Harry's watch

[morgan_d_yyh <morgan_d_yyh@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52669

Morgan (me) asked: 

> However, if the watch was magical, why would it be damaged 
> by water? Why would a magical watch not be waterproof? 
> 
> And if I'm wrong in my assumptions and somehow the watch 
> was indeed a 
> Muggle object, why did it keep working until February 24? (date 
> of the second task - GoF, ch 20)

mellienel2 suggested:

> If it were a magic watch, it probably would not have stopped 
> working.
> 
> But a Muggle watch didn't have to be electronic, and that's what 
> doesn't work at Hogwarts. Quartz watches could still work, I'd 
> imagine. It's electricity that goes nuts.

Thank you for replying.

This is not my area of expertise, but as far as I know quartz watches 
do require electricity to work. That's why most of them need 
batteries. Battery-less quartz watches were developed recently, if 
I'm not mistaken; they are powered by the movement of the wearer's 
arm. That movement causes a weight to move back and forth, which sets 
a micro-generator spinning which produces electrical energy. The 
electricity is stored in a capacitor (analogous to a battery in a 
battery-powered watch). The electricity then is transmitted to an 
integrated circuit, which keeps the quartz crystal oscillating 
steadily. 

So it would still be something included in the list of instruments 
that can't operate in Hogwarts.

Morgan D.
Hogwarts Letters - http://www.hogwartsletters.hpg.com.br