Stack change at the clock

Replacing a watch battery is a seemingly trivial operation, in fact many try their hand at it and improvise as watchmakers, but even though it is sometimes simple, it hides some pitfalls that should not be underestimated.

You can change the battery of all Swatch for example, without fear of causing damage, as the watch is completely closed and you will only have access to the battery compartment, the change in this case is easy and quick.

Which battery should you buy?

Each battery has a specific reference that indicates exactly the model that you need to mount in your watch, on the battery you will find engraved numbers that indicate the battery reference. There are many references on the market depending on the battery manufacturer, there are all the code conversion tables online to allow you to identify the code of the battery that you need to replace.

How should you handle the battery?

When you remove the battery from its packaging, never touch the positive or negative poles with your fingers, but hold it on its side or use plastic tweezers, not metal ones.

If the watch is not a Swatch or a model with a completely closed case, I recommend that you take it to a watchmaker to have the battery changed, because the most frequent damage is the breaking of the coil, or the loss of the battery retainer which is technically called a clamp with its fixing screw.

What we do when changing the battery is checking the caseback gaskets , which are often very worn and need to be replaced. In the case of waterproof watches, the water resistance is checked, the contacts are cleaned, and if the watch has a steel strap , the strap is washed and the case is hand-brushed to remove any dust residue.

In short, what is a simple battery change still requires some fundamental attention to do what we call a job done properly.