THE WATCH EXPERTS AT ASTWOOD AND DICKINSON

Every quartz watch will need a new battery at some stage, and the lifespan of a battery depends on a few factors. Some quartz movements are simply more efficient than others, which aids battery life.

Usually, the more complicated the watch the more often the battery will need replacing. If you have a watch which displays day/date/seconds more power is being drained than if you wore a simple watch with two hands. If your quartz watch has a seconds hand you may be given a warning that your battery will need replacing soon – this comes in the form of 5-second jumps on the part of the seconds hand. Sometimes this warning will last a week, sometimes a year.

In some cases it is possible to change your battery in-shop, although impossible to guarantee any waterproof qualities that the watch might have had before the case was opened. In an ideal world the watch should always be returned to the manufacturer for a battery and reseal. If anything more serious is found when the watch is inspected it can be dealt with quickly.

A final note, quartz watches will need a full service from time to time just like a mechanical watch. You will find that the lifespan of the battery becomes less and less each time it is changed; this is due in part to the lubricants drying up. Movement parts will also be wearing just like mechanical watch parts. Eventually you will be changing a battery more than once a year, which makes no financial sense.

If a watch is sent to the manufacturer for a battery replacement they will check to see if a full service is required. In some instances the watchmaker will refuse to simply replace the battery if he or she thinks a service is essential.