Can I Replace My Watch Battery Myself?
In this blog, we've already shared some tips for taking care of your watch and helped you understand how it works, and now we want to walk you through the problems you may run into with a battery replacement, should you decide to do it yourself.
Can We Replace the Watch Battery Ourselves?
At Joyería Sendra, we don't recommend it. We believe in leaving watch care to professionals, since that's the only way to guarantee the best results.
If, even so, you decide to replace the battery yourself, avoid these serious mistakes:
- Going cheap: Avoid buying very cheap batteries or buying from retailers that don't offer minimum safety guarantees. A battery is a chemical component, and as such it deteriorates even when it isn't being used. It's also inexpensive enough that saving a few cents simply isn't worth it. Keep the cost angle in mind: between a top-quality battery and one of dubious origin, the difference may be only 10 or 15 cents. For a retailer using them at scale, that might add up to a saving of maybe 100 or 200 euros a year (not exactly a fortune), and going for the cheapest option because of volume might seem justifiable (we don't think it is), but that tiny price difference will never actually benefit the customer - in other words, the saving goes to whoever sells it to you. That few-cents difference in the cost of the battery itself often shows up as a 1 or 2 euro difference in the price of the replacement service, but it isn't really about the battery - especially since this whole saving is being applied to watches that frequently cost several hundred euros... As we said, the battery itself costs a matter of cents (depending on the reference, prices can range from around €0.40 to €2 for fairly uncommon batteries used in relatively special watches), but at any decent workshop you aren't really being charged for the battery itself - you're paying for the professional service and the warranty. If a watch isn't worth that professional service, it might make sense to skip it, but in general, saving that one euro translates into poor service, botched jobs, and unnecessary damage and wear.
- Swapping batteries from other watches: It can be tempting to fit a battery taken from another watch without knowing how long it had already been in use in that quartz watch, whether it was in poor condition, or whether it's even the correct reference for your watch - all just to save a few cents. Reuse before recycle, sure, but that isn't always the right call here. Doing this is a serious mistake, since the battery may have very little life left in it and can dirty or even damage the watch. Replacing a battery, although a relatively simple operation, is still essentially open-heart surgery for your watch. Opening the case lets in new air, which speeds up the micro-oxidation that ages the movement, deteriorates the gaskets, and creates a real risk of slightly damaging the watch through dust particles getting in or grease residue being left behind when handling it... A fresh, quality battery gives you the best chance of only having to go through this operation the minimum number of times over the life of the watch.
- Battery references: Be careful with batteries labeled LR or with no reference at all. Batteries whose reference starts with the letters LR are not silver oxide but alkaline, and should never be fitted in a watch. Even if two batteries share the same reference number, that doesn't mean they're the same. For example, an SR626SW battery is not the same as an LR626 - despite having the same size, voltage, and shape, in reality they are quite different: they differ in composition, sealing, and current rating, and each of these three factors, just like the ones already covered, is key to the watch's correct operation and durability.
- Incorrect dimensions: A battery that's taller or wider than the original can damage the watch - not through sulfation, but through unnecessary pressure on the internal components. A battery that's smaller in size or diameter can also affect performance, since in that case the positive and negative terminals won't make proper contact with the watch's own contacts. The battery used must be exactly the right size - no more, no less - and the only way to guarantee that is by using the battery matching the correct reference. If for whatever reason you don't know which battery you need, you can search Google for your movement's reference number, which is usually laser-engraved somewhere visible inside the watch and isn't usually hard to find.
- Not using fresh batteries: Buy new, fresh batteries, since batteries can lose their properties in storage and end up damaging your quartz watch. A battery is a product with a shelf life, which is why it's always excluded from warranty (unless the retailer chooses to offer one, as we do at our workshop at Joyería Sendra). It needs to be stored properly, somewhere cool and dry, away from sunlight and heat sources that could damage the sealing, and away from sources of electromagnetic radiation that could magnetize it. For this reason, old batteries or ones taken from other watches are not suitable for your quartz watch. By fitting the correct battery - new and high-quality - at a business with a professional workshop and good technical service, we ensure the watch gets the proper maintenance it wouldn't otherwise receive, and we also make sure old, used batteries are recycled correctly. This matters a great deal for the environment, since batteries are made up of polluting chemical elements, and only the highest-quality ones guarantee 0% mercury, meaning no mercury is used at any point in the manufacturing process; they can also be recycled properly with a very low environmental footprint, since they're made from harmless silver oxide. Even so, the use of metals remains a pollutant whenever it isn't recycled.
So, if you're still up for replacing the battery yourself, on top of the many tutorials available online, we've given you a solid rundown of what's involved and what not to do - and with this and other posts, we've explained why you should turn to a professional instead.