over cities in order to disable electro magnetic devices?

J

Agreed, the radiation wouldn't have much of an effect, but the watch would almost certainly become magnetised by the EMP pulse.

[WatchSmith]

The story is true, and that was how the GV was born.

[Tools]

The EMP pulse is exactly that...a pulse, and is only a brief flash at the time of the explosion.

If he was close enough at the time of detonation to have his watch magnetised, he would have had more problems than a stopped watch....

As was said, typical ionizing radiation would not have an effect on a mechanical watch..at all (just like the radiation from the Sun doesn't) .... It's more likely that he would not make it through the night, rather than his watch..




But the LUME.................

[postiff]

Maybe he forgot to wind his watch that day…

[JohnEaton]

Actually his watch did not stop...

However the amount of background radiation energized the lume in his watch so much that he was able to use it as a signal light and this was how the searchers found him...

Lucky for him there was no date window so the flaking lume was unable to enter the movement...

I heard he did get a redial at service and his son has the watch to this day...

[Dalton]

he probably moved around the island in a stiff and unobtrusive manner and the watch simply did not wind up. hehe

[tthopp05]

April?

[hflee55]

i'm surprise he didn't turn into rolexilla already...