BRAND NEW WATCH – BATTERY DIES?

Dead?

This happens more than you know.

You go to the jewelry store and buy a beautiful watch.

You love it.

You wear it.

2 months later the battery dies.

WHY?

Is there something wrong with the watch?

Does it suck up the juice that fast?

Will it always be like this?

A lot of people think so…

But the answer is: NO!

Well, sort of…

There’s nothing wrong with the watch in particular. But some watches do consume way more power than others.

Watches that have multi-features, timers, alarms, lights, sounds, all the bells and whistles…

These functions will use up more of the battery and drain it.

But is shouldn’t drain it that fast.

Even the most power-hungry watches (like that kick ass Fanmis watch above) should have a battery life (usually lithium batteries) that will last you at least a year, 2 years, or 3 (a watch with nothing but a minute hand and hour hand could last you 10 years plus.)

If the watch only lasts you a couple of weeks, or months, then there’s usually 1 good reason for that:

It’s been sitting too long.

That’s right. Often a watch may sit in a jeweler’s showcase for a year or more before it’s sold. Plus, often it will even sit in the manufacture’s warehouse for a while before it’s even shipped to a store.

All this time, the battery keeps going. The juice wears down. And by the time you get it, the end is near.

We know, because we go through our watch stock periodically and replace cells that have expired.

It happens.

Some watches (usually cheaper watches) come with a plastic pull tab that covers up the battery slot and prevents the cell from wearing down (which is good, because sometimes the battery in these “cheapies” can cost more than the watch itself.)

Expensive watches generally don’t do this. After all, when you go to a jewelry store to purchase a $300 watch, you want to see it running.

So what do I suggest?

Two things…

1) Ask if they have a battery warranty that comes with the watch. Most stores will guarantee that they’ll replace the cell free for the first year or more. Ask and find out.

2) See if they’ll put in a brand new battery upon purchase (or at least give you a spare battery in case it dies).

Or just change the cell yourself.

You can change the cell out yourself pretty cheaply…

With simple tools like: a case back opener, watch wrench, jeweler’s screwdrivers, and a watch case press, you can change your cell in minutes (or just buy yourself an entire watch tool kit, which has just about everything you need, and is pretty inexpensive).

Just be careful, because some watches are tricky, and you can actually damage or even ruin your watch if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Watch Battery Prices

If you want to find the cheapest prices for watch batteries, check out Amazon here, or read my post about “cheapest watch battery prices“.

Cheers! :)