Hello! What is the least expensive Omega watch for men that features the 15000 gauss protection? My father is a Radiologist and he wants to get the most affordable one. I've seen one of the aqua Terra's for over 3K, I know that some of the Omega's do have the 15000 gauss protection even though they don't say that on the dial. And do you know if if would be safe to use them around an MRI machine? Thanks


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As for being safe... What is the gauss exposure he would be exposed to while working?

 

His MRI machine is 1.5 tesla, which is exactly 15000 gauss when working. Of course he would never be in the room where the machine is actually running, but having that safety would be great

 

Current MRI machines for medical purposes run from 0.5T to 3.0T. This is going to be the ranges while right up in the machine. 1 Tesla equaling 10k Gauss. Radiologists are typically going to be an adjoining room and the exposure will be much less. So, the master co-axial Omegas with protection " >15,000 Gauss " will work great. I would not recommend less than that for his specialty.

As you mentioned, the new Aqua Terra line labeled as master co-axial will be the least expensive option with this level of protection. When purchasing, if you make sure it is labeled as such, you will be fine. The watch will also have >15,000 Gauss on the case back, so you can check there too to be extra thorough.

Edit* I'm slow typing and it appears you already have some of this info in your second post. The rest of mine should get you what you're asking. Cheers!

 

Thanks for your reply! His MRI is 1.5 Tesla so it should be enough.. Now that means the watch's mechanism should not get magnetized even if he is in the MRI room when the MRI is running (which normally doesn't happen, maybe in an emergency situation this could happen) , however the bracelet or other watch components outside the mechanism could still be affected right?, if they are made of steel, they could be attracted to the MRI machine which is basically a big magnet, that would be bad. I think the aqua terra is made of titanium which should be OK, but if the bracelet pins or anything else in the watch has stainless steel it could be a problem. I don't know if this is so relevant but I'm just curious

 

Remember that there are still metal pieces which are subject to magnetic fields and attraction no matter what bracelet goes with the watch. Not all of the components within the watch mechanism will be amagnetic, only the parts which drive the mechanism are such, and therefore resistant to being affected by the MRI. Ergo, if he dove into the machine with it still on, his arm will still be yanked by the magnet.

Good news however! In any emergency event, protocol mandates the MRI be shut down immediately prior to responding to the situation. Could you imagine the calamity if a patient coded, a bunch of support staff came rushing in, only to get stuck on the machine? Admittedly, this would be a pretty funny comedy skit...

Bottom line, your dad will be safe and happy with any of Omega's amagnetic watches you choose to gift him. I'm actually on the hunt right now for one to use when outside my private practice and running around near these machines.

 

Radiologists shouldn't really have to go into the MRI scanner room itself, which is the only zone you need to worry about.

But if he were to go in there, the important thing to know is not all MRIs have the same field strength. First, as a side note, MRIs use the tesla unit by convention. A 3 tesla (30,000 gauss) scanner will exceed the Omega's capacity. But many hospitals if not all still use 1.5 tesla (15000 gauss) scanners too. These should technically speaking be ok. I have one friend who commonly takes his antimagnetic Omega in the 1.5 tesla scanner, and another who never does. It just depends on your level of anxiety I guess. The first friend's watch still works fine though. Also know that some scanners are 7 tesla even and would probably mess up any mechanical watch.


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At last a topic I think I can contribute to from a position of knowledge...

I write this as a radiologist who likes watches.

Magnet rooms are( should be) controlled spaces where nothing, that is potentially a missile, is taken in. Mostly watches strapped to arms are safe, but under no circumstances would I consider walking into the actual magnet room with anything other than a very cheap quartz on. It makes no sense. We all pat our selves down before going in, and take the loose things out of our pockets even if we know they are safe.

My recommendation is quartz or a sundial if he wants to wander into a room with the magnet turned on.

The control rooms have much lower gauss levels and if you stay within them your watch will (should be) safe.

As to the idea of an immediate MRI shutdown, this is called a quench and usually results in burning off $20k of liquid helium and sometimes completely destroys MRI machines. We replaces a machine a few years ago that the factory technician had inadvertently quenched during a service. They had to deliver a brand new machine and replace the old. A procedure that took 3 weeks.

These clips give some idea of the force involved when the helium is released.

 

Thanks for your reply it was really informative! I think that realistically he should only be concerned about gauss levels in the control room. Since we are in the subject do you think a Rolex Milgauss will be just fine for the control room or would you stick to an Omega with the 15K gauss protection just in case??

 

The Millgauss has less magnetic resistance and costs more.

 

I on occasions walk into the control room of both 1.5 and 3 T machines with my watches on and have had no issues to date. They are a cluster of vintage and new, windup and auto. None have specific magnetic protection that I am aware of. I dont stay long. I never go into the machine room with watches because it is not worth the risk. I have no idea what the relative protection benefits are. I would buy him the watch he likes and tell him to be careful

 

Tell him to get a digital Timex.

 

That would, of course, be the most practical solution, if a bit insensitive to horological taste. That said, if his heart is set on a fine watch, I would suggest either the Aqua Terra MC or the Seamaster 300 MC. As pointed out above, the Milgauss is a beautiful watch, but it offers less than 10% of the antimagnetic resistance of the Master Co-axial movements and it's considerably more expensive.

 

+1 on the AT or 300 MC. AT can be had in secondary market for a little over 3k and 300 MC for a hair under 4k. Having had both at one point.. can't really go wrong with either. Just depends on your dad's taste/style. The 300 MC is an absolute beauty, but IMHO the AT wins by a thread in value and flexibility.

 

Great info thank you very much!