Should you not adjust the date on a Rolex at midnight? Debunking myths in the watch world

　　From childhood to adulthood, we grow up amidst countless alarming myths. For instance: opening an umbrella indoors stops you from growing taller; you were picked up from outside by your parents; getting caught in the rain makes you go bald; if you eat seeded fruit, you must spit out the seeds, otherwise a tree will grow in your belly. Do those born in the 70s or 80s smile knowingly upon seeing this? In truth, every innocent child is scared by such well-intentioned lies, and every seasoned veteran isn't made in a day.

　　In fact, there are often myths circulating in the watch community, such as: never place your watch near a television set, as doing it once will ruin it! Never put a radio-controlled watch next to your pillow, or you will go foolish over time! Midnight is the watch danger zone, and you must never adjust the time on your watch then, or something ghostly will happen!

　　Do radio-controlled watches emit radiation, and should they be kept away from the bedside?

　　Yes, they do! The Earth is dangerous, radiation is everywhere—you might as well head back to Mars for safety. Theoretically, any object with a temperature above absolute zero (-273 degrees Celsius) emits infrared radiation, which naturally includes humans themselves. The real Earth is also filled with various artificial electromagnetic radiations, such as television signals, broadcast signals, and mobile phone calls. In reality, unless the intensity is exceptionally high and you happen to be right next to the radiation source, electromagnetic radiation is generally harmless.

　　Whether you wear a watch or not, the radio waves are always there! Waves or no waves, you are right in the middle of them. Feel free to wear your radio-controlled watch on a flight, and rest easy leaving it by your bedside to sleep—the idea that a radio-controlled watch's radiation is harmful to the human body is complete nonsense.

　　Mechanical watchThey cannot be placed next to television sets!

　　Not only mechanical watches, but even quartz watches should be kept as far away as possible from magnetic fields like television sets!

　　Generally, the anti-magnetic capability of a mechanical watch only achieves protection within a limited range. If this threshold is exceeded, the steel parts inside the watch will become magnetised, and the balance spring will also be affected, leading to inaccurate timekeeping, or in severe cases, stopping altogether.

　　Quartz watchesAlthough the steel components involved are minimal, strong magnetic fields will still interfere with the normal operation of the rotor. Therefore, ordinary watches cannot be used in strong magnetic field environments. In daily life, mobile phones, keyboards, radios, televisions, generators, engines, and so on can all magnetise a watch. The claim that mechanical watches should not be placed next to televisions is entirely true!

　　Rolex watchesCannot adjust the calendar in the middle of the night?

　　Strictly speaking, this point mainly applies to mechanical watches with a date function.

　　Generally between 22 and 3, the date-changing finger on the date mechanism's driving wheel sits right inside the gap of the date ring. If you attempt to fast-adjust the date at this moment, the rotation of the date ring will be obstructed by the finger, inevitably damaging the components. Therefore, this time frame is a restricted zone for time and date adjustments, which is best avoided.

　　Also, why wouldn't you sleep properly in the middle of the night instead of messing about with your watch adjustments! This is no rumour, so bear it in mind.

　　Repeated falsehoods become accepted as truth... Keep your eyes sharp and grasp a few solid facts so you can tell the difference between real and fake rumours, rather than just following the crowd.