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Old 01-05-2013, 01:13 AM
Texas Star Texas Star is offline
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Default Your Watch Battery: how long?

In early December, the battery to my beloved TAG-Heuer watch began flicking the second hand in several-second increments, indicating that it's time to change the battery. It was maybe 3-5 years since I had that done. I bought the watch about 1998-2000. I disremember (or unrecollect) the exact date.

Well, by late Dec., my also loved Seiko Sports 100 from the 1980's also began the second hand tick trick and the watch was dead in about three days! The TAG is still working, and I SWEAR that I will find time to get the battery replaced next week, now that the mall mobs from the holidays have dropped off. It's that or use my cell 'phone to tell time.

My second Seiko died this summer, and I need to fix it, too. All three need batteries. And the jeweller whom I trust to clean the watches, check and lube the seals, and change batteries wants $45 each.I am not rich...prob. won't do all three at once.

How long will YOUR watch work after announcing that it needs a new battery? And how long will a fresh quartz watch battery last?

My brother who wears a cheap Casio says that his battery is supposed to last for ten years, and the watch cost less than it will to replace a battery in any of mine. I'd still rather wear my watches.

Last edited by Texas Star; 01-05-2013 at 01:16 AM.
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Old 01-05-2013, 02:13 AM
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I have a couple quartz watches. the batteries usually last about 5 years. I change my own, so the cost is minimal.
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Old 01-05-2013, 02:32 AM
Ben_hutcherson Ben_hutcherson is offline
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I don't know when the last time I replaced a watch battery was...my watches all get their power from my fingers!
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Old 01-05-2013, 03:47 AM
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That's why I bought a Citizen Eco Drive. No batteries or winding.
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Old 01-05-2013, 08:47 AM
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45 dollars to change a watch battery? That is way high. Find a little mom and pop jewelry store or watch repair place. I think I get charged 10 Max. I could see maybe a little higher on the Tag, but it is still just a quartz watch. You are getting hosed at 45.
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Old 01-05-2013, 09:04 AM
mkk41 mkk41 is offline
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Some of these kiosks and strip mall jewelers must use really cheap Chinese batteries.
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Old 01-05-2013, 09:35 AM
Damn Yankee Damn Yankee is offline
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As long as my watch can get some light every day they haven't stopped in the five years that I've had it.

Check your time.

The official U.S. time - clock
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Old 01-05-2013, 09:42 AM
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I have a couple of Sieko's that I really like. My first one needed a battery replacement after 11 years. The second one is running 6 years on it's first battery.

It's been my experiance that when the watch shows signs of of a weak batter it'll last about 3 weeks.
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:32 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bshepherd View Post
45 dollars to change a watch battery? That is way high. Find a little mom and pop jewelry store or watch repair place. I think I get charged 10 Max. I could see maybe a little higher on the Tag, but it is still just a quartz watch. You are getting hosed at 45.
For a Heuer,Tissot,Citizen and the like, $45.00 is cheap if it is done correctly.Most Heuers are water resistant and to change the battery involves specialized tools and batteries, as well as changing the o rings and re vacumizing the watch in order to retain the integrity of the watch when wet or submerged.
My old Heuer 1000 black coral diver can no longer be serviced by a Heuer dealer because they no longer make replacement o rings.
Your average shopping mall jeweler has neither the tools nor the experience to change specialized watch batteries and in the rare occasion they do accept the task,should tell you that the watch is no longer water resistant at least to manufacturer's spec,will void any remaining warranty and the battery will last only a fraction of the time of the OE unit.Additionally if the watch needs repairs,most will not accept the work if a non OE battery is found in the watch.
On average I get 4 to 6 years on my Heuers,3 to 5 on Tissots and god only knows on my Casio G Shock which I wear just about every day.

Last edited by duppie; 01-05-2013 at 11:03 AM.
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:39 AM
Mustang51 Mustang51 is offline
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I wear a 25 year old Seiko quartz chronograph that belonged to my dad. I have a little local jewelry store that changes the battery and cleans it for $25. I usually get about 5 years out of it, and you've reminded me that I am about due.
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:43 AM
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I have not worn a watch since the day I retired. Don't know if the battery is still good or not.
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Old 01-05-2013, 11:28 AM
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I have quite a few fairly 'fancy' watches, the type I used when I had to wear a suit everyday for work. I just about never wear them now.
Instead I have a Casio G-Shock on my wrist that uses a solar rechargeable battery and checks the atomic clock reference everyday (or sooner, if I choose to do so during the day). Its plenty rugged for rough outdoor activities including shooting my big bore handguns. Keeps accurate time down to the second (I check it against a couple other atomic clocks we have).

I havent checked in a long time, but I'm sure some of my 'fancy' watches' batteries have likely expired. Doesn't matter - - - this G-Shock does a better job - giving me the time under any conditions & without any hassles - than any of them.

Last edited by Pointshoot; 01-05-2013 at 11:30 AM.
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Old 01-05-2013, 11:31 AM
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Here is a TIP.
If you have watches that you don't wear often, pull the stem out while stored. This will stop the watch and save the battery.
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Old 01-05-2013, 11:56 AM
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I just got a watch for christmas and it does not need batteries i just wind it every other day.
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Old 01-05-2013, 12:02 PM
Alnamvet68 Alnamvet68 is offline
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I've had my Submariner since 1971, and have never had to worry about it ever dying on me; slight wiggle of the wrist, and she's good to go...
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Old 01-05-2013, 12:10 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kanewpadle View Post
That's why I bought a Citizen Eco Drive. No batteries or winding.
Yeah, when I got a promotion about a year ago, I bought myself a new Eco Drive as a gift from me to me....what a beautiful watch. After a year of everyday wear though, I need to get it into a jewelery store for a GOOD cleaning.
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Old 01-05-2013, 07:50 PM
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Quote:
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I just got a watch for christmas and it does not need batteries i just wind it every other day.
Me too. "Swiss Army". My battery watch I wear for yard/car/etc. work normaly lasts a couple years. I just throw them away and buy another "Dollar store" watch.

Last edited by therevjay; 01-05-2013 at 07:53 PM.
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Old 01-05-2013, 08:52 PM
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I will admit, there is something about a fine timepiece that I like. I however can not afford them so I just wish and dream. The few watches that I have are all quartz except one which is mechanical. My 1998 Seiko still has the original battery in it. The others I have are new enough to not need a new battery. My 4 year old Timex is still on its factory battery. The mechanical watch is a wind up model but it is not an expensive watch. I bought it new from a Hong Kong website for $85.
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Old 01-05-2013, 09:07 PM
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I save a lot of money on batteries. My Rolex is self winding. There is a small matter of the 5 year service. It runs about $600 if you send it back to Rolex and $350 if done locally. Been running great since 1990.
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Old 01-05-2013, 09:30 PM
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I will never buy another battery watch. I have an automatic and some manual winding watches. I'd much rather wind a watch every morning than ever go up to the mall for a new battery.
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Old 01-05-2013, 09:56 PM
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I'm another well satisfied Citizen Eco Drive wearer. Mine has a black dial, stainless band, big numbers and the hands glow brightly in the dark.
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:04 PM
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You people have way too much time on your hands!
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:05 PM
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Quote:
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I will never buy another battery watch. I have an automatic and some manual winding watches. I'd much rather wind a watch every morning than ever go up to the mall for a new battery.
Where does one buy a manual winding watch, anymore?
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Old 01-05-2013, 10:06 PM
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Omega Seamaster, uses that "old Swiss engineering"..besides I hate malls also
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Old 01-05-2013, 11:06 PM
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"Where does one buy a manual winding watch, anymore?"

I have a few vintage watches that I bought through Ebay.
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Old 01-06-2013, 12:12 AM
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I had a Rolex Explorer, which I sold to buy the TAG-Heuer. I loved it, but the Explorer I has no date and the acryllic (sp?) lens needed to be polished every year or so. Don't know why they didn't use a synthetic sapphire lens at that price! Other Rolex models do.

But the Rolex wasn't dead accurate, although a well known local Rolex serviceman got it to within about 30 seconds a week. The real rub is that I can't afford to shell out several hundred dollars to have it cleaned every few years. If I was rich I'd buy several and stagger when they were cleaned.
My son has worn several Rolexes and Omega Seamasters. He even WON a Rolex Yachtmaster as a door prize at a party held by a wealthy Kuwaiti woman before he went off to invade Iraq in 2003.

The store in the mall that services my watches is a famous jeweller, Ben Bridge. They are a national chain, I think, and sell Rolex and other top notch brands, inc. TAG-Heuer. They no longer sell Seiko, but can repair my older ones. This ability may vary from store to store and which parts the individual repairman has on hand. All three of my watches are certified water resistent to considerable depths and use special seals. I do not entrust them to typical mall shops that can change a Timex battery for ten bucks. They'd probably scratch the back of the watch getting it off, if not worse. The Ben Bridge man also checks in a pressure test unit to insure that the seals are good to a depth of several hundred feet.

One of the Seikos ticks loudly enough to be heard in a quiet room, and that bugs me. Reminds me of Peter Capstick warning that a leopard can hear your watch if he passes close by your blind en route to a bait tree... I also have a small Swiss Army Brands desk clock that is audible from several feet away. I keep it by the computer to remind me how much time I waste here.

Eventually, I will repair all three watches, the TAG first. It is probably the best watch that I'll ever own. But I'll pull out the stem in one Seiko, to keep it ready for emergencies when another watch is in the shop. I was rotating all three watches, for variety.

I have seen some nice looking Seiko automatic watches on Amazon.com for maybe $60-75. Anyone know them? What does it cost to clean an auto Seiko, and can US dealers even do that? Swiss Army Brands and Wenger also have Swiss quartz watches made for them, and some look pretty good. I want to avoid getting a gray market Seiko that Seiko's USA offices won't service. Some feedback that I saw on a watch board does suggest that Seiko USA in CA and in NJ are pretty good about service. But I was shocked to learn that many former local Seiko dealers like some Zale stores and big department stores no longer sell the brand. No idea why. My Seiko watches have been quite good, and very accurate. The materials are lighter and less well made than on the TAG, but it cost maybe three times what either Seiko did. I suspect that Swissman will agree that timepieces from his country tend to be the best.

I had a PM from a member who warned that once a quartz watch starts skipping seconds, it needs quick repair or the battery may cause power surges that could damage the watch. I'll call Monday and ask the repairman if he knows anything about that. The store is an authorized TAG dealer, so he should know.

Thanks for the info, fellows.

Last edited by Texas Star; 01-06-2013 at 12:19 AM.
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Old 01-06-2013, 12:24 AM
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I have a seiko than uses sunlight to keep it ticking.It should never need a battery.
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Old 01-06-2013, 12:31 AM
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Quote:
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I have a seiko than uses sunlight to keep it ticking.It should never need a battery.
Probably not the best choice for spelunkers (cavern explorers), but sounds good for the rest of us.


What is the Citizen Eco-Drive?

Can you describe it more fully as to model and price?
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Old 01-06-2013, 02:10 AM
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I have this one. Paid much less than the MSRP listed. Had it for about four years. My wife and daughter also have a Citizen.
Select Your Country | Citizen Watch
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