![]() It should be noted that in either case, the material which has leaked is a highly alkaline electrolyte solution from inside the cell, and you should avoid contact with the residue with your skin regardless of whether it is wet or dry. The white powder is simply the dry crystallized form of the liquid, which is usually only seen on older leaks or ones which have been very slow. The oily liquid form has the potential to wick itself into and throughout the movement (and potentially out and onto the hands and dial on the front of the watch) via capillary action. This is typically seen in one of two forms either a clear and slightly oily looking fluid under or on the cell or a white powdery deposit. You may encounter a cell in a watch which has leaked. A very fine pointed permanent marker serves the same purpose and does not damage the cell. Some people like to scribe their initials or another identifying mark and the date onto the cell, but this poses the risk of causing damage to the cell if the scribe marks are made too hard or too deep. This helps to make sure someone else hasn’t been inside the watch potentially causing problems by clumsily changing a cell, as well as helping to identify if a movement may need service or exchange if the cell’s service life is much shorter than it should be. It’s usually a good idea to mark the cell you’ve installed in a way that you can recognize it the next time it comes back and know when you installed it. If you find working with tweezers to be too cumbersome for changing cells and want to use your fingers, you can wear latex gloves or finger cots to keep from touching things directly. ![]() Always use non-conductive tweezers, like those made from plastic or with wooden tips, to handle and move the cell around and if need be you can use the back end of the tweezers to help press the cell into place in a movement. The oils on your skin and those in your fingerprints can be electrically conductive and act to slowly short the cell out if they bridge the insulation between the terminals of the cell, and some people who have more acidic skin oils can even cause corrosion directly on the cell itself (or even the movement if you touch it) as it sits inside the watch. When it comes time to install a cell, you should be in the mindset that you never want to touch the cell with your bare hands or fingers. Doing so presents the risk of the metal bridging the two terminals of the cell and causing a short, which will serve to rapidly draw energy from the cell both decreasing its lifespan and generate extra heat which can potentially cause the cell to fail. One of the primary things to keep in mind is that directly handling the watch cells with metal tools or storing them directly in metal containers is to be avoided. A small cabinet with lots of drawers makes a good organization system, as cells can be clearly labeled and easily found when needed.Ĭlick Here to Shop for Watch Batteries Now Generally speaking most cells have a shelf life of about 5 years before the energy left inside drops to a level where you will start to notice issues when you install them, so while buying in bulk saves money, you should only buy as many cells as you’ll be able to use before they start to degrade. Exposure to too much heat will cause the cells to lose energy more quickly before use, so avoid storing them anywhere that gets warmer than room temperature- for instance be mindful of storing them on top of or next to electronics as they can generate enough heat to become an issue. Leaving the cells in their original packaging until it comes time to install them is probably the best idea, as this will prevent any accidental metal contact to the cell. Along with some basics, we’ll go over a little extra background information where relevant with each of these points.Īs with many things in life, new cells are best stored in a cool and dry environment. ![]() Let’s put the primary concerns simply, and then expand on them a bit. The typical watch cell or watch battery you find in a quartz watch seems innocuous when you first encounter one, and for the most part they remain a relatively simple matter to handle, but there are several potential issues that should be kept in mind along with a few guidelines for proper handling.
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