EMF radiation danger in quartz watches - time to switch to automatic?

Did you know that quartz battery powered wristwatches emit radiation?

Electromagnetic fields or EMF for short is something that some people are sensitive to. Usually when people talk about this, they're referring to wireless devices like wireless routers, cellphones or smartphones. Or they could be referring to wireless networks like 5G that started deployment in late 2019. What I'm talking about here is the battery powered quartz wristwatch that's been around since the late 1960s.

The problem

EMFs in most instances are harmless, but where they can cause a health hazard is when they're in close proximity to you.

A wristwatch is, obviously, directly touching you when wearing it. That's as close at it gets.

An EMF detector when its sensor is placed over a battery powered quartz wristwatch will register on the meter.

However, the type of quartz wristwatch matters because some have greater EMFs than others.

Does something physically happen?

Plain non-smartwatch quartz wristwatches that emit the most radiation are ones that physically move something to tell the time.

A quartz watch with a ticking seconds hand emits the most radiation because the movement is physically moving a hand once every second. On the EMF detector mentioned above, you will notice that the meter jumps once every second when the sensor is placed on the watch. This is directly because of the movement moving the seconds hand.

Quartz analog watches without a seconds hand still do register on the meter, but instead of once every second, you'll usually see the meter jump once every 20, 30 or 60 seconds. This is directly because of the movement moving the minute hand.

Digital quartz wristwatches emit low radiation, but may make the meter jump from the two physical things they can do. First is beeping when the watch electrically makes a sound. Second is illumination whenever the night light is used and the watch electrically produces light. On some watch night lights (particularly Indiglo from Timex or Electroluminescent from Casio), younger ears can even hear the high pitched whine that comes from the watch whenever the light is on.

Would an EMF sticker placed on the underside of the watch help?

You have most likely seen inexpensive EMF stickers. Would one of these stickers work on a quartz wristwatch to block radiation?

I seriously doubt it. Something that thin really doesn't offer that much protection. But then again, I have not tested an EMF sticker, so maybe one would work. But again, I doubt it.

The better option to avoid 100% of any radiation a quartz movement battery powered wristwatch would make is to use...

The solution

...a mechanical automatic movement watch instead, but only if it's the right kind (as in more than just men's size or women's size), which I'll describe more in detail in a moment.

What is an "automatic" watch?

For the benefit of those who have absolutely no idea what this is, here is a brief description:

An automatic wristwatch is typically defined as a watch with a mechanical movement that uses no battery whatsoever, and winds itself just by you wearing it and moving around normally. The fact it winds itself from you moving around is the "automatic" part, meaning "does not have to be wound manually".

If you take the watch off the wrist and let it just sit there, eventually it will stop ticking. To make it start ticking again, pick it up, gently shake it back and forth to get the movement moving, and ta-da, it starts ticking again. Set the time, put it back on your wrist and that's all there is to it.

It is usually true that most automatic wristwatches take 60 hours (2.5 days) before they stop ticking after having worn it all day, taken off and left to sit. This means that at the end of the day, if you take the watch off before going to bed, the next day it will still be ticking since not more than 7 to 9 hours will have passed over the course of the night.

Do automatic watches keep good time?

The best way I can answer this is with "good enough".

A battery powered quartz watch will ordinarily gain or lose 1 to 2 seconds per day.

An automatic mechanical watch will ordinarily gain or lose 15 to 30 seconds per day. This is normal.

If your automatic watch gains or loses more than 30 seconds a day, a watch service is needed. Bring the watch to your local jeweler and ask to have it regulated. The fee for this service on a non-luxury timepiece is around $30 to $60. If it's a luxury timepiece (like a Rolex), it will cost more.

How much do automatic watches cost, and which should you get?

If you're cheap, you can get an automatic watch new for as low as 20 bucks, but you probably won't like it. Still, at least it's nice that in this day and age you can get a really cheap automatic.

The watch I have is the Orient Tristar.

However, the go-to standard automatic that most people buy is a Seiko (also available in womens sizes). As of this writing, they start at around $80 and go up from there.

The reason so many people buy Seiko automatics is they're built for purpose. What I mean by that is that they're not built like typical fashion watches that die and stay dead in less than 2 years. A Seiko with automatic movement will typically last much longer than that.

I'll put it another way. Consider Seiko to be the Toyota Camry of wristwatches. This isn't to say that Seiko doesn't make upper end stuff (like Grand Seiko, Seiko Presage and so on), but for most models below that, you're getting a Camry. Solid and reliable.

If you have a super sensitive wrist...

With an automatic wristwatch you avoid all the EMF that the quartz watch otherwise would have made. But if you're the type with a very sensitive wrist, there are other things to take into consideration.

Case back

If you want a metal material that won't irritate your wrist, you use gold. As in a solid gold watch. But that is always very expensive, so what you end up with will be stainless steel. This steel contains nickel. Some people are sensitive to nickel.

There are three simple ways to prevent the case back from touching the wrist.

The first is to use a NATO watch strap. This strap type goes directly under the watch and effectively prevents the case from touching the wrist.

Second would be to use what's known as a bund strap. With this type, the entire watch sits on top of a leather pad. On either side of this pad, two pieces of strap (one for top, one for bottom) are placed through slits and then join the watch.

Third is to use masking tape. Take a few pieces of tape, size with an X-ACTO knife, stick to watch case back, done. Replace the tape once a month or whenever it looks bad.

Strap material

The choices most available for strap material are metal, fabric, resin or leather.

With metal you have stainless steel, gold, white gold, titanium and so on.

With fabric you have nylon. Whether it's a NATO, Zulu or perlon (a.k.a. Nylon 6), it's all nylon.

Resin is what most people call "rubber" straps when in fact it's PUR (PolyUrethane Resin).

Leather is the most interesting of the bunch because it comes in many different flavors. Thin leather, thick leather, leather with suede backing, fake leather, calf skin, lizard skin, and so on. Many choices.

Generally speaking, the most skin-friendly watch strap is leather. The go-to brand most people use is Hadley Roma. Widely available, made right, wears in quickly, comfortable. And they even make vegan friendly leather straps if that's what floats your boat.

For sports purposes, you have an alternative. Wear a wrist sweatband and strap the watch around the band. Wearing a watch this way is best for sport because you can then use a resin strap and not worry about skin irritation since the wrist sweatband is what's actually touching the wrist.

Why is EMF from a quartz wristwatch a concern now and not before?

Given the quartz wristwatch has been around for over 50 years, what happened between then and now? How come nobody said anything about quartz watch EMF years ago?

The answer is that the EMF we deal with today is far greater now compared to years ago, so much to the point where some have developed a sensitivity to it even at the smallest levels.

EMF was something you used to be able to get away from, but now you can't unless you live somewhere very remote or literally sleep in a 'prepped' basement.

Side note on the basement thing: Not that I'd recommend this, but it's easy to shield a basement (or at least a corner of it) 100% from outside EMF. You already have solid concrete sides and floor in your house's basement, so the only thing to shield is the ceiling. Easily done with plywood and YShield paint. It's definitely the easiest and cheapest way to have an "EMF free" sleeping experience. Why do I not recommend it? No windows. Kinda creepy.

Location aside, most people would agree that the most dangerous EMF comes from electronic things that touch you physically. An example of this is of course the smartphone. Many recommend to use the speaker for voice conversations instead of holding the handset to your head, and for good reason because that plastic electronic brick is constantly blasting out transmissions.

You can't switch out an electronic smartphone for a mechanical one because that doesn't exist. But you can switch out a quartz wristwatch for an automatic mechanical.

Using an automatic wristwatch is something you can wear on your wrist that tells you convenient information (time and sometimes the date depending on model), and most importantly not radiate anything that could potentially harm you.

You never have to remember to put an automatic watch in "airplane mode" because it neither transmits nor receives anything. You never have to remember to charge it because it doesn't use a battery. All you have to do is wear it, and whenever you need to know what time it is, look at it.

Things don't get much easier than that. And remember, an automatic watch is one of the increasingly few pieces of tech you can use these days that's truly EMF-free.

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Published 2020 Jun 9