Do you want to know how you can demagnetize your watch? Are you looking for different ways of demagnetizing a watch?
In today’s world, a watch can get magnetized very easily because we are all surrounded by electronic devices. And every electronic device, it does not matter how small or big, generates an electromagnetic field around it. And if your watch comes in contact with these electromagnetic fields then chances are that it can get magnetized.
So how to demagnetize a watch, how to tell if your watch is magnetized, can it damage your watch, can you demagnetize a watch at home, etc. There are n number of questions that must be arising in your mind. But do not worry now, in this article I am going to give answers to all your questions. So keep reading!
Quick Navigation
- What Is Watch Magnetism?
- How A Watch Can Get Magnetized?
- How To Tell If Watch Is Magnetized?
- How Does Magnetism Affect Different Watch Movements?
- How To Demagnetize A Watch?
- How To Prevent Watch Magnetization?
- FAQs
What Is Watch Magnetism?
Before we look at different ways of demagnetizing a watch let us first look at what is watch magnetism and how it affects your watch.
What happens when you put metal in front of a magnet? They will attract each other and get stuck together, right?
Similarly, when an electric current passes through any electronic device it generates a magnetic field around it i.e. it becomes a kind of magnet. The intensity of these magnetic fields is very low so you will not feel them in everyday life but they are there around every electronic device. And since a watch is made up of very tiny metal particles so these can definitely feel the intensity of a magnetic field if they come in contact with one. The magnetism remains in a watch once the watch comes in contact with a high-intensity magnetic field and this is what you call a watch magnetism.
Once the small metal parts of the watch, especially the hairspring, come in contact with a high-intensity magnetic field then they will not function as they are supposed to and can affect the overall working and accuracy of a watch.
How A Watch Can Get Magnetized?
Let us now look at how a watch can get magnetized in our day-to-day life.
As discussed, we are surrounded by electronic devices of all sizes in our everyday life and these devices produce a magnetic field of different intensities around them. So if you place your watch near devices, like your cell phone, that produce low-intensity magnetic fields for a prolonged time then your watch can get magnetized. Or if you place your watch near devices, like a speaker or microwave, that produce high-intensity magnetic fields even for a small amount of time then also your watch can get magnetized.
How To Tell If Watch Is Magnetized?
Now that you know what is watch magnetism and how your watch can get magnetized in everyday life. The next question that arises is how can you tell if your watch is magnetized or not?
The answer is very simple, if your watch is magnetized then it simply will not be able to keep time accurately i.e. it will either start gaining the time or will start losing it. But before you jump to the conclusion and think your watch is magnetized just because it is losing a second or two every day. You should know that every watch in the world loses some time every day, even the most accurate ones. That being said, if you notice your watch is losing a considerable amount of time say 2 minutes or more then it may have been magnetized.
To be sure, you can take a compass and bring it closer to your watch, if the needle of the compass moves when it is near the watch then it means the watch is magnetized.
If you do not have a compass then you can use your smartphone as a compass, if it has a magnetic sensor, by downloading an app.
And if you find out that your watch is magnetized then you should keep reading the article to know about different ways to demagnetize a watch.
How Does Magnetism Affect Different Watch Movements?
Magnetism affects watches with different kinds of movements differently. So let us first look at how magnetism affects quartz, hand-wound mechanical, and automatic watches differently.
Quartz Watches
According to the Seiko article, digital quartz watches are not affected by magnetism at all. On the other hand, analog quartz watches can be affected by magnetism but it cannot affect the watch’s accuracy. So if an analog quartz watch comes in contact with a low-intensity magnetic field and starts losing time then you can simply keep it away from the magnetic fields and correct the time and you will be sorted. However, if it comes in contact with a magnetic field of strong intensity then you will have to demagnetize it.
Mechanical Watches
According to the same Seiko article, mechanical watches that are hand wounded can get affected by magnetism. But if you keep them away from the magnetic fields and just correct the time then you will not face any problem.
On the other hand, an automatic watch can remain magnetized even after removing the watch from the magnetic source. And you will have to demagnetize it to make it work properly.
How To Demagnetize A Watch?
Demagnetizing is pretty simple actually and there are two ways of doing it.
1) Take Your Watch To A Repair Center
The most basic way that everyone will think of is going to a repair center. And if you do not know any other way then you should take the watch to the repair center and get it demagnetized, as simple as that.
But as discussed earlier your watch can get magnetized easily. So the problem with this way is that you will have to go to the watch center very frequently if your watch gets magnetized often. And just imagine the scenario if you own multiple watches.
What is the better way you ask? Keep Reading.
2) Use A Watch Demagnetizer
The best way to demagnetize a watch is by using a watch demagnetizer. Watch demagnetizers are cheaply available online and you can easily use them in your home, some of them even come with an external compass. It is very easy to use a watch demagnetizer and it takes around 10-15 secs to demagnetize a watch by using a demagnetizer.
How to Use A Watch Demagnetizer
Step 1: Connect the demagnetizer to a power supply.
Step 2: Press the power button on the demagnetizer to start.
Step 3: Place your watch on the demagnetizer for a few seconds.
Step 4: Move the watch from left to right slowly and turn it back and forth a few times to demagnetize all the parts of the watch properly.
Step 5: Press the power button to turn the demagnetizer off.
How To Prevent Watch Magnetization?
Demagnetizing a watch is very easy however as you know “prevention is better than cure”. Therefore, you should prevent the watch from getting magnetized in the first place to avoid the process of demagnetizing a watch. And needless to say, you will have to visit the repair center multiple times to get your watch demagnetized if you do not own a watch demagnetizer.
To prevent your watch from getting magnetized you just have to be a little cautious and that’s it, you do not have to do anything extra. Remember to not keep your watch close to any big electronic device like microwave, speakers, etc. Also, you should do not keep your watch with your cell phone or other small electronic devices for a longer period of time. So keep your phone and watch separately when you go home or when you go to sleep at night.
Or if you think you cannot prevent your watch from getting magnetized then you should buy a watch that is made up of anti-magnetic materials or you should buy a watch demagnetizer.
FAQs
Is It Possible To Demagnetize A Watch?
Yes, you can demagnetize a watch easily at home by using a demagnetizer or you can take it to the repair center.
Can A Cell Phone Magnetize A Watch?
Yes, a cell phone can magnetize a watch and you should not keep the two together for a long period of time.
Does A Magnetized Watch Run Fast Or Slow?
A magnetized watch can either gain time or lose time. So it can either run faster or slower.
What Makes A Watch Magnetized?
Any electronic device can magnetize a watch.
Will A Magnetized Watch Stop Running?
Yes, if a watch comes in contact with a very strong magnetic field then it could stop working.
