All about the magnetization of watches

Magnetization refers to the harmful influence of magnetic fields on the functioning of a watch. Magnetic fields are caused by smartphones, digital tablets, induction plates, speakers, TV sets, etc. In this day and age we are increasingly exposed to magnetic fields of all kinds and our watches are in constant contact with them. These waves will not degrade your timepiece but rather damage its functioning and precision. As soon as a watch enters a magnetic field, this disturbance causes the mechanism to advance or stop completely. Depending on the strength of the magnetic field, your watch will be more or less affected. A weak exposure will slightly disrupt the movement of your watch, which will make it less accurate. On the other hand, if your watch is exposed to a strong magnetic field, it may alter its movement, or even stop it in some cases.
Mechanical watches, with manual or automatic winding, are more exposed to this problem of magnetization. Indeed, watches with a mechanical movement have certain metal components, such as the balance spring or the barrel spring, which can adhere to each other by a system of magnets and subsequently cause the mechanism to malfunction. The effects of magnetism on a mechanical watch can persist over time and your watch may continue to get ahead of itself. Quartz men's watches are also sensitive to the waves, but they will start working again once they are away from the magnetic field. Thus, magnetization tends to affect an automatic watch quickly and over the long term, while a quartz watch is more likely to malfunction slowly and this malfunction is usually temporary.

How to demagnetize your watch ?

To find out if your watch is magnetized, simply place it next to a compass. If your watch is magnetized, the compass needle will be totally disoriented. A watch that loses accuracy, with an irregular ticking, that suddenly starts to move forward, lags or stops suddenly, is a magnetized watch. But what to do in this case? To demagnetize your watch we invite you to bring it to our store Charlie Paris. With our demagnetizer it only takes a few minutes to correct. Demagnetizing a watch consists in exposing it to a contrary magnetic field to neutralize its effects and restore its proper functioning.

Team Charlie Paris's advice: Keep your watch at least 10 cm away from objects that emit strong magnetic fields to reduce the risk of magnetizing your watch.