There are those who simply buy a new watch because replacing the battery is a hassle, or because it costs too much. Yet replacing a watch battery is relatively easy.
Watches are just machines. Small and precisely engineered machines, but machines nonetheless. Anyone with the slightest mechanical ability and steady hands can replace a watch battery.
First, you need to identify which kind of watch you have.
Quartz or Not?
You likely know whether your watch is a battery-operated quartz one or not. But not everyone does. A quick glance at eBay shows quite a few mechanical watches (either manually or automatically wound) that say, “Doesn’t work now; just needs a battery.” Perhaps that’s just a way to absolve the seller of liability for selling a broken watch, but I’m not so sure. Some people really don’t know what kind they have.
If the face says “quartz,” or you are otherwise positive it needs a battery, then we are ready to move on to the next step.
Snap or Screw?
If the back of your watch is smooth and looks like a pressed-on back, you probably have a snap-on type. This style can often be opened without special tools. If your watch has a circular back with regular notches around the perimeter, you likely have a screw-on back. The watch back is almost assuredly of the screw-on variety if it features a water-resistance rating of around 100 meters or more.
Removing the Snap-On Back
Something thin needs to be slipped under the back to pry it off – a small screwdriver or thin knife blade, for instance. The key here is to put some tape or other protective layer on the watch to keep it from getting scratched. It’s also a great idea to place the watch on a folded-over cloth or piece of rubber to protect the crystal face from getting marred.
Most snap-on backs have a raised lip on which to pry. Put the watch under bright light and get out a magnifying glass if you need to in order to find it.
Remember that these snap-on backs can be stubborn, so be very careful if you are using something sharp like a knife; it’s easy for it to get away from you.
Removing A Screw-On Back
It may seem like conspiracy to keep you from changing your own battery, but the harder-to-open screw-on back is used for a reason. This design allows the waterproofing rubber gasket under the back to be reliably compressed for great water resistancy. And it’s not that hard to deal with.
What you will need is some type of tool to loosen the back. I suppose you could fashion you own, but why bother when you can get a perfectly serviceable one for $10-15? The tool will pay for itself after a short time. What you want is a “Jaxa” type tool that adjusts to fit into those notches on the back.
Before attempting to turn the back, make absolutely sure that the tool’s bits are in the notches and fit without slop. You do not want the tool to slip out and scratch your watch.
Now, with the crystal in your palm and the properly adjusted tool in the notches, press down on the tool evenly and rotate to the left. This is harder on some watches than others. For some reason Seiko backs are torqued down really tight at the factory. I have had to place Seikos in a padded vice so I could get more downward pressure while rotating the tool. All the other brands I’ve opened were quite easy.
Note that some high-end watch brands – such as Rolex – have screw-on backs without notches for a “Jaxa” tool. They apparently don’t want mere mortals working on their watches. The tool will work on the vast majority, though.
I have also seen watches on the other end of the price spectrum that have a knurled perimeter so the back can screw off without a tool. These are equally rare.
Replacing the Battery
This is the easy part. But before you remove the battery, note it’s position – especially which side is facing up. It’s usually the positive side where the battery type/number is stamped.
Most batteries are held in place by a lip on one side. You just need to gently pry it out with your screwdriver or knife. Others advise that you should not use metal tools to do this because you might short-circuit something. I’ve never had that problem, but could use something made out of plastic or wood if you are concerned about it.
Some batteries are held in place under a small barrier that is screwed in place. You will need a small-bladed screwdriver or fine knife to remove this screw.
Before you put in the new battery, check the old one: does it have corrosion on it? Also check the metal contact in the watch to make sure it isn’t covered with leaked battery corrosion; that could be why the watch stopped in the first place. Gently scrape any corrosion off with a knife tip or emery board tip, being very careful not to get any debris in the watch movement. Turn the watch over to gently tap out any residue before the battery goes in. Dirt kills watches!
Putting It Back Together
Before you put the watch back together, check that the rubber gasket is not ripped or crumbling. If it’s damaged, you’ll need to replace it to retain the watch’s water resistancy. You can get these gaskets from jewelry supply houses on the Internet. Chances are your gasket will be fine. It would be great at this point if you put a light coat of silicone grease on the gasket to keep it supple. You likely won’t have this on hand and there’s a good chance the last time you got your battery replaced, the shop didn’t do it either. Buy some if you want to do this procedure often; it’s relatively cheap.
Now, check that the gasket is properly seated around the perimeter of the back, and then reattach the back onto the watch. This is very straightforward on both styles of watches, but you may have trouble with some snap-on backs where the back cover is a really tight fit. Whatever you do, don’t press down on the face of the crystal. Find a way to keep the crystal free of any pressure by placing the watch in a vise (padded with cloth or rubber to prevent scratching) so that the force is being applied to the sides of the watch case only.
Materials
The “Jaxa” type tool was already mentioned. You can get one of Far-Eastern manufacture for a relatively cheap price. Precision screwdrivers can also be had quite cheaply at dollar stores. They are poorly made, but should serve well enough for removing small screws. I wouldn’t pry with them, though. Better American, European or Japanese screwdrivers aren’t really that expensive if you decide to make a habit of any watch work.
And speaking of dollar stores, there’s even a chance you can find watch batteries incredibly cheap there. I recently bought a package of 30 batteries for $1.25 – which included eight of the most commonly used size.
Wherever you buy your batteries, just be aware that they often have more than one name. For instance, the popular AG1 is also known as the 364. Do an Internet search for your battery name and you will see the other names it is known by. Checking your owner’s manual to see what kind of battery your watch takes ahead of time means you can shop for bargains when you see them.
Quartz or Not Revisited
If you still hate the idea of having to replace watch batteries after reading this, perhaps what you need is a different watch. Manual-wound and automatic watches use no batteries at all. Others, like Citizen’s Eco-Drive and Seiko’s Kinetic lines, are quartz watches that designed to never need battery replacement.
If you do decide to keep your quartz watch, you now know that you can do the battery replacement yourself. The rest is up to you.
