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Can a solar-powered watch ever die?

D

dpk777

Senior member
I've had a Citizen Eco Drive solar-powered watch for about 4 years.
Recently I left it in my room for a few days without sunlight so it was expected to stop - so I decided to charge it up again by keeping it in the sunlight.
The second it got sunlight it began ticking (but it was struggling/stuttering) but I thought it would get back to speed after a few hours.
However, after a couple days the second hand is still stuttering.

Is the battery dead?

 
i have an eco drive too... the book says that the watch has a battery that charges while it's in light, and it should run for 5 years in the dark..mine has been kept in the dark for more than a few days before and it kept the time just fine.. i'd contact them to see if they can fix yours
 
Parts can always wear out, so I'd assume that a solar powered watch can die. Batteries, regardless of how they are powered, have a limited usuable shelf life.
 
Originally posted by: Bateluer
Parts can always wear out, so I'd assume that a solar powered watch can die. Batteries, regardless of how they are powered, have a limited usuable shelf life.
Click to expand...
Bingo. Even rechargeable batteries will "die" at some point. Typically they'll tolerate a couple hundred recharge cycles if they're NiCd and fully discharged before each recharge. Of course, for all practical purposes this is far longer than anyone should ever need since a watch will typically run 2-3 years on even a marginal battery, so if the battery lasts only the equivalent of 100 cycles then the watch should last 200-300 years.

Of course, the gears and such can always go bad, and the battery may have had a defect.

I don't know about quartz watches (don't particularly like 'em anyway) but with true clockwork watches they really need to be kept running or the works tend to gum up a little bit. It may just be that the works need to be cleaned.

ZV
 
I've got a solar powered calculator that has been working for over 12 years. It takes longer to power on in low light now, but works fine.
 
strange watches, my $20 timex (expedition) has been around almost 6 years without needing a replacement battery. I feel special now. (but watch my battery die tonight.......)
 
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