How do magnets affect watches?
Like any high-precision instrument, a watch needs to be serviced regularly in order for it to work perfectly. The intervals of service vary depending on the model, climate, and the care taken by the watches owner. As a general rule, three to four years in-between services are recommended depending on the use of the watch.
We recommend cleaning your watch regularly using a soft cloth with "limited" warm water. If its a Diving watch and its been in salt water, rinse your watch with fresh water and leave it to dry completely.
**Magnetic fields: Do not expose your watch to intense magnetic fields such as loudspeakers or refrigerators and other electromagnetic appliances. (this one is our biggest culprit of tricky issues with watches ... I can go on for days explaining or not knowing how to stop it from happening) beware of smart phones, tablets, and electronic devices coming in direct contact.
For reference, here are the Amperes/meter ratings of some common magnets.
35 A/m – Earth’s magnetic field at its surface
4,000 A/m – a typical refrigerator magnet
8,000 A/m – a small iron magnet
5,500,000 A/m – an MRI machine
6,600,000 A/m – CERN Hadron Collider magnet
Shocks: Whether thermal or other shocks, avoid them. In the event of violent shocks, please have your watch checked by an authorized Service Center such as Distinctive Gold.
Crown: depending on model, push or screw it in carefully to ensure that no water enters the mechanism.
Cleaning: for metal bracelets and for all water-resistant cases use a toothbrush with soapy water and a soft cloth for drying.
Chemical products: avoid direct contact with solvents, detergents, perfumes, cosmetic products, chlorine; bleach ammonia, etc., since they may damage the bracelet, the case and especially the gaskets.
Temperatures: Do not expose your watch to sudden temperature changes (exposure to sunlight followed by immersion in cold water) or extreme temperatures over 60C (140F) or under than 0C (32F).
Activity: Perspiration is an ongoing harmful effect on gaskets, lock-tight materials, and plays a role in threaded pins and cotter pins of the like. Please wipe off any natural perspiration to your fine jewelry watch. Or invest in a “work out” watch that can take on (but still has a limited life) necessary to your everyday living, with your time piece.
If you are looking for non-magnetic watches, look no further! Here is a great article that we found about Anti-Magnetic Watches
Another great read about magnetism and how the world of watches is addressing the old/new is found here...
http://iwmagazine.com/2015/10/history-anti-magnetic-watch/