UPDATE-why is my watch doing this?

[Hudson_Hawk]

Last week I posted about my watch making strange marks on my office desk. Here are pictures. Again, I clean my watch in my US regularly, it''s a stainless steel Tag Heuer. This is after about a week of contact between the metal of my watch and the surface of my desk. I''m more curious than anything else...

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Here''s my wrist

 

[MonkeyPie]

I can''t tell, but did it turn your wrist black? If not, then it is just the reaction of whatever your desktop is made out of and your stainless steel - stainless does tend to leave marks that look a lot like oxidizing.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

No the black on my wrist is from coming in contact with the black my watch left on the desk. It doesn''t do that any other time. It''s almost like if you were doing a charcoal sketch and you ran your hand or wrist over it to smudge it...

 

[Porridge]

Maybe it''s reacting with whatever your desk is made of? Check what your desk is made of and find out if it causes an oxidative reaction with SS.

 

[crown1]

is the desktop being cleaned with a cleaner that contains bleach or sulphur? maybe this is causing a reaction?

 

[wsu12]

I think it has more to do with what the desk is being cleaned with....You take the watch off, lay it on the desk top for a period of time and then place it back on your wrist? In the photo it appears as though a bit of the black reside is also on your wrist? Try wiping the desk down with WATER. Avoid any cleaning products and see if it changes.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I clean my desk with Clorox wipes, but it was doing this before that. it''s done it with every desk I''ve had since getting the watch-so three different ones. I have no idea what the desk is made out of. My theory is that the friction from the SS and the desk (which is slightly textured) is causing the SS to give off residue almost like graphite dust.

Just a funny sort of puzzle...

 

[Fly Girl]

Date: 11/16/2009 8:42:01 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I clean my desk with Clorox wipes, but it was doing this before that. it's done it with every desk I've had since getting the watch-so three different ones. I have no idea what the desk is made out of. My theory is that the friction from the SS and the desk (which is slightly textured) is causing the SS to give off residue almost like graphite dust.

Just a funny sort of puzzle...

It is probably a reaction between the Clorox and the stainless steel. Rinse the Clorox off your desk completely with water, and this should solve the problem.

ETA-Also, wondering if the US leaves any chemical residue on the watch that could be the cause. In any case, this looks like a chemical reaction to me. Does the watch leave marks on other surfaces, other than desks?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 11/16/2009 10:14:07 AM
Author: Fly Girl

Date: 11/16/2009 8:42:01 AM

Author: Hudson_Hawk

I clean my desk with Clorox wipes, but it was doing this before that. it''s done it with every desk I''ve had since getting the watch-so three different ones. I have no idea what the desk is made out of. My theory is that the friction from the SS and the desk (which is slightly textured) is causing the SS to give off residue almost like graphite dust.


Just a funny sort of puzzle...

It is probably a reaction between the Clorox and the stainless steel. Rinse the Clorox off your desk completely with water, and this should solve the problem.


ETA-Also, wondering if the US leaves any chemical residue on the watch that could be the cause. In any case, this looks like a chemical reaction to me. Does the watch leave marks on other surfaces, other than desks?

Just want to clarify, I started using the Clorox wipes after my watch started doing this (as I was sick of getting black on my arm!). My watch does not do this to any other surface.

 

[geckodani]

Could your desk be rubbing away bits of the watch? Does it look like there is any wear and tear where your watch meets the desk?

Sounds like what happens to my shower rod when the curtain hooks are too tight - I get this weird black ashy residue.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Yes the watch has wear where the band meets the desk.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 11/17/2009 12:24:20 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk

Date: 11/16/2009 10:14:07 AM

Author: Fly Girl

Date: 11/16/2009 8:42:01 AM


Author: Hudson_Hawk


I clean my desk with Clorox wipes, but it was doing this before that. it''s done it with every desk I''ve had since getting the watch-so three different ones. I have no idea what the desk is made out of. My theory is that the friction from the SS and the desk (which is slightly textured) is causing the SS to give off residue almost like graphite dust.



Just a funny sort of puzzle...

It is probably a reaction between the Clorox and the stainless steel. Rinse the Clorox off your desk completely with water, and this should solve the problem.



ETA-Also, wondering if the US leaves any chemical residue on the watch that could be the cause. In any case, this looks like a chemical reaction to me. Does the watch leave marks on other surfaces, other than desks?

Just want to clarify, I started using the Clorox wipes after my watch started doing this (as I was sick of getting black on my arm!). My watch does not do this to any other surface.

Right but is the cleaning company coming at night and using a cleaner on your desk? That seems like the most likely culprit...

 

[HopeDream]

Keyboard theory:

How much do you move your keyboard around? (ie back and forth to type and then out of the way to work on paper dcuments?)

I wonder if a cleaning product used on your desk is eroding the plastic on the bottom of your keyboard a bit (especialy if you have little non-slip rubber patches - those degrade like crazy). Clorox wipes will make keyboard erosion worse.

If the keyboard gets moved around a lot, an even film of keyboard guk could spread evenly around the desk area.
Your right arm uses your mouse, so it is out of the potential keyboard guk zone, but your left arm is in the guck zone and may pick up guk around your watch due to the arm being naturaly more sweaty there.

To test wipe down the underside of your keyboard - if it gives off the same residue you have your culprit
Wipe your desk and underside of keyboard with water every morning for a week - by the end of the week you should see an improvement.

Good luck!