Many wristwatches run on batteries. To replace it, you have to open the lid of the watch. Doing this is not as easy as it seems. You can take the watch to the workshop, or you can try to cope on your own.
- - a knife with a sharp blade;
- - screwdriver;
- - magnifier.
Take a magnifying glass and inspect the clock. You need to understand how the lid is attached. There may be several options: simple snap-in, fastening with a threaded ring, screwing on the bolts. Place the watch on a flat surface such as a table. Place a towel under them. Wipe the watch cover and its connection with the case with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.
The cover, which is fastened with bolts, must be opened with a screwdriver. Loosen the bolts. If they are too small, use a small utility knife with a sharp blade instead of a screwdriver. Unscrew the bolts in the following order: first, then the one opposite, and so on. When you remove the cover, you will most likely see a plastic o-ring. Do not lose it - it is better to put the bolts, the lid and the ring on the saucer.
If the lid is attached with a threaded ring, look for special recesses that are made specifically for opening. Insert a thin screwdriver into one of the recesses and turn the ring counterclockwise. The ring should spin. When you release the cover from the ring, you will need to pick up a special tongue with a screwdriver, which is located at the arrow translation lever. It must be carefully pry with a screwdriver and pull a little. The lid should open. If the watch has a cover that unscrews completely, it also has special holes for rotation. Proceed in a similar way.
The lid, which simply snaps into place, is opened with a knife. You need to find a recess on it, pick it up and carefully open it.
note
When opening the watch, be extremely careful - without professional skills, it is very easy to damage the delicate watch mechanism.
Useful advice
When buying a watch, check with the seller how exactly they open. If you don't like the opening method, don't buy the watch.
The clock is one of the most beloved symbols in culture. They symbolize time, its transience or, on the contrary, eternity. The clock is an attempt by a person, powerless before the passage of time, to at least track its course. Over the hundreds of years of its existence, watches have undergone many changes.
- 1. First watch
- 2. Pocket and wrist watches
- 3. Quartz watch
Time is a phenomenon that a person is not able to perceive with any of the senses, therefore, changes in nature help him to feel time. The earth revolves around the sun, so the amount of light tells whether it is day or night. It was the Sun that became the first landmark of man in time. The sundial is the most ancient of all invented by man. They were an ordinary pole stuck in the ground, and a timeline was drawn around it. The shadow falling on the ground from the pole served as an arrow. Such clocks are now often becoming decorations in parks, and they can also be made at home using a piece of paper and a needle.
A little later, an hourglass or water clock appeared - they measured the time during which sand or water had time to completely move through a narrow hole from the top of the clock to the bottom.
Along with sand and water clocks, fire clocks were also used. They were a wick of a certain length, impregnated with a slowly burning composition. A burnt-out wick meant the end of a certain period of time.
Apparently, the Antikythera mechanism should be considered the first mechanical clock. That is, he, of course, was not the first, but this is the most ancient surviving sample. The mechanism was found in 1901 on a sunken ship near the Greek island of Antikythera. It consisted of 37 bronze gears in a wooden case, equipped with dials, and was intended, apparently, to calculate the movement of celestial bodies.
Around 1000 in Germany, Abbot Herbert invented the first pendulum clock, which, however, did not have much success.
The first mechanical clocks were driven by a drop weight. A stone or metal load tied to a string or rope wound around a rotating shaft, lowering, set this shaft in motion. Such clocks were used, for example, in city squares.
Later, Galileo Galilei improved Herbert's pendulum, which later began to be used in clocks. Oscillatory laws were used in such clocks.
In the 17th century, the clock mechanism was improved so much that it could fit in a pocket watch.
Mechanical pocket and wrist watches work in much the same way as pendulum watches. Only the mechanism is driven not by a pendulum, but by a flywheel - a balancer. The clock has a tightly twisted metal spiral, from its pushes the balance bar swings from side to side, setting the rest of the parts in motion.
The Latin word clocca, from which came the English clock (“clock”), originally meant “bell”, since time was not tracked with the help of arrows, but with the help of bell strikes at a certain time of the day.
In general, any mechanical watch has a similar structure. They have a source of energy, in this case a wound spring, a trigger mechanism, a pendulum or balancer, a mechanism for winding or shifting hands, a gear system and a dial.
When the mechanism for winding the watch is spinning, the spring inside is twisted more densely, but over time it unwinds. That is why such hours need to be wound.
Quartz watches use a quartz crystal as the vibrating element. This clock needs a power source, such as a battery. Charging from a battery, the quartz crystal quickly contracts and decompresses, creating oscillations of the desired frequency. Such watches are considered the most accurate - for a year they give a deviation of only 60 seconds.
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The most tiresome thing in life is to wait and catch up. In order to have to wait less and catch up less often, the Babylonians invented a sundial as early as 3500 BC. The first mechanical watch was supposedly invented in 966 by Pope Sylvester II, the very first mechanical wrist watch appeared in 1775 thanks to the Swiss Abraham Louis Breguet. Modern quartz wrist and wall clocks appeared only in 1937 thanks to the efforts of Louis Essen from the Royal Greenwich Observatory.
Currently, the share of mechanical wristwatches in operation, in which an electronic circuit is used instead of a pendulum, is more than 90%. In appearance, wrist mechanical and quartz watches are no different, but if you look inside, the difference will be obvious.
The photo shows the mechanism of a fully mechanical watch with an open back. On the right, similar to a ship's steering wheel, there is a pendulum, which ensures the accuracy of the clock.
In quartz watches, the speed of movement of the second, minute and hour hands is provided, as in a mechanical watch, by gears, and a quartz generator is installed instead of a pendulum. The spring is replaced by an electric battery.
The electrical circuit and the principle of operation of a quartz watch
Quartz watches, regardless of the manufacturer and size, owe the accuracy of the quartz resonator, which ensures stable operation of the generator at a frequency of 32768 Hz, made on a microcircuit. The microcircuit in appearance is a semiconductor crystal with wires extending from it. To protect the crystal from external influences, it is filled with a compound, so in a watch the microcircuit looks like a flattened drop of dark plastic.
The electrical circuitry of a quartz watch from any manufacturer, be it Casio, Tissot, QQ, Geneva, Swatch or any other, looks the same. The supply voltage from the battery is supplied through a switch mechanically connected to the crown of the watch, which watchmakers call the crown. When the crown is pulled away from the watch case, the switch contacts open, and the supply voltage to the microcircuit is not supplied. The clock stops. In the vast majority of quartz watches, a 1.5 V DC battery is installed. But sometimes there are models designed for a 3.0 V supply voltage.
In the microcircuit, the frequency of the quartz oscillator is divided to a frequency of 1 Hz (1 Hz = one oscillation per second), and these pulses are applied to the electromagnet coil of a stepper micromotor with a sequentially changing polarity. Two permanent magnets of different polarity are mounted in the rotor of the stepper motor. When the rotor magnets interact with the magnetic field of the electromagnet changing to the opposite, the rotor rotates 180 ° with each change. On the rotor shaft there is also a trib rotor, which is a gear that transmits torque to the gears of the watch mechanism.
The presented electrical circuit of a quartz clock is used in all types of quartz clocks - wrist, wall and even wall with a pendulum - and differs only in the use of batteries of different capacities and stepper motor power.
When to change the watch battery
Over time, even watches with a fresh battery from well-known brands begin to lag behind and soon stop, which indicates the need to change the battery. Some models have the “END OF LIFE” function, due to which, in the event of a low remaining battery capacity, the second hand starts to move not by one division of the dial, but jumps over several at once, thereby informing the owner of the watch that it is time to change the battery. The life of the battery depends on its capacity and current consumption by the electronic circuit of the clock and ranges from one to five years.
Preparing a workplace for repairs
If you decide to replace the battery in your watch with your own hands, then before starting work, you should prepare the workplace. In the mechanism of a quartz watch, in addition to the electronic unit, there are gears with microscopic teeth, and getting between the teeth of even a tiny foreign particle, such as dust, hair, dandruff or dirt, can lead to their partial or complete loss of performance. If the surface of the table is hard, then after a successful replacement of the battery, scratches may appear on the watch case.
Therefore, the table must first be dusted with a damp cloth and then covered with a white sheet of paper or a lint-free cloth of sufficient size. The white color is convenient because if a screw or other small detail is accidentally dropped, it will be easy to find them. It is advisable to wear a headdress, such as a baseball cap, or tie your hair with a scarf.
I would think twice before giving an expensive watch for battery replacement to a watchmaker sitting in an untidy booth with bare hair.
Preparing the watch for battery replacement
The battery, depending on its capacity and watch model, usually lasts from one to several years. During this time, a lot of dirt accumulates in the recesses of the watch case and the voids of the bracelet. The leather strap is also dirty on the inside. To prevent dirt from entering the mechanism when replacing the battery, and for hygienic reasons, it is necessary to clean the watch and bracelet, and it is better to replace the strap, since it is almost impossible to completely remove dirt from its pores.
The bracelet or strap is attached to the watch using two thin metal tubular straps (clips). The bar is a thin-walled tube into which a spring is inserted and two pins movably fixed on one or both sides.
If you press the pin along the axis, then it will sink into the tube, and if you release it, it will come out again. The length of the tube is slightly less than the distance between the ears, and there are blind holes in the ears. Thus, if the pins are recessed and then inserted into the holes of the lugs, then the straps are securely fixed in the watch case.
The section of the bracelet that attaches to the bar from the back has a recess specifically designed to allow the bar pin to sink in when the bracelet is removed. In some bars, the pin can only be sunk on one side, so when installing the bracelet on, you need to orient the bar so that you have access to the movable pin. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to remove the bracelet from the watch in the future.
In order to remove the bracelet, you need a sharp object, for example, a knife or an awl, to hook on the protrusion on the pin and sink it into the strap tube, then it will easily separate. The bracelet is installed in the reverse order: one pin of the strap is inserted into the hole of one ear, and the second pin (after drowning) is inserted into the opposite hole of the ear. After fixing the bracelet, you must make sure that both pins are in the holes of the ears. To do this, just pull a couple of times on the bracelet.
When fitting the bracelet, orient it correctly by pointing the latch of the bracelet towards the six o'clock side of the dial.
How to clean your watch and bracelet from dirt
The clock is well cleaned of dirt with the help of a toothbrush moistened in soapy water from laundry soap. It is best to remove all dirt from the bracelet by placing it in the dishwasher. You can wash the strap in the washing machine, but for this you need to put it either in a pocket with a zipper, or in a special bag for washing small items, or in a sock, stocking, tying them in a knot.
How to open the lid of a watch
To replace the battery, you need to remove the cover, which is located on the side of the watch to the hand. The cover is attached depending on the watch model in one of four ways. On screws, due to a tight fit of the cover in the watch case or on a thread cut directly on the cover itself, or with the help of a retaining ring with an external thread pressing it against the case.
How to remove a cover fixed with screws
To remove the cover from the clock, fixed with screws, it is enough to unscrew all the screws. First, using a small screwdriver with a suitable slotted blade (the screwdriver from the watch repair screwdriver set is best), you need to loosen diametrically opposed screws in pairs, as when changing wheels on a car. And then unscrew the screws in any order.
When reinstalling the cover, all screws should be tightened to the stop and then cross-tightened with a little force.
How to remove the snap cover
Before opening a watch with a cover shown in the photo, held by friction forces, it is necessary to carefully examine the place of contact of its edge with the watch case.
Usually, in the area of the ears for attaching a bracelet or strap, there is a barely noticeable gap formed by a protrusion on the cover or a recess in the case.
To remove the cover, it is necessary to insert a thin blade of a knife into this slot and, resting it against the body and acting as a lever, lift the cover. It is unacceptable to press hard with a knife, because if it breaks when the lid is opened, the mechanism can be damaged. When opening a watch with a snap-on lid, there are usually no questions, it is often difficult to install the lid in its original place.
How to remove a cover fixed with a thread
In expensive and waterproof watches, as a rule, the cover is attached using a thread cut on the edge of the cover or a retaining ring.
In the photo you see a watch with a lid attached with threads cut on its edge.
And in this photo, the cover is pressed with a retaining ring with an external thread. Threaded methods allow you to tightly press the cover through the sealing gasket to the body, and thereby reliably protect their mechanism from dust and moisture.
In addition, such a cover is easier to remove and install, especially if there is a special key, for example, as in this photo. By turning the knurled nut, the distance between the wrench pins can be changed to unscrew caps and circlips of different diameters.
How to unscrew the lid using improvised means
Not every home master has a special key for unscrewing the covers at hand, and if the clock got up due to a dead battery, then ordering and waiting for the key to arrive is not always acceptable. Yes, and spending money, if you can get by with improvised means, is irrational.
The most common tool that home craftsmen use is a caliper with tucked jaws. It is enough to spread the jaws to the width of the grooves in the cover, fix this position with a screw, and the caliper is ready for use. The ends of its sponges are inserted into the grooves of the cover, and with a clamp they turn it counterclockwise. The main thing is to move the cover from its place, and then it will easily turn away.
If there is no caliper available, then you can use any tweezers, giving the paws a shape corresponding to the profile of the grooves on the cover using an emery column. If it is difficult to turn the tweezers by hand, then you can insert a screwdriver between the tweezers tabs at the surface of the lid and unscrew the lid in such a way as with a lever.
It will also be easier and more convenient to unscrew the lid with tweezers if you shape the ends of his legs, as in the photo. The width of the spread of the legs of the tweezers can be fixed by inserting between them, for example, a piece of plywood of the required thickness and securing it with electrical tape or tape. Such a refinement will not spoil the tweezers, and it will be possible to continue to use it for its intended purpose.
Unscrewing the cover from the watch is much easier if it is fixed. You can fix the watch in a vise by holding the ears. To avoid scratches, it is necessary to cover the vise jaws with leather or other soft material. You don’t need to clamp it hard, just to keep the watch, otherwise you can deform the ears.
Above is a video demonstrating how to unscrew the cover from a quartz watch using tweezers.
Replacing the battery in a quartz watch
After removing the cover, you can proceed to replace the battery. This is a simple job, but requires compliance with certain rules. But before removing the battery, you need to remove the sealing gasket and remember how it stood in order to also install it back during assembly. This remark is important if the gasket is not round in cross section, but trapezoidal.
As you can see from the photo, the battery is fixed in the mechanism with the help of two clamping bars: one fixed on the right side, and movable on the left side.
To prevent the battery from falling out of the socket, the movable bar is fixed with a screw. Therefore, before moving the bar to the side, it is necessary to loosen the screw with a clock screwdriver by unscrewing it half a turn counterclockwise.
As soon as the bar releases the battery, it will rise up in the socket under the pressure of the negative voltage supply spring contact.
To remove a dead battery, as well as to install a new one, you need to use tweezers. If the tweezers are metal, then in order to avoid short circuiting of the battery terminals, it is necessary to put insulating tubes on the tweezers legs or cover them with electrical tape. If there are no tweezers, then you can use your fingers, after washing your hands well with soap and water.
After removing the battery from the socket, it is necessary to inspect the tab of the negative contact, located in the center of the bottom of the socket, for its cleanliness and contact with the watch mechanism. In this watch, the contact was coated. I had to clean it with a cloth soaked in alcohol.
Checking and choosing a button battery
The voltage at the terminals of the button battery removed from the watch, measured with a multimeter, was about 1 V at a rate of 1.55 V. The battery has clearly become unusable.
Before installing a new battery, it is advisable to check what voltage it produces. If the battery has been lying in an unheated warehouse for more than one year since the date of release, then it may well turn out to be unusable due to self-discharge. There are no devices that allow you to determine the capacity of a button cell battery. With a voltmeter, you can only determine the suitability of the battery for the operation of the clock, and how long it will work, you can only find out when the clock stops.
On the case of the battery, which is also its positive terminal, the marking of its type is always applied. Due to the fact that there is no international standard for marking button batteries, each manufacturer uses its own marking. As a result, batteries of the same size and with the same technical characteristics have a dozen items.
So, for example, the 364A alkaline (alkaline) button battery with a capacity of 20 mAh, shown in the photo, installed in this watch, can be successfully replaced by any button from the following series: SR60, SR621SW, GP364, V364, D364, RW320, LR60 and many others suitable in diameter and thickness. When going to the store for a battery, it is enough to write down the type installed in the repaired watch and the seller, in the absence of the required type, will select an analogue for you. It is desirable to save a record with the type of battery so that in the future you do not have to open the watch again.
How to choose a battery
When choosing a button watch battery, many experience difficulties due to the lack of systematic information on the technical characteristics of different types of batteries. The table will help you to easily select the type of button battery according to the designation on its case.
| Table of specifications for button and coin cell batteries for watches | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cell type (batteries) | IEC designation | Load mode (load current) | Watch mechanism | Voltage, V | Shelf life, years | Price | |
| Salt | R | universal | any | 1,5 | 1,5-2 | low | |
| Alkaline (alkaline, manganese-zinc) | LR | 2-3 | average | ||||
| Silver-zinc (oxide-silver) | SR | LD | low uniform | simple | 1,55 | 2-3 | high |
| HD | high uneven | any | |||||
| MD | universal | ||||||
| Lithium | CR | any | 3,0 | 3-7 | |||
Salt battery R cheap, suitable for any type of watch, has a short shelf life, and does not last long, especially if it has been in the warehouse for more than a year, since the self-discharge current per year is at least 10% of its capacity. In addition, a discharged salt battery is prone to leakage of electrolyte, which in a forgotten watch can lead to damage to the mechanism. I do not advise you to install this type of battery in your watch, except perhaps in a hopeless situation.
Alkaline - alkaline LR battery is the best choice in terms of price and quality. A fresh battery will last, depending on the complexity of the watch mechanism, at least one and a half years.
Silver-zinc battery from a number of expensive ones and has all the advantages of the above, in addition it has a very low self-discharge current. These batteries are available in three versions to optimize cost. The cheapest is the SR-LD, which is ideal for watches with a simple movement, that is, watches that have only hours, minutes and seconds hands. A watch with such a fresh battery lasts at least two years. The SR-HD battery is perfect for watches with a complex mechanism, and the SR-MD is universal and can successfully replace the SR-LD and SR-HD, but it is the most expensive. If funds allow, then this is the best choice for watches with a simple mechanism, as well as a complex one.
Lithium batteries for watches, it is produced only in the form of flat disks of different sizes and therefore there is no need to choose. The battery is expensive, has all the advantages of alkaline and silver-zinc batteries, but lasts at least three years. I happened to change a lithium battery in a watch that had lasted nine years.
Button cell interchangeability
Although there are recommendations from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for button cell labeling rules, many manufacturers prefer their own standards. Therefore, batteries of the same size and technical characteristics have more than a dozen items. To help you figure out which battery suits your needs best, see the button battery interchangeability table below.
It is worth noting that the list of button batteries given in the table is intended not only to work in hours, but also in any other devices, for example, in cameras and camcorders to save settings and the current time when charging batteries, in calculators, LED flashlights, children's toys , laser pointers and many other electronic devices.
| Table of interchangeability of button and flat batteries for watches | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IEC | Renana, GP, Varta (V), Duracell (D), Energizer | Maxeel, Sony, National, Panasonic, Toshiba | Seiko | Rayovac | IEC | Camelion, Golden power, FTY REF | Capacity, Ah | Size ∅×h, mm | Clock movement type |
| SR43 | 301 | SR43SW | SB-A8 | RW34 | LR43 | G12 | 120 | 11.6×4.2 | LD |
| SR44 | 303 | SR44SW | SB-A9 | LR44 | 175 | 11.6×5.4 | LD | ||
| SR48 | 309 | SR754SW | RW38 | LR48 | G5 | 80 | 7.9×5.4 | LD | |
| SR67 | 315 | SR716SW | SB-AT | RW316 | 19 | 7.9×1.6 | LD | ||
| SR62 | 317 | SR516SW | SB-AR | RW326 | 10 | 8.8×1.6 | LD | ||
| SR64 | 319 | SR527SW | SBAE/DE | RW328 | 21 | 5.8×2.6 | LD | ||
| SR65 | 321 | SR616SW | SBAF/DF | RW321 | 14 | 6.8×1.6 | LD | ||
| 329 | SR731SW | RW300 | 37 | 7.9×3.1 | LD | ||||
| 335 | SR512SW | SB-AB | 5 | 5.8×1.2 | LD | ||||
| 337 | SR416SW | 8 | 4.8×1.6 | LD | |||||
| 339 | SR614SW | 11 | 6.8×1.4 | LD | |||||
| 341 | SR714SW | 15 | 7.9×1.4 | LD | |||||
| SR43 | 344 | SR1136SW | RW36 | LR42 | 105 | 11.6×3.6 | LD | ||
| 346 | SR712SW | SB-DH | 10 | 7.9×1.2 | LD | ||||
| 350 | LR42 | 105 | 11.6×3.6 | HD | |||||
| SR44 | 357 | SR44W | SB-B9 | RW42 | LR44 | G13 | 190 | 11.6×5.4 | HD |
| SR58 | 361 | SR721W | LR58 | G11 | 21 | 7.9×2.1 | HD | ||
| SR58 | 362 | SR721SW | SB-AK/DK | RW310 | LR58 | G11 | 23 | 7.9×2.1 | LD |
| SR60 | 364 | SR621SW | SBAG-DG | RW320 | LR60 | G1 | 20 | 6.8×2.1 | LD |
| 365 | SR1116W | 40 | 11.6×1.6 | HD | |||||
| 366 | SR1116SW | RW318 | LR45 | 40 | 11.6×1.6 | LD | |||
| SR69 | 370 | SR920W | SB-BN | G6 | 38 | 9.5×2.1 | HD | ||
| SR69 | 371 | SR920SW | SB-AN | RW315 | G6 | 28 | 9.5×2.1 | LD | |
| SR68 | 373 | SR916SW | SBAJ-DJ | RW317 | 29 | 9.5×1.6 | LD | ||
| 376 | SR626W | 27 | 6.8×2.6 | HD | |||||
| SR66 | 377 | SR626SW | SB-AW | RW329 | G4 | 28 | 6.8×2.6 | LD | |
| SR63 | 379 | SR521SW | SBAC-DC | RW327 | G0 | 15 | 5.8×2.1 | LD | |
| 380 | SR936W | 82 | 9.5×3.6 | HD | |||||
| SR55 | 381 | SR1120SW | SBAS-DS | RW30 | LR55 | G8 | 50 | 11.6×2.1 | LD |
| SR41 | 384 | SR41SW | SBA1-D1 | RW37 | LR41 | G3 | 45 | 7.9×3.6 | LD |
| SR43 | 386 | SR43W | SB-B8 | LR43 | G12 | 130 | 11.6×4.2 | HD | |
| SR54 | 389 | SR1130W | SB-BU | LR54 | G10 | 80 | 11.6×3.1 | HD | |
| SR54 | 390 | SR1130SW | SB-AU | RW39 | LR54 | G10 | 80 | 11.6×3.1 | LD |
| SR55 | 391 | SR1120W | SB-BS/ES | LR55 | G8 | 50 | 11.6×2.1 | HD | |
| SR41 | 392 | SR41W | SB-B1 | RW47 | LR41 | G3 | 45 | 7.9×3.6 | HD |
| SR48 | 393 | SR754W | SB-B3 | LR48 | G5 | 80 | 7.9×5.41 | HD | |
| SR45 | 394 | SR936SW | SB-A4 | RW33 | LR45 | 84 | 9.5×3.6 | LD | |
| SR57 | 395 | SR927SW | SBAP-DP | RW313 | LR57 | G7 | 55 | 5.9×2.6 | LD |
| SR59 | 396 | SR726W | SB-BL | LR59 | G2 | 32 | 7.9×2.6 | HD | |
| SR59 | 397 | SR726SW | SB-AL | RW311 | LR59 | G2 | 32 | 7.9×2.6 | LD |
| SR57 | 399 | SR927W | SB-BP/EP | LR57 | G7 | 55 | 5.9×2.6 | HD | |
| Battery load mode: | HL - low uniform | HD - high uneven | |||||||
Let's look at an example of how to use the table data. For example, after removing the cover from the watch, you saw that it had a SR726SW battery. Now it is enough to find its designation in the table and any battery in the horizontal row in which the SR726SW is located will be suitable for replacement, namely: SR59, 397, SB-AL, RW311, LR59 and G2. Despite the different markings, these are all the same batteries and their main interchangeability parameter is the geometric size. But since the battery was in a watch with a simple mechanism, the range of batteries suitable for replacement is expanding significantly. Any battery from the number 396 series is perfect for replacement, since its overall dimensions are the same, and this type of battery can work in hours, both with a simple HL and a complex HD current consumption mode.
Nowadays, many people order button batteries online directly from Chinese manufacturers. To save money, the Chinese often make the blister simplified, using sticky tape instead of molded transparent plastic. When removing the battery from the blister, a sticky layer may remain on its surface. For reliable contact, before installing the battery in the watch, this layer must be removed from its surface with a rag soaked in acetone or alcohol.
How to properly close the watch case
After replacing the battery, an equally important step comes - replacing the cover.
Watch water permeability
The tightness of the watch depends on the correct installation of the cover. On the watch dial, you can find markings indicating the degree of their water resistance in conventional meters. So in Swiss watches, the number after the letters WR indicates the pressure in atmospheres that the watch can withstand. For example, WR30, WR50 or WR100. But if you immerse the watch in water in practice, then it will get inside the watch, regardless of the marking. It's more of a publicity stunt and nothing more. Watches with this marking only resist splashes of water well. So when swimming in the sea or visiting the sauna, it is still better to remove the watch from your hand. Only in watches specially produced for divers, with a number in the marking WR300 or more, you can safely dive into the water.
However, if the gasket is not installed correctly when installing the cover, the watch can be deprived of protection even against splashing water. There is nothing complicated here, you need to lubricate the gasket with silicone grease, which is sold in an aerosol package, before installing the gasket. If the watch has a wedge-shaped gasket, then install it as it was installed earlier. Lubrication is optional, but will keep the gasket from moving when the cover is closed and will make it easier to unscrew it later.
To lubricate the gasket, you need to put it on a sheet of paper and spray it with a cloud of silicone from a can for 0.5 seconds from a distance of 10-15 cm.
It would seem impractical to purchase a whole can of silicone lubricant, but such a lubricant will not be lost on the farm. Silicone grease is neutral and will not corrode materials, including rubber and plastic. It retains its properties in the temperature range from −40 to +250°C. Silicone grease can lubricate everything where it is necessary to reduce friction, protect against oxidation and water. If the key of the English lock is tight and rotates, then if you spray silicone into the well from a can, the lock will work perfectly. In winter, after lubrication, door seals will not freeze, rubbing plastic parts will not creak, and locks in your car will not freeze. Silicone is also useful for lubricating the ceramic plates of the mixer cartridge, seals and constipation of plastic windows. If it is unacceptable to spray silicone, then you can first moisten the cloth by placing it close to the sprayer, and then lubricate the desired surface. Silicone grease comes in only one type and is sold in hardware and automotive parts stores (the same, but twice as expensive) in spray cans and bottles with a volume of 50 ml or more.
Methods for snapping stubborn covers
When installing the lid, do not forget that the groove on the inside of the shoulder must be exactly above the axis of the crown, otherwise the lid will not slam shut.
Sometimes it is difficult to close the snap-on lid due to insufficient finger force. In this case, if the glass is flat, you need to put the watch with glass on a stack of newspapers and standing up, snap the lid on, pressing it simultaneously with two thumbs.
In the case of convex glass, it is necessary to cut a hole in the diameter of the glass in a piece of plywood with a thickness slightly larger than the convexity of the glass or pick up a plastic screw cap of a suitable diameter and put a watch into it, as in the photo.
If the strength of the fingers is not enough, you can use a vise. To do this, the watch must be squeezed with the jaws of a vise through two gaskets in the form of covers until a characteristic click appears. The mineral water screw on the side of the watch cover can be replaced with a gasket equal in size to the cover made of non-solid material: plywood, thick cardboard or leather. The vise can be successfully replaced with a clamp, which is often used to screw table lamps to the table top.
If there was not enough finger strength to install the watch cover, and there was no vice or clamp at hand, then you can slam the watch cover in an extraordinary way. To do this, you need to place the clock in a protective glass, plastic cover on the floor. Then, slowly shifting from foot to foot, press on the lid through the gasket described above with a clean heel of a shoe worn on the foot until a click appears. Since the force is applied only to the metal case of the watch, it is difficult to damage the mechanism and glass even if desired. To exclude pressure on the crown in case of possible deformation of the cover, a part of the plastic must be removed in front of the crown.
The described methods of installing stubborn watch covers were used by me in practice. You can see for yourself in their effectiveness by practicing on an abandoned old clock, there are such in every house.
As you can see, changing the battery in a watch is not difficult at all, and after reading the article, any home master will be able to cope with this task, even for the first time undertaking such work.
A watch with a battery is convenient in that it does not need to be wound. But the battery does not last forever, and after some time it becomes unusable. The question arises where and how to change it. In addition, the battery itself costs a penny, and replacement in the workshop will cost a lot. Try to study our recommendations and replace the battery in your watch yourself.
To change the battery, the first step is to open the watch. The lid can be twisted and pressed. Look carefully: if the lid is pressed on, then there is a recess on the watch case and the lid needs to be picked up. Take a small knife or small screwdriver, insert your tool into the recess and pry off the cover. The watch must be held firmly, and pressed firmly and carefully so as not to break the watch and not get hurt. If there are recesses in a circle on the lid, six or eight pieces, then it is unscrewed. Of the tools that a home craftsman may have, a caliper is best suited. Spread it across the width of the marks and tighten the bolt so that the bar does not move. Insert the tool into the two recesses and unscrew the cap. You have to unscrew it to the left.
Electronic clocks have one unpleasant feature. As convenient as they are, they may need a new battery at any time. And this is not always convenient. If it is enough to start a mechanical watch, then this cannot be done with this one. Therefore, you need to know how to open the cover of an electronic watch yourself, so as not to contact the service every time to replace the battery.
How to open the electronic watch cover?
What do you need to open?
With desktop electronic walkers, everything is much simpler: there will definitely be a separate cover on the back that covers two batteries. With wristwatches, it is somewhat more difficult. They are assembled unbelievably stronger, especially if they are sports or waterproof models. You will have to try to make them open up and show their insides to the world.
You will need:
a thin screwdriver, a nail file or scissors with a rounded tip - in general, everything with which to open the watch cover is still possible;
· a lot of patience;
firm hands
· Wrist Watch;
Spare battery if you need to change it.
These items will minimize losses when opening the lid. It is also important to clean the workplace and, if possible, remove the bracelet from the watch so that it does not interfere. In electronic ones, he is usually tough and strives to fit in where he doesn’t need to.
How to open the watch cover?
You must first carefully examine the "patient" to understand how to open the back of the watch. If they are waterproof or shockproof, you may need to remove the protective cover on the lid to prevent water from entering under the lid. It can be held on by bolts around. Then you need to examine the cover. It almost always has a notch. If there is no notch, then the mechanism is slamming. It is even easier to open it: you just need to pry with a clerical knife in the place where there is the largest gap, and then slightly push up.
In the found recess, you need to insert a tool of a suitable size. After that, very carefully and carefully tangentially strive to scroll it counterclockwise. With the second hand, it is important to fix the watch case. Do not spare any effort, otherwise the lid will not move from its place.
Everything comes to an end, and so does the battery. After this happens, many people wonder how the replacement of the battery in the watch is done. In fact, everything is quite simple. Open the lid, remove the battery, insert a new one and close it back. This article will consider a visual replacement of the battery in casio, tissot, fossil, swatch watches.
If you have a different brand, do not worry, in all such devices, the batteries are changed in the same way.
Replacing the battery in a watch
Before proceeding with the installation of a new battery, the following recommendations should be observed.
- Check if the warranty has expired. If not, then it is better not to do the replacement yourself. There is a risk of damaging the mechanism. Repairs will be expensive.
- Think, is the device not working because of the battery? If the energy source was changed recently, then it's not about him.
- Replace until the battery is completely discharged. Otherwise, it may leak and damage the mechanism.
Replacing the battery in a casio watch
The first thing to do is to prepare the watch for the removal of the battery. To do this, they must be removed from the hand. If the iron is a solid strap, then it must also be parted to make it convenient. But you can not do it.
Lay the clock on a flat surface. Make sure that there is no debris, sand, etc. Or put them in your left hand.
We take tweezers or calipers and insert their ends into the grooves on the watch covers. You can try scissors, but they can slip and cut your hand.
After removing the cover, we also remove the additional gasket, if any. Next, we take out the battery with a sewing needle or tweezers.
Now we move a special latch with a knife or a needle. We hook the battery, and it jumps out. Be careful not to damage the mechanism. And then make sure not to lose the battery. Remember which side it was.
You go to the store and show the seller the old battery. That is, on it you take a new one.
Insert the battery into the Casio watch by pushing the lock to the side. By making a light pressure, the energy source will fall into place and the latch will close. After that, the mechanism of the device should work.
Close the lid. In some watches, it needs to be threaded. There are instances where you just need to screw in the screws. Do not forget to first put the gasket if it was during the analysis.
As soon as everything is decided with the closure, proceed to the connection of the strap. To start after replacement, simply turn the screw on the side. Perform a standard watch eyeliner.
Tissot watch battery replacement
This device can have both a metal strap and a leather one. If you have metal and it is not convenient to change the battery, you will have to take it apart a little.
The first thing to do is to deal with the strap, unfasten it.
The second is to open the clock, that is, remove the cover from the Tissot. This will require a flat object, such as small scissors or a small knife.
With light, reinforced movements, we pry the edge and remove the metal disk.
Access to the battery is open! Now you can replace the battery of Tissot watches with your own hands! But before that, the old energy sources will have to be removed.
Dirt can accumulate on the sides of the cap. Therefore, arm yourself with an ear stick or a soft cloth and wipe it thoroughly.
Do not forget to remove the gasket because dust accumulates under it.
Now insert the prepared battery. First, push it under the brackets, and then gently push. The battery should snap into place and the clock should start working.
Be careful and don't get confused.
Replacing the battery in a fossil watch
The procedure is almost identical to the above hours. Choose for yourself how you will do the replacement without removing the strap or removing it. If you choose the second option, then actually armed with a knife, perform the removal with a screwdriver.
The next step will require an item in the form of scissors or tweezers. It is best to use a special key for this case. Use these tools to remove the cover. To do this, install the ends of the tweezers in special grooves on the disk body. Then scroll to the left. If it doesn't work, try the right one. It would be nice to know what type of thread.
After that, access to the battery will be open! Now gently pry it with a needle and pull it out. Then put in a new element. Bring the fossil device and enjoy its work.
Replacing the battery in a swatch
Most often, this device has a special hatch for the battery. In this case, the lid does not need to be opened.
It is enough to take a screwdriver and unscrew this compartment. Of course the screwdriver must be thick. But you can take another tool instead. Or use the opposite side of the tweezers.
After the procedure, the battery becomes available. The battery is held by a special stamp. Try not to damage her. Opposite the brand, pick up the tablet energy source with a sharp object and pull it out.
After that, install a new battery observing. Then install the manhole cover back. As a result, the battery in the swatch will be replaced by itself.
Thus, changing the batteries in the watch will no longer be a problem!
How much does it cost to replace a watch battery?
Factors affecting the price:
- Manufacturer company.
- Master's work experience.
- What class of device. Maybe it's a Swiss watch.
- At what price were they bought?
- How hard is it to open.
- Material.
- Battery power.
- From which company is the battery.
- How much does a new part cost.
- How popular is the company in which you will change the battery.
- Are there additional features, such as a chronograph or a calendar, for example.
All of these factors affect performance. It depends on how difficult it is to change the battery.
Replacement options
- On one's own. This method will help you save money. But there is a risk of making a replacement of poor quality, damaging the mechanism. You can also void your warranty.
- Contact a watchmaker. The battery is acquired and inserted by the master. But you have to pay.
Replacement rates
The cost fluctuates around 50 - 2000 rubles, depending on the above factors.
- A simple watch with easy access to an energy source has a battery replacement price of 500 to 1300 rubles.
- Quartz chronographs from 700 - 1600 rubles.
- Non-standard watches with access through glass have a replacement cost of 1000 r - 2000 r.
Manufacturers that are not popular, replacement in their devices can be as low as 50 rubles.
Despite these prices, it is best to repair watches and replace batteries at the masters.
