magnetic field on plane damage watch?

picard

Flashlight Enthusiast
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Dec 31, 2004
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1,298
I have question for forum members who travel by plane frequently for work purposes.
Does your watch affected by the magnetic field produce by the plane engine? I just bought a high quality Oris swiss automatic watch hence I am concern about magnetic field which can damage it.
 

carrot

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Dec 6, 2005
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New York City
I know two things: keep nice watches away from strong permanent magnets... and second "high quality Oris" is probably redundant.
 

elgarak

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Jul 30, 2004
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Florida
Where do you get the idea that the magnetic field in an passenger plane is extraordinarily high? It isn't. Why would it?

If you don't believe me: Planes use ordinarily magnetic compasses. In older planes, common CRT TVs were and are used without problems (I flew with numerous ones that still had CRT TVs in the cabin. Horrible color and contrast settings, but no signs of magnetism). No warnings are given for any watch or harddrive content.

It's perfectly safe for your watch.

EDIT: There are some effects than can magnetize parts of a plane -- high currents from lighting strike for instance. The magntism can be strong enough to interfere with the plane's magnetic compass, but those fields are not strong enough to interfere with a watch, by far.
 
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cobra-ak

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Dec 7, 2005
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elgarak said:
Where do you get the idea that the magnetic field in an passenger plane is extraordinarily high? It isn't. Why would it?

If you don't believe me: Planes use ordinarily magnetic compasses. In older planes, common CRT TVs were and are used without problems (I flew with numerous ones that still had CRT TVs in the cabin. Horrible color and contrast settings, but no signs of magnetism). No warnings are given for any watch or harddrive content.

It's perfectly safe for your watch.
Every single airplane in the universe has a magnetic compass in case there is a vacuum failure in the more accurate directional gyroscopic compass and attitude indicator. The reason why magnetic compasses are not used is that they have built in errors especially when the plane is changing heading.
 

picard

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Dec 31, 2004
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1,298
thanks for info guys. I was apprenhensive about magnetic field.
 
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