Watch watch.

Rewind to Christmas 2004: from my brother I recieve a nice Fossil watch. I have worn it often ever since, but there was one problem. The battery seemed to die often. I would have to make a special trip to the Fossil store in the mall to get the battery replaced (for free). It is a problem that has been getting worse lately. My watch stops for no apparent reason, but later (usually after I remove it) it starts again. As a matter of fact, the last time I went to the Fossil shop, the man behind the counter mentioned that it might be me!

He went on to explain that if there is a certain amount of some substance in the blood (was is iron? magnesium? I can't remember), it could stop the watch. I suppose it's some sort of magnetic thing that he was implying. I got the battery replaced then, but the problem continues.

Today I did a google search and found an alternative explanation that I find slighly more compelling (but only slightly). It's on the FAQ of Tourneau, who claim to be the "World's Largest Selection of Fine Watches."

My watch runs fine when I don’t wear it but as soon as I put the watch on it stops.

This may be caused by a problem with the electric circuit of the quartz movement. In simple terms, when putting on a watch that has been sitting at room temperature, a watch placed on the wrist is then heated up by your body temperature. That increase in heat would cause a normal slight expansion of the watch, which could affect the contacts of the electric circuit. In this case it would be necessary for a technician to review the watch to determine if a routine maintenance would correct this problem.

Interesting. I'm not sure how to tackle this problem, but being a gift from my brother, my watch has some sentimental value, and I am not interested in replacing it. (link to Tourneau watch-porn if you are into that sort of thing)