Rolex watches are some of the most well-made and reliable Swiss watches. They are built to withstand water, pressure, and even temperature changes. However, there is one weakness that some Rolex watches have: magnets.
Both everyday magnets and electromagnets have the ability to mess with the inner workings of your Rolex.
In this blog, we will break down how your Rolex is affected by magnets and what to do if your Rolex watch becomes magnetized.
Do Magnets Affect Rolex Time Keeping?
Simply, yes, strong magnets can have a negative impact on your Rolex watch’s performance.
The inner workings of some Rolex watch models are made of metal alloys that, naturally, can be pulled or pushed by a magnet.
Especially sensitive to magnetization is the watch’s balance spring, which can stick together or shorten. This will cause your watch to either run too fast or run irregularly.
An especially strong magnet could even cause the inner escapement of your watch to lock up and stop the watch completely from functioning.
Nowadays, most modern Rolex watches use Nivarox-type alloys, which can be resistant to weaker magnetic fields. But they can still be impacted by magnets found in everyday objects like speakers.
Vintage Rolex watches, however, are especially sensitive to magnets, as they lack the modern technology to combat magnetic fields.
Though Rolex has moved to use material less susceptible to magnets, you should still avoid leaving your Rolex around any magnets that could cause magnetization.
Rolex Anti-Magnetization Technology
Rolex has created new technology to make their watches anti-magnetic.
Introduced in 2005, Rolex created the Parachrom Hairspring (also known as the “Parachrom Bleu”) which is made of a niobium‑zirconium‑oxygen alloy. Rolex has said that this hairspring is both shock resistant and insensitive to magnetic fields.
Introduced in 2015, the Caliber 3235 and 3255 both use a lever escapement made of nickel-phosphorus. Known as a Chronergy escapement, this is virtually anti-magnetic.
The new Rolex Land-Dweller uses a caliber 7135, which features a silicon escapement and ceramic balance staff that has a strong resistance to magnets. Rolex is moving to use this technology in future models.
One Rolex model, the Rolex Milgauss, was designed specifically for scientists and has a soft iron faraday cage, which redirects magnetic fields away from the inner movements and makes the Rolex resistant to up to 1,000 gauss. This shields the watch’s movement from external fields and makes it totally immune to magnets, but this technology is exclusive to the now-discontinued Rolex Milgauss.
Can You Fix a Rolex that has Been Magnetized?
If you have noticed the signs that your Rolex appears to be magnetized (running fast, erratically) you can also check at home by using a compass.
If you hold a compass next to your Rolex watch and the needle deviates a few degrees, then your watch has become magnetic.
Demagnetizing your Rolex watch is relatively easy. You can simply bring it to a professional watchmaker, who can fix the magnetization with special tools.
If you believe your watch has become magnetized or is not running properly, we do recommend taking your watch to a professional.
