Omega

agastya.sengupta
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Did some research....

Thanks for the insights guys!! Really appreciate it!!

By the way, I emailed Omega the same question, but for some strange reason they didn’t respond. So I contacted Longines instead and asked them if one of their watches (with a display back) equipped with a Valjoux 7751 could be worn at ease in an electric locomotive’s cab. They responded within a day’s time stating that the watch would come to no harm inside the cab. I guess what they meant was that the watch would be safe in the driver’s cabin but not near any of the traction motors inside the locomotive.

True that 4,800 A/m is quite low compared to 80,000 A/m, but a traction motor of a modern high speed locomotive generates anything between 5,000 to 8,000 Gausse of EMF. I Gausse being roughly 80 A/m. Though the strength of the magnetic field decreases at a decreasing rate as the distance from the source increases, the tolerance levels of a watch with 80,000 A/m are stretched to the maximum. Imagine this, six feet away the EMF of an 8,000 Gausse magnet is roughly 500 Gausse. But move in two feet or so towards the field source and you face almost three times the field i.e. 1,500 Gausse. So if I were to wear a highly rated anti-magnetic watch, I would also have to carry a measuring tape to make sure I stayed within the safe zone!!

To the best of my knowledge, there was only ONE watch, a particular IWC Ingenieur (now discontinued) that could withstand upto 500,000 A/m (literally amagnetic), best suited for such situations. The current line of Ingenieurs, sadly have an anti-magnetic tolerance limit of 80,000 A/m. The same goes for most of the Sinn DiaPal line that can again withstand upto 80,000 A/m.

Omega used to manufacture a Railmaster back in the late 50’s with a mu-metal inner cage that was far more anti-magnetic upto 1000 Oersted (Roughly 80,000 A/m) compared to the much recent introductions of the same line, which stand at the usual 4,800 A/m (DIN 8309). The re-introduced Rolex Milgausse can stand (again!) upto 1,000 Gausse (80,000 A/m)

…..So there we are…..I guess, the best suited watch would be a digital Casio!!

-Agastya