This one actually works – here’s how to do it!
I bought this Watch Repair Demagnetizer Tool as a second hope for fixing my recently purchased, magnetized automatic mechanical watch, which is typically running extra fast as a result. I had checked all my other watches and this one was the only watch that was magnetized. I believe it arrived in the mail like that. . The first demagnetizer/degausser I bought, the white one with the hole through it, didn’t work out of the box. It lit up the red light but that was all it did. It also looked heavily used. This blue one is the only other degausser available at Amazon at a reasonable price, and it's less than half the price of the white one. It comes from the same factory in China no matter which supplier you choose, just like the white ones do. So, I went with the first one that came up in my search with 2-day shipping. On arrival, it looked to be in a New condition. Good start! . If, and once, you manage to uncoil the power lead (!), there are actually zero included instructions on how to use it. YT is your best tutor here but I’ll explain. There is an alternating magnetic field created by the windings inside the box. Put the degausser on your ear and you should hear a faint hum when the button is pressed. If not, it’s a dead one! When you place a magnetized item near the pad on the upper surface of the degausser, the item will vibrate as the device’s alternating magnetic field pulls and pushes on the metal. This alternating field makes the magnetized item switch its magnetism many times a second. If you could shut off the device at the exact point the magnetic field switches from North to South, you’d demagnetize the item. However, you can’t be so precise. There’s another approach, fortunately. The strength of the hemispherical magnetic field reduces with distance until it’s effectively zero. So, if you move the item away from the blue box, the cyclic magnetizing effect also fades until it’s essentially zero. If you pull the item away quickly, the applied magnetic field doesn’t have time to fully decay in the item and whatever the last significant polarity of magnetic field influencing the item was, the item will retain that. Residual magnetism is not what you wanted! However, if you slowly pull the item away from the degausser, the magnetic field it creates weakens slowly around the magnetized item, and the item will essentially be given a weaker and weaker magnetism until, out of the influence of the degausser, it has essentially negligible magnetism. . So, to demagnetize your watch, hold the watch by the strap/bracelet so the watch face or back is just off, and above, the blue plastic, above the rectangular, marked ‘pad’. With your other hand, press the button and the red light will illuminate. Hold the watch in that position for about 10 seconds, and then very slowly start to lift the watch and move it SLOWLY away from the blue box until it’s at arm’s length directly above it. Let go of the button. Do this a couple times and your watch will be demagnetized. . I used my phone to check for the presence of magnetism using an Android app called ‘Magnetometer’. I did first try using a small compass. However, even placing a large, unmagnetized metal object near a compass can deflect the compass needle, confusing the observation. I opted for the more sensitive phone’s sensor. It’s more obvious that something is magnetized with the app. Move the back of your phone over a known magnetized item until the app readings go crazy, turn red and the phone vibrates, then you know where the sensor is located in the phone. Use that point to move closely around your watch. On my Pixel 6a, that was at the lower left back corner, if I remember correctly. I had a ‘red’ high reading around 180 before degaussing, at the 6 o’clock position of my watch face, and after, around 50. 40 to 55 was the average ambient reading in my home. . I did actually first check the degausser and its effectiveness on a small screwdriver, which I had magnetized. I preferred to initially test that rather than my expensive watch! The app was up in the 1500 range prior to using the blue box. Definitely magnetized!! After several attempts, I managed to get the reading down to about 94, consistent after the first try. So, I knew the blue box had worked. I couldn’t get down to the ambient 50 but the screwdriver no longer picked up a small screw. I was happy and proceeded to degauss my watch, with the desired result. . I am very happy that I’ve been able to fix my watch. I’m hoping the next time I use the degausser, it still works. I will update this review accordingly. However, as of now, I’m happy that the fix worked and only cost me about $10. 😊 . I can recommend you try this one and forget the more expensive white one! Read more
