5 Best Anti-Magnetic Watches

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Magnetic fields have been the enemy of mechanical timepieces since they were created. Extreme temperatures and the occasional shock are more obvious culprits of watch inaccuracy; but magnetic fields tend to be more subtle.

With roots going back as early as the 1930’s, the anti-magnetic watch was created for professionals who were exposed to stronger magnetic fields — such as pilots, engineers, and scientists. With all the technological devices that surround us today, it remains as relevant as ever, that even the most basic mechanical watches now have anti-magnetic properties.

The Milgauss is Rolex’s pioneer anti-magnetic watch. Launched in 1956, its name comes from the French mille gauss, referring to the unit’s protection from up to 1,000 gauss of magnetic fields. The watch was born out of a commission from CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) for a watch that will provide accurate timekeeping, while being exposed to magnetic fields.

The Milgauss was discontinued in the 1970s and eventually reincarnated in 2007. This time, the modern Rolex Milgauss models were upgraded with the caliber 3131 movement, a COSC-certified movement with anti-magnetic features such as the Parachrom hairspring and a paramagnetic escape wheel.

It also made a splash with colorful designs and a unique lightning bolt seconds hand.

If the Speedmaster was made for racing, the Seamaster for underwater exploration, the Railmaster was, despite it’s less self-explanatory name, created especially for tackling magnetic fields. Introduced in 1957, the original reference CK2914 could withstand up to 1,000 gauss.

In 2017, Omega revamped the Railmaster for its 60th anniversary. With the new caliber 8806, it can now withstand up to 15,000 gauss. Aside from this upgrade, the re-edition was a faithful tribute to the original design, with its old-school dial configuration (3-6-9-12 numerals), large luminous triangles at each hour, and the “aged lume” look to match.

Before the Railmaster of 2017, Omega has already made what is still one of the most anti-magnetic watches around: the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra > 15,000 Gauss. Launched in 2014, Omega sought to beat records with this watch, not only by offering superior anti-magnetic capabilities but also by offering a display caseback to show the movement.

The secret to this is Omega’s use of non-metallic or non-ferrous metal parts for the movements, which means it simply isn’t magnetic. The technology employed in the > 15,000 Gauss watch has been deployed in all in-house made Omega movements beginning 2017.

The Panerai Luminor Submersible line is part of the brand’s long history of making diving instruments. Panerai Luminor Submersible Amagnetic watches (PAM 389 and PAM1389) are made of titanium, a lighter but robust material that makes the 47mm watch more wearable. A plus is that titanium is also less affected by magnetic fields compared to steel.

Inside, the movement (P.9010) is further protected by a Faraday cage, an enclosure used to block magnetic fields. With this, the Panerai Luminor Submersible Amagnetic watches provide magnetic field protection of up to 40,000 A/m (500 gauss).

Several watch companies sought to solve the problem of magnetism in the 1950’s; and IWC was one of them. As the name suggests, IWC had this watch with engineers in mind, due to ever increasing industrialization. Just like the Milgauss, it could withstand magnetic influences of up to 80,000 A/m or roughly 1,000 gauss.

In the 1970’s legendary watch designer Gerald Genta revamped the design of the Ingenieur, turning it from the classic round dress watch to a subtly sporty and extremely well-finished watch. The entire Ingenieur line was revamped in 2013 with the Ingenieur Automatic staying true to its anti-magnetic roots.