Gritty resistance when winding due to magnetization

[coronasky]

Hey there, I've got a Rolex sub which is about 6 years old.
Last year I started to notice a gritty resistance when winding the watch slowly. It feels like some friction between metal.
I took the watch to an AD, and they spent two minutes fixing it by "demagnetizing" the watch.
Last week, the gritty feeling came back again. I bought a cheap $11 demagnetizer from ebay and tried it myself today.
It magically fixes the winding again.
Wondering does anyone have the same issue before? Should I still get a service for my watch? Considering it's just out of warranty.

[Kevin of Larchmont]

What are you doing that keeps magnetizing your watch?

[Pepperjack]

While I wouldn't say that is a common occurrence at my shop, we do see that occasionally. In my experience, it is the reversing wheels in the automatic module that become magnetized. Since the auto module is always engaged with the ratchet wheel / barrel, you will always be rotating auto gears when manually winding. If the reversers get magnetized, it's really easy to feel their teeth and pinions engage. That engagement is the grittiness you're experiencing.

[brandrea]

Welcome to the forum.