Is Your Rolex Magnetized? Here's What You Need to Know

If your Rolex is suddenly running fast—sometimes by several minutes per day—magnetism could be the culprit. Although it's increasingly unlikely with modern Rolexes, it's not out of the cards, and it's an easy problem to diagnose and fix.

To diagnose the issue, take a compass and slowly bring it toward your Rolex. If the needle flies toward your watch, your watch is magnetized. It may be more subtle; try moving the watch around to see if the needle follows. Any noticeable level of magnetization is worth addressing.

Your local watchmaker will be happy to help, but if you collect mechanical watches, it might be worth the $20 or so to buy a demagnetizer. They're widely available online and they come in many shapes and sizes. The blue object in the header image above is a demagnetizer (being used by James Stacey to demag his Doxa 300).

How Magnetization Affects a Watch's Timekeeping

Image Source: SJX Watches

Magnetization occurs when a watch’s balance spring (or hairspring) is exposed to a magnetic field. The layers of the balance spring can coil together due to magnetism, causing the timekeeping to be completely thrown off—often resulting in a watch that runs significantly faster than usual. Since the balance spring is the "beating heart" of a mechanical watch, even minor interference can cause substantial deviations in timekeeping.

Rolex has taken multiple approaches to tackle this issue over the decades.

Rolex's Early Anti-Magnetism Efforts: The Milgauss

Image Source: Jake's Rolex World

Rolex's first attempt at anti-magnetism came with the original Milgauss in 1956. The watch features a soft iron inner cage around its movement and withstands magnetic fields of up to 1,000 gauss (or mille gauss in French). In the 1950s, this was the go-to watch for professionals working in laboratory environments or with industrial tools. The soft-iron cage remained a key feature of the Milgauss until the most recent model, which was released in 2007 and produced through 2023. 

The Modern Era: Amagnetic Materials

Syloxi Balance Spring. Image Source: Rolex

In 2000, Rolex began incorporating amagnetic materials in their movements, reducing the need for a bulky inner cage. The Parachrom hairspring, introduced with Rolex’s caliber 4130 (used in the Daytona), is made of niobium and zirconium, offering superb resistance to magnetism and temperature variation. This amagnetic hairspring is found in almost every Rolex movement developed and released since then.

Image Source: PEAK Singapore

In 2015, Rolex introduced another advancement with the Chronergy escapement, made of a ferromagnetic (largely resistant to magnetism) nickel-phosphorous alloy. This escapement, introduced with the caliber 3255, is about 15% more efficient than a traditional Swiss lever escapement and, thanks to its material, further improves resistance to magnetism.

Rolex has also used Syloxi silicon hairsprings in select models, such as the Oyster Perpetual 34 (2020 onward). Silicon, being inherently amagnetic, provides excellent resistance to magnetic fields. 

Conclusion

Curved-End Rubber Strap For Rolex Daytona Ceramic

Today’s Rolex watches are highly resistant to magnetism thanks to innovations like Parachrom hairsprings, Syloxi hairsprings, and the ferromagnetic Chronergy escapement. The same can’t be said for vintage examples. Either way, if you suspect your watch has been magnetized, it’s an easy issue to solve yourself or at your local watchmaker.

Has your watch ever become magnetized? Let us know in the comments below, and if you’re looking to customize your Rolex or Tudor, check out our selection of curved-end (integrated) rubber and leather straps. 

Header Image Source (right): Hodinkee