Question about magnetization...

[beancooker]

So my wife and I picked up a couple Yachtmasters a few days ago. I'm not certain if hers came magnetized, or if it comes from her electric floor mat. (The floor mat is made by Shield Life, Korean brand that is supposed to shield you from EMF).
So anyways, her watch runs about 8-9 seconds fast per day.
I took out a really nice compass, and her watch will move the needle, not a lot, but enough to definitely notice. My watch doesn't move it at all, and keeps time exactly to the second each day.
I ordered a $12 Degausser from Amazon, to try it out. That arrives on Thursday.

Anyways, after searching and reading the threads, I get a mixed review. Some say magnetization causes the watch to not work at all, and others say it causes the watch to run fast.

Any opinions, or preferably facts?

[T. Ferguson]

Originally Posted by beancooker

Anyways, after searching and reading the threads, I get a mixed review. Some say magnetization causes the watch to not work at all, and others say it causes the watch to run fast.

Any opinions, or preferably facts?

In any case, it can cause the watch to not run as designed. Usually I hear fast, but if you don't get a definitive answer here post the question in the tech forum and one of the watchmakers will come along shortly to tell you exactly.

[SemperFi]

The word I've heard used most often is that a magnetized watch will run "erratically". It'll gain 10 seconds one day and lose 5 seconds the next day. I'm sure that someone with greater knowledge than me will chime in.

[locutus49]

I wonder if an electric blanket will magnetize a Rolex? Because we use one.

[joe100]

iPads are bad, alllll those magnets.

[DJExplorer]

I thought the hair springs were pretty resistant to magnetic fields.
Especially the parachrom bleu

[beancooker]

From what I have read, the mainspring is resistant, but the hairspring isn't?

There is a fair amount of confusing/conflicting information out there.

Guess I'll know on Thursday when the Degausser arrives.

[Cabernet]

Please post your results

[Boothroyd]

Noah, might you have a different avatar at your disposal?

[Skyrider01]

I have a watch that was running within 5 seconds per day, and one day, it started gaining 20 seconds per day. Did the old compass test, and sure enough, the needle moved, although only a few degrees. I don't remember it coming in contact with anything magnetic, but I bought a $10 demagnetizer, ran the watch over it a few times, and it was back to within +3 to +5 seconds per day.

[beancooker]

So, when I posted this thread, I was skeptical to say the least. I knew her watch was magnetized because it did move a compass needle, not much, but enough.
Plus hearing what most people say about how erratic their watches run when magnetized, it seems odd that hers is running exactly 6 seconds per day too fast.
I also didn't have faith in a $12 Degausser from Amazon. Like seriously, $12 to fix my issue? Pipe dreams...

To my amazement and absolute happiness, it worked. I Degaussed it about 23 hours ago. Every day for a week I have hacked it for six seconds. Today, it was dead nuts accurate.
Hopefully this helps someone in the future.

Originally Posted by Boothroyd

Noah, might you have a different avatar at your disposal?

My apologies. While it is a semi-disturbing avatar, it has been my avatar on every forum I have been on for the last 12 years. (Mostly car forums)
I've used it for so long, it's a part of me at this point.

[SemperFi]

Originally Posted by beancooker

So, when I posted this thread, I was skeptical to say the least. I knew her watch was magnetized because it did move a compass needle, not much, but enough.

Plus hearing what most people say about how erratic their watches run when magnetized, it seems odd that hers is running exactly 6 seconds per day too fast.

I also didn't have faith in a $12 Degausser from Amazon. Like seriously, $12 to fix my issue? Pipe dreams...



To my amazement and absolute happiness, it worked. I Degaussed it about 23 hours ago. Every day for a week I have hacked it for six seconds. Today, it was dead nuts accurate.

Hopefully this helps someone in the future.









My apologies. While it is a semi-disturbing avatar, it has been my avatar on every forum I have been on for the last 12 years. (Mostly car forums)

I've used it for so long, it's a part of me at this point.

Good to know. Thanks for the update.

[Cabernet]

Which type of demag did you use? Can you post a picture or amazon link?

[flyingtiger85]

I think the smoking baby is funny :)

[beancooker]

Originally Posted by Cabernet

Which type of demag did you use? Can you post a picture or amazon link?

This is the one I used. Her watch didn't move the needle after I did it a few times. One time may have worked, but I think I did four tries.
Place on Degausser, press and hold button and lift watch off slowly. I held it at a different angle each time I did it to make sure I covered each side of the watch.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...ilpage_o01_s00

[Laszlo]

I'm not an expert is this area but I have had no issues when using devices such as an iPad or any other mobile device. Neither has my wife. In my profession we are always using pretty much any device imaginable and I've had zero issue with magnetization.

[GFONG]

I think the RSC can help on this without any charges.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by beancooker

So, when I posted this thread, I was skeptical to say the least. I knew her watch was magnetized because it did move a compass needle, not much, but enough.
Plus hearing what most people say about how erratic their watches run when magnetized, it seems odd that hers is running exactly 6 seconds per day too fast.
I also didn't have faith in a $12 Degausser from Amazon. Like seriously, $12 to fix my issue? Pipe dreams...

To my amazement and absolute happiness, it worked. I Degaussed it about 23 hours ago. Every day for a week I have hacked it for six seconds. Today, it was dead nuts accurate.
Hopefully this helps someone in the future.




My apologies. While it is a semi-disturbing avatar, it has been my avatar on every forum I have been on for the last 12 years. (Mostly car forums)
I've used it for so long, it's a part of me at this point.

Watches from the 1970s and many modern day Rolex used to have hairsprings made by Nivarox and were very anti-magnetic and were a part of the ETA group of companies and they have to pass the Swiss standard test for anti-magnetic watches .This is to withstand a strong magnetic field of 4800 Amps per meter,and to keeps on running with a maximum deviation of 15- 30 seconds per day.Now this test I am 100% sure that 90%-95% of all watch wearers would never subject or come into contact with such a strong magnetic field.And in general a watch that becomes magnetised they normally will speed up and run very very erratic it could be minutes or hours or completely stop.But in any watch its not only the hairspring that could get magnetised but its the hairspring that will cause the most problems,now if magnetised its quite a very simple process to de-magnetise most high street watchmakers could do it its not expensive.Now that Rolex uses a alloy that they call Parachrom which is a made up name, its extremely doubtful your watch was magnetised especially returning a consistent 6 seconds fast.

[Cabernet]

Bean - lastly, did you remove the bracelet when you did this?
Thanks

Originally Posted by beancooker

This is the one I used. Her watch didn't move the needle after I did it a few times. One time may have worked, but I think I did four tries.
Place on Degausser, press and hold button and lift watch off slowly. I held it at a different angle each time I did it to make sure I covered each side of the watch.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...ilpage_o01_s00

[beancooker]

Originally Posted by Cabernet

Bean - lastly, did you remove the bracelet when you did this?
Thanks

No sir. I just tipped the watch to the side and held the side of the case to the Degausser.

Originally Posted by padi56

Watches from the 1970s and many modern day Rolex used to have hairsprings made by Nivarox and were very anti-magnetic and were a part of the ETA group of companies and they have to pass the Swiss standard test for anti-magnetic watches .This is to withstand a strong magnetic field of 4800 Amps per meter,and to keeps on running with a maximum deviation of 15- 30 seconds per day.Now this test I am 100% sure that 90%-95% of all watch wearers would never subject or come into contact with such a strong magnetic field.And in general a watch that becomes magnetised they normally will speed up and run very very erratic it could be minutes or hours or completely stop.But in any watch its not only the hairspring that could get magnetised but its the hairspring that will cause the most problems,now if magnetised its quite a very simple process to de-magnetise most high street watchmakers could do it its not expensive.Now that Rolex uses a alloy that they call Parachrom which is a made up name, its extremely doubtful your watch was magnetised especially returning a consistent 6 seconds fast.

Padi, while I would agree with you because if everything I have read, there are a couple of things that happened that make me think differently.

The watch did make the compass needle move, not a lot, but it moved. I tested this multiple times in multiple locations in my house.

After using the Degausser, the watch no longer moved the compass needle, at all, no matter where in the house I tried it.

After degaussing, it holds time within a second/24 hours.

I wish I had shot video of me doing this. As they say, seeing is believing. What I am seeing, and the results I witnessed, make me believe that something was magnetized inhe watch.

[JoelUlrich]

My 16600 was prone to getting magnetized (which I would confirm with a compass), and would start running at least several seconds faster per day. Demagnetizing it would return it to normal. Sounds like you solved it.

[Maiden]

Originally Posted by SemperFi

Good to know. Thanks for the update.

Used the same cheap demagnitzer from Amazon, worked on the first try. Best 10 bucks I ever spent.

[Cabernet]

My sub was +15 sec/day and would easily bump the compass. I bought that same demag unit but was hesitant to use it since it had no instructions. I was going to take it off the bracelet, but I used Bean's technique.

It no longer affects a compass and is down to +6 sec. I watch it with the Hairspring iPad app which confirms it beating at that frequency. All good! ;-)

[beancooker]

Originally Posted by Cabernet

My sub was +15 sec/day and would easily bump the compass. I bought that same demag unit but was hesitant to use it since it had no instructions. I was going to take it off the bracelet, but I used Bean's technique.

It no longer affects a compass and is down to +6 sec. I watch it with the Hairspring iPad app which confirms it beating at that frequency. All good! ;-)

Really happy it worked out for you. What is the iPad app you speak of?

[Tools]

Originally Posted by beancooker

. . .

The watch did make the compass needle move, not a lot, but it moved. I tested this multiple times in multiple locations in my house.

After using the Degausser, the watch no longer moved the compass needle, at all, no matter where in the house I tried it.

After degaussing, it holds time within a second/24 hours.

There are a lot of things in your watch that can become magnetized and will affect it's timing.

In the "old" days magnetized usually meant the hairspring and that would cause the watch to run very, very fast. New hairsprings are pretty much non-magnetic and so a bit more difficult to diagnose.

If the small compass needle moved, it was definitely magnetized someplace. Good results.

[Cabernet]

It's called Hairspring. I forget if it was free or cost a couple bucks.
It listens to your watch with the mic and calculates it's accurancy based on timing. Incredible! Must be in a dead quiet place or use a seperate mic.

I googled a photo, attached.

[subtona]

Magnets bad.

[CashGap]

Originally Posted by cabernet

it's called hairspring. I forget if it was free or cost a couple bucks.
It listens to your watch with the mic and calculates it's accurancy based on timing. Incredible! Must be in a dead quiet place or use a seperate mic.

I googled a photo, attached.

THANK YOU! That falls into the "GAGGGH Why Didn't I Think Of That!" category. Two minutes to setup, and it verified that my five year old daily wear GMT IIC is running 8/10ths of a second slow per day.