# Could my microwave have magnetized my watch? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 25, 2001, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-my-microwave-have-magnetized-my-watch/51680 "2001-01-25T05:15:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-my-microwave-have-magnetized-my-watch/51680/1 "2001-01-25T05:15:19Z")
I took off my watch the other night and laid it on top of the microwave. Next morning it had stopped. Amazingly 20 minutes before I put it on.The 20 minute thing is what makes me wonder about magnetism. It is a cheap Vostok"Russian Military Watch"but it had worked perfectly before. Can I demagnetize it myself?How about if I put my hand in one of Farm Kings theft strip demagnetizers? ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-my-microwave-have-magnetized-my-watch/51680/2 "2001-01-25T17:37:43Z")
That’s what happened. You’re screwed, probably, but try the demag-er first. [tangent] What model is it? I have the sub commander Amfibian (the good one–waterproof to 200m, 31-jewel movement, etc.). Not quite as accurate as my quartz Seiko Chronograph, but a helluva lot tougher (and no battery to run down! Ever! :D)[/tangent] ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-my-microwave-have-magnetized-my-watch/51680/3 "2001-01-25T17:40:18Z")
Wait! It’s only magnetized if you turned the nuker on. Did you try winding it? It may have just run down…Occam’s Razor and all that… ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-my-microwave-have-magnetized-my-watch/51680/4 "2001-01-25T20:21:17Z")
Gunslinger I bought two. The one I apparently magnetized is the Tank commander. The other is the paratrooper. They are only good to twenty meters but thats OK so am I:) When I first had problems it wouldn’t run at all. I reset the date several days later and it ran for about a minute. Now it only moves when I drop it. Occam’s Razor??? ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2001, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-my-microwave-have-magnetized-my-watch/51680/5 "2001-01-26T00:13:25Z")
Occam’s Razor: the simplest explanation is the most likely one. They’re mechanical, wind-up watches, with a self-winding feature. Shake it around a bit and see if that helps, or pull out the crown (not as far as you do to set the time) and turn it clockwise to wind it. [Here’s](http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/taf/manuals.taf?f=form&ItemID=38510&_UserReference=E6EC00BD0E4F769C3A70BDDF) a downloadable version of the owner’s manual (in English, even! :)) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2001, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-my-microwave-have-magnetized-my-watch/51680/6 "2001-01-26T02:31:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by justwannano \* > \*\*I took off my watch the other night and laid it on top of the microwave. Next morning it had stopped. Amazingly 20 minutes before I put it on. The 20 minute thing is what makes me wonder about magnetism. > > It is a cheap Vostok"Russian Military Watch"but it had worked perfectly before. > Can I demagnetize it myself?How about if I put my hand in one of Farm Kings theft strip demagnetizers? \*\* It’s unlikely you magnetized or otherwise “zapped” it via the microwave as the magnetotron does not put out a significant gauss field beyond the metal shell of the microwave and furthermore is required to be RF shielded by FCC regs. If you suspect magnetism get it de-gaussed professionally. You can physically destroy your watch fairly quickly with a Radio Shack tape de-magnetizer if used improperly. I don’t know what a theft strip magnetizer would do. It would make an interesting visit to the store 'tho. JW: Excuse me is that theft strip demagnetizer? Clerk: A what? JW: You know a demagnetizer. It deactivates the anti-theft strips. Clerk: Yeah it’s the dinger. It turns them off. Why? JW: Could you run my watch across it? I think a microwave magnetized it. Clerk: Well… I don’t know. Hey what kind of watch is that anyway?! You’re a commie ain’t cha? Mr. Vqapdindajar!! Come out here quick! There’s a commie messin with the dinger. JW: Hey wait I just… Mr V: A monkeyshining communist you say! My goodness me! We cannot have this. Where is my cane of enlightenment for this foolish fellow. JW: It’s TIME to Go! ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2001, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-my-microwave-have-magnetized-my-watch/51680/7 "2001-01-26T04:35:30Z")
Damn Astro for a $20.00 watch??🙂 🙂 Gunslinger got me to thinking so I reset the day and the damned thing started working. Then I read about how he said to wind the thing and so I tried it.Damned thing quit again.As I unscrewed the stem,these are different from most watches I’ve had, the thing started working again. I dunno