Comments:
I can really wash the steel watches, but the strap watches we have don't know how to swim. LOL
Is Leather our enemy at this time?
I'm no scientist, so if someone with the proper credentials can guide us, it may be helpful.
Due to the virus situation, our household now wears only all Stainless Steel bracelet watches that we can wash well with soap. I take my showers with mine.
I feel that Leather bands may be a gathering place for virus accumulation. All the sweat and organic material seems to be a risk to me.
Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe not.
Stay safe out there.
HEO
It’s a fair question...
Any material can harbour germs however silver has antibacterial properties. Stainless steel would be easier to sanitise.
The are of skin below any rings that you may wear may also
be considered a "gathering place". Wash completely everyone.
Kinda not really
What's good for bacteria and viruses are different. For bacteria we are trying to reduce growth but viruses are basically inert and the goal is to reduce their longevity. For example, in the kitchen most bacteria would prefer to be on a nice room temp piece of raw meat whereas most viruses on the other hand would survive longest on a clean plate in the fridge.
For covid19, flat dry hard surfaces like stainless steel are ideal for virus - covid19 seems to last longest on metals and hard smooth plastics - whereas soft porous materials like cardboard/leather are relatively inhospitable.
For covid19, flat dry hard surfaces like stainless steel are ideal for virus - covid19 seems to last longest on metals and hard smooth plastics - whereas soft porous materials like cardboard/leather are relatively inhospitable.
It seems to go both ways... a conundrum of sorts... hard surfaces vs. more porous ones...
Thanks for all the replies.
I'll stick with the steel models for the time being.
HEO
No virus and no robberies, you've found the key to complete safety! ;-)) [nt]
No message body
Great question, i say that if we get ill, its not because of our watch.
The local institute said some days ago that the contamination through air is much bigger a problem than contamination through touching things. However, its great to be able to wash the watch - so SS is my choice as well. But it would be enough to not touch the watch when not having clean hands.
Stay safe!
Best
Stay safe!
Best
As a remarkably useless scientist (I'm a doctor and a full professor, but both in abstract algebra! :-), this is my watch choice...and I even got my dog's approval! ;-) Stay safe Everyone!
When I am in paramedic service ...
... which I have to explain with a few words: In Austria, initial and basic life support, retrieval and transport is offered by professional as well as voluntary personnel with a training that is less elaborate and long than the paramedic training in the US. But we have more than 70,000 voluntary "paramedics" (Rettungssanitäter) in the small country of Austria.
Well, back to watches: Since I have to expect to come into contact with germs or patients' body fluids, I only take watches with smooth rubber straps. Absolutely no steel or titanium bracelets, since all those links have too many holes, gaps and edges and collect germs. Disinfectants are expensive - and now even rare - , so there is no way to completely submerge the whole watch in disinfectant fluid, especially not several times per shift. So I need a watch that can be easily wiped off with special disinfectant wipes. The best one in this respect is the PuristSPro Rescue watch. It also comes handy for quick-measuring the pulse (but I do not use the scales, the numbers are far too tiny).
As an alternative, I have a Tudor Pelagos LHD, again with a smooth aftermarket rubber strap. The original rubber strap that comes with the watch has too many edges and is too difficult to be cleaned effectively.
As an alternative, I have a Tudor Pelagos LHD, again with a smooth aftermarket rubber strap. The original rubber strap that comes with the watch has too many edges and is too difficult to be cleaned effectively.
Marcus
Keep the priority on social distancing and the hygien basics❗️ (Forget about the watchband... ) [nt]
No message body
A bit like the St Gallen, the Sinn EZM 12 comes in a smooth rubber strap that hooks on the springbars and has a swiss knife type of tool to pop off the bezel for deep cleaning (sorry, picture taken from Hodinkee).
I believe you are correct
Many smart people can come up with analysis on how long virus lives on this or that surface. The point is that stainless is easier to clean and doing so does not tarnish the material (unlike soap and water on leather). Sure virus particle may stay reactive on stainless laying out longer than leather. But if you are practicing the essential practice of washing hands and arms then I believe stainless to be the best. Or to be honest no watch or ring if getting fanatical.
Regards,
Kevin
Regards,
Kevin
By the time the virus reaches my watch strap, which I wear 'high' on my wrist behind the bone, it will, I believe, already have infnected me. [nt]
No message body
Yes it is
On a microscopic level, leather has a large surface area that can trap things (like a fishing net). This includes microbes like bacteria, archaea, fungus and viruses etc. Next, leather is biodegradable, and theoretically speaking, leather is constantly being decomposed by whichever microbe has the enzymes to break it down.
After some wear, we accumulate stuff like sweat, salt, dead skin in the leather, which serve as fodder for microbes like bacteria and fungus.
Viruses are non-living, so I will exclude them. But they can be entrapped more easily in leather owing to the structure of leather compared to other materials such as silicone and rubber and metal. The key here is surface area (nooks and crannies where they embed).
Therefore in hospitals settings, docs and nurses seldom wear watches, let alone one with a leather strap. My colleagues sometimes wear apple watches with a silicone strap, or some other docs may wear typical luxury watches with bracelets when they are on days with little contact with patients. Watches are kept away when scrubbing down for surgeries.
Frequent hand washes will make leather straps rot faster. Therefore it is not practical.
The greatest fear is wearing a leather strap infested with MRSA (methicilin resistant bacteria) and bringing it around. MRSA is very prevalent in hospitals, by the way. When one gets infected by it, it is annoyingly hard to recover, as only a few antibiotics will be effective against these tough bacteria.
Therefore, the moral of the story is, watches and healthcare are incompatible in many ways, unless one is a humble General Practitioner sitting in an office daily with little physical contact with patients.
God bless and keep safe!