[How To Replace A Watch Battery
Rancul Ratha
After 4+ years of constant use, the battery health of my Apple Watch series 5 has come down to 79% requiring frequent charging, up to twice daily. However, Apple ran a diagnostic and responded that my watch battery still has some juice left and they cannot change the battery at $100. If I still insist on changing then it would cost me $300. It appears that Apple has a very high threshold for battery deterioration. Can Apple give more powers to users to decide when they would like to change their battery at a reasonable price and battery health?
I just got my apple watch 5 battery serviced, they require that your battery is below 75%. In the apple watch setting it should tell you it needs service. They ran the diagnostic test on the watch and it failed the battery test. You should go back when your battery health is below the 75% threshold.
Some watches may have a plastic spacer and/or rubber gasket that must be gently removed to see the battery. These are not all symmetrically shaped. To ensure you reinstall them properly, note how they sit inside the watch. Take a photo for a visual reminder.
A magnifying glass, a small Phillips screwdriver and some decent electronics tweezers got the job done. In my case the expanded battery did most of the work getting the back off the watch, so that may be a little tricky. I suspect careful use of a heat gun and some electronic plastic prying tools will do it.
I may end up re-sealing the enclosure at some point to help with water resistance, but the back seems fairly secure with just the plastic clips. That said, there is a good risk that a kiddo could pull the body off the backing without some adhesive in there, so could be a choking risk if your kiddo is small.
I am the new owner of about 20 small inexpensive watches that I
would like to connect to beaded bands - which I want to make and then
sell. Unfortunately, these watches all need to have their batteries
replaced. The local place charges $9 for each replacement. Is it
difficult to replace batteries in watches and what is a good source
to find them? I am a relative novice but do have quite a few tools.
How do I find out how to do this? Is it difficult to learn?
(Without seeing your watches) it might be that all you need is a
dull knife to lift the back of the case off, see what kind of battery
is needed, pray that they are all alike, and buy 20 of that kind of
battery.
in my experience, Walmart will only change batteries in watches that
they carry (and they sold it to you). That way, if they mess it up,
they can replace the cheap watch with a matching cheap watch.
You can find watch batteries for far lower than $9 each online. Once
you know the size, do a google shopping search for that size
battery. The first seller on google shopping under "watch batteries"
sells 10 batteries for $2.71.
A little note for the customer with the number and they walked 200
meters to Radio Shack for a $5.00 battery which I popped in for
free. Versus the normal $8 store price. Management hated me but
seeing a customer leave with a smile was always nice. They also
tended to come back for more than just another battery.
First you must identify the type of back panel that your watch has. There are a few different types of back panels on watches, some needing tools to open while others can be done by hand. The common types of back panels for watches are listed below.
A screw-down watch can be identified by its threaded case back. This type of case offers threads that allow a tight, and sometimes waterproof seal. Depending on the manufacturer of the watch, the look of and the tools needed to open the back panel may differ.
Many earlier watches as well as some newer ones utilize a simple snap-on back. This type of back panel is held in place with pressure. Usually to open these types of case backs, a flat tool must be used to carefully pry it off.
A bayonet case back is attached by screws similarly to a screw-on back. The main difference is that bayonet systems allow for consistent and equal pressure on all points of the back panel. This type of back panel can also be removed by using the correct type of screwdriver.
Now that you have removed the back panel of your watch you can begin to see its inner workings. The next step in changing your watch battery, involves removing the rubber gasket (if your watch has one). The gasket is basically the rubber spacer in between the case back and the inside of the watch. The gasket helps with keeping a seal to keep foreign particles out as well as maintains correct pressure when the watch is closed. To remove the gasket simply use a flat tool to gently lift it up and out of your watch. Be careful to not use too much force as rubber may tear or rip.
After removing the gasket, you should now be able to see the watch battery. Take a note of how it is placed inside the watch as you will want to reinsert the new battery the same way to ensure proper functionality. Also take note of the make and model of the battery to ensure that you are replacing it with the correct battery. Using the incorrect battery in a watch can result in inaccurate timekeeping, low service life, or the watch not working at all.
If there are tabs holding the battery in place, use a tool to gently lift them up and free the battery. Once the battery is out, it is a good idea to lightly wipe off the connection points in the watch with a small cloth or qutip to ensure clean connection points that allow for optimal energy transfer. If you are having trouble removing the battery, try to use small tweezers to carefully pull it out.
Now that the old watch battery is removed you can insert the new battery. Refer to your notes on how the old battery was placed into the watch and carefully reinsert it in the same manner. If you are having trouble doing so by hand, you can utilize tweezers to place the battery precisely. After the new battery has been inserted, reset any tabs or other holders to ensure the battery is held securely in place.
Now that the new battery is in the watch, it is good practice to check your work. To do so, simply flip the watch over and inspect it to see if it is working. If the watch is not moving, you may have inserted the battery incorrectly, have a defective battery, or have a damaged watch. If after a few tries with different placement and different batteries the watch continues not to work, it may be a good idea to take the watch to a professional jeweler for further inspection.
Next, reattach the back panel of the watch. This step may be done by hand, or tools can be used if necessary. It is important to get a proper fit when reattaching the back panel, but one should take caution to not over tighten as threading can be stripped.
Replacing watch batteries is fairly simply but can take a fair amount of time to do properly. Did you know that higher quality watch batteries can provide extended service life to your device? This results in fewer overall battery changes. By buying high end watch batteries, you save time by requiring fewer battery changes. High end watch batteries also ensure better performance from your timepiece. High end watch batteries help provide more accurate timekeeping, longer service life, and consistent discharge for your device.
I got mine from Amazon. It came in a little yellow box that says "GDGJ No. 2098A Case Opener for waterproof watches. I've used it a couple of times and it works much better than a pair of needlenose pliers that invariably slip and scratch the literal bejeebus out of the back of your watch. It was part of a larger kit. Recommended. Best of all, I didn't have to leave the house.
I've been watching some watch repair videos recently, it seems the repair guys often use a small children's rubber ball to remove the watch back - they just press it against the back and turn it. If you google 'rubber ball watch back removal' a bunch of short videos demonstrating the technique pop up.
I got this kit off the 'zon about a year ago to change the battery my Nautica "daily" which looks pretty similar to your Seiko. I remember it being about $16.00. Not exactly jeweler quality but I've opened my watch, my son's cheapo and my wife's Movado to swap out batteries without any issue. I haven't tried the band pin tool but it looks like it would work on my watch.
You definitely need to pop up that back (it is a "press on" according to the picture). Then you will see the battery (hopefully) and from it you can take what number it is, and replace it. It is common to find the CR type: CR 2025 or CR 2016, inside those: in fact, they are usually lithium based, the batteries.
Worst case scenario, you might need to "lift" a section of the circuit board to find the battery if covered by it (or a second battery if the first doesn't solve the problem or there is a back up -- usually of different type) but it is not likely for this watch (I hope). The extra battery(s) setup for digital watches is very rare today and mostly used in cheap 2 movement ...or very expensive digital ones. Normal stuff is just one. (This watch doesn't have a calculator or 2 movements, etc).
Now, most likely the battery is held down by a springy metal plate and a couple of Philip head screws that keep the metal plate down. They most likely screw into plastic/board. Be careful of "(A)" screws flying away by means of the plate propelling them and "(B)" stripping the plastic where they go in...there are other "C" and "D" -- and a whole alphabet -- of things that can go wrong, including damaging the circuit but if you are careful and gentle those may never happen.
In the end, that back might need to be back on using a press to close it properly but, being the watch 3 atm, it just might go in by pressing with your fingers. Whatever the case is, don't put excessive pressure on the crystal but try to use the bezel instead to support the watch.
Yeah, most people try to pry open by trying to insert the knife almost horizontally when in reality it should go almost vertical to avoid slipping and scratching the back. It is a normal thing even for beginner watchmakers until they get the hang of it. One thing about opening the back, specially when the knife is used improperly is that sometimes, and because the force exerted is so strong, the momentum carries the knife all the way, unchecked, and when we manage to stop it, it is half way inside the movement and the damage is already done. Therefore the "vertical" use of the knife, it won't go past the protective metal of the case, won't slip and won't mar the surface. :)
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