For many, the end of your existing watch occurs with the passing of the life of the battery. Watch battery replacement eludes the capabilities of many of us, and for whatever reason renders us useless. We would rather purchase a new watch than worry about replacing the battery. When it comes down to it, battery replacement is not such a daunting task.
When replacing the battery on your watch, understand that you may be unintentionally removing the waterproofing. Unless you send you watch back to the manufacturer to seal it back up, you shouldn’t trust that your watch remains waterproof. Even jewelers may have a difficult time restoring the sealants to their original specifications.
Although removing the battery is something that you can probably do on your own, you should use caution if it is a watch that you care about. Removal of the back plate can be fickle and tricky. Make sure that you carefully pry the back off, and avoid scratching, bending, or twisting the metal out of place.
Most jewelry or watch shops can take care of the replacement battery for a small fee, many offering pricing under $10 for replacement. Not only are they experienced in handling the delicate jewelry, but they have the proper tools to avoid damage to the watch. If you current timepiece is worth anything to you, it may be worth the small expensive of letting a professional handle this task.
If you do choose to attempt the battery replacement yourself, take the time to acquaint yourself with a couple standard tips to success. The back of the watch will typically be removed by either small screws or by prying the back cover plate off. Less expensive watches tend to not have screws. In this case, look for the small tab for removal of the plate. It can be found by running your fingernail around the parameter of the tab, or by careful visual inspection.
Once the tab is found, gently pry the cover up at the tab. Move around the perimeter of the plate until a small gap is formed on all sides. Lightly lift the cover up and off of the watch to remove. Forcing movement can cause the plate to bend and will make replacement all but impossible. Some have found that using a thin bladed knife works well in place of the screwdriver, though this should be dependent on your own comfort level.