Re: Correction to Correction....
I don't think kinetic energy is really the variable to be focusing on, as its primary application is the measurement of potential energy (due to the velocity of a certain mass) transferring from one mass to another. The KE of an Omega watch would only be significant if you threw it at or dropped it on somebody, and then the kinetic energy of the watch would be in proportion to the amount of injury that would occur to the watch throwee. KE is much more relevant in the field of exterior ballistics, where the fact that you can get a FIFTY caliber Hornady 350 grain XTP bullet up to a screaming 1900 FPS with a S&W 500 Magnum for 2900 ft-lbs of impact energy. If there happens to be a 1200 pound Alaskan brown bear 50 feet away from you and headed your way, a 2900 KE value will give you at least a chance at survival.
As far as the watch on the wrist of the Laterno driver, there is one other variable which does come into play, and that G-force from the recoil of the initial shock itself. The classic example of this is shaken baby syndrome, and what can injure and kill the baby is NOT the initial impact or shock at all, but the RECOIL of the brain (or other internal organs) as the jerk to a stop after the initial shake and then suddenly jerk back the other way. In real life, this translates into how loose your watchband is on your wrist. The looser it is, the greater the chance that the watch will be susceptible to recoil impact if you are rhythmically swinging your arm back and forth. That is why my 2293.52 is snug on my wrist, and I can snap my wrist back and forth without the watch moving position. Because I wear it this way, the maximum G-force that it can sustain is limited to the elasticity of my own body. If I let it flop around loose, I suspect the secondary recoil of the Ti links and bracelet against each other and the watch could be far more severe that the original shock that went through my arm to begin with.
I'm working on digging up a standard drop test from somewhere in the meantime.
