I always took my watches to the jeweler to have them replace the battery, at a cost of $8-$15. I saw watch batteries for the first time at Dollar Tree, and decided that I would try to replace them myself. Dollar Tree sold them 4 to a pack, which ends up being 25 cents to fix a watch.
Total Time: 5-10 minutes
Supplies:
Steps:
This page contains the following solutions.
My watch battery suddenly went out on the weekend, so I looked for cheap watches and they were almost $10 and hideous. So I went to the 99 Cent Store and got myself a Betty Boop watch (They had Lucy ones, too, really cute.)
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How do you change the battery of a Timex watch that takes a CR1216 battery?
By dg from MN
I take my watches where ever I am going to buy the battery and they install the battery for me. I usually do this at WalMart.
Radio Shack will also install a new battery in your watch. It was closer than a drive to WalMart for me and I figured I saved it on gas in my car to have them do it and buy the battery there.
FYI - Walmart will only change batteries in watches they sell. If you did not buy your watch at Walmart they will not assist you in changing your battery.
Another bit of info, when I lived in Maryland I found a jewelry store that would sell me a lifetime warranty watch battery. They installed it as well. It cost a little more, but every time I needed a battery I went back to them and got a new one installed no questions asked. That lasted 8 years and about 5 batteries until I moved away. I still have that watch and if I went back they would probably replace it again. God I loved that.
Any jeweler shop will do it. I don't think I would trust an inexperienced Radio Shack employee to change a watch battery.
I have to agree with those that go to a jewelry shop (my best experiences are with locally owned businesses) for watch battery replacement. Even if they don't have exactly what you need on hand, the good ones will find a replacement battery for you within days and will probably clean and shine the watch as well.
Need watch batteries. I say Dollar Tree all the way. They have several different sizes all for just $1.00.
I am looking for a replacement batterer for a Fossil wrist watch FS 2689 (250001). If the back is opened, do I need to replace the waterproof gasket?
By Andrew
I took mine to a watchman/jeweler. They only charge a few dollars for installation + battery.
You can find directions on the internet for changing Fossil watch batteries, but I think you'd be better off having it done. I know, jewelers charge a lot. Maybe you can find an experienced repair person who charges less. Maybe a Batteries Plus store would know someone.
You do have to put that little rubber gasket back in, and if it's broken, you need to get a new one. Otherwise, your watch will no longer be water-resistant (no such thing as waterproof).
Some watches have notches on the back which are just for decoration, and those watch backs can be popped off with a thin knife blade, but I think Fossil backs have to be unscrewed.
We take our Fossil watches to the Dakota Watch kiosk at the mall. They have to use a special tool to get the back off.
Both of my daughters have Fossil watches and when contacting the company they were told that the warranty on the watch (usually lifetime) would be voided if the battery was not replaced by an authorized Fossil dealer. Yes, it's a tad pricey, but to keep the lifetime warranty I believe it's worth it!
I change the battery myself on my watches (I have a large collection). The only problem I have is the musical watches. I can change the battery for the music portion of the watch but I still can't get any music to play. The watch portion (time keeping) will be fine. The music portion is a piece that you have to remove completely if you want to change the battery for the time keeping portion of the watch.
It looks like I put that piece in the same way as it was originally but I don't know if I have to "do" something special to get the music portion of the watch to work once its been removed and put back. Can anyone help me with this?This was posted way back in 2007 and never received any answers. I would suggest posting a new question to see if anyone can assist you.
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What size screwdriver is needed and what size battery is needed? The watch is a ladies small watch.
By Les C.
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What is the simplest way to get the back off a wrist watch to replace a battery?
I purchased a Sharp men's bracelet watch on clearance for $7. The original price was $15, but it doesn't run.