# solar watch with no battery?



## senecaripple (Jun 3, 2006)

do any exist? the solar watches i've seen on the market requires 2, one to gather solar energy, and one to power the watch! hence two batteries, and one needs to be replaced when it no longer holds a charge! that's bogus! especially whe the manufacturer claims that you never have to replace a battery!
are there any truly solar watches that never ever have to replace a battery?
one that WILL run forever and not require replacement of any battery?
any watch that is reasonably priced not made by NASA?


----------



## Bradlee (Jun 3, 2006)

This is something I found out after buying a Casio solar watch. If I remember correctly, they suggest replacing the battery after 5 years. A regular battery might last you 3 years, and they're comonly available, unlike whatever obscure rechargable these watches use. 

I figure the most reliable solution in the long run would be a quality self-winding watch, but that's probably beside the point.


----------



## Wingerr (Jun 3, 2006)

Yeah, the solar rechargeable feature isn't all that useful unless it's in watches that require a lot of power to operate, like the triple sensor one, or if you intend to use backlighting frequently. If it's a regular LCD watch with standard functions, I'd rather be able to go and replace a standard lithium coin cell every few years than need to try to find a source for the rechargeable battery or send it back to the company to replace. If it were truly lifetime and they replace it for free, I might change my mind, though I'd still rather not hassle with having to send it out.


----------



## Amonra (Jun 3, 2006)

Try this one http://www.scisundials.com/photo6.html. it will never ever need any batteries


----------



## carrot (Jun 3, 2006)

Damn, I'm getting a Casio solar atomic watch for graduation. 

If I only have to replace the rechargeable battery every 5 years that will not bother me much... one has to consider that 5 years is a decent length of time, but not if you're expecting a maintenance-free watch.

I like my Seiko Kinetic watch; have used it on and off for at least four years without a hitch. Shouldn't ever need to replace a battery as I suspect it uses a capacitor.


----------



## d1337 (Jun 3, 2006)

I had a casio tuff solar atomic watch. It worked great until the battery ate it's own tail after around three years. The replacement cost for the battery was $24.95 for a watch that now only costs $59. It was also something that I could only find online. I ended up going with a $20 watch and ordered a couple of replacement batteries online for 29 cents each. Sometimes simple is better.


----------



## TinderBox (UK) (Jun 3, 2006)

my CASIO TOUGH SOLAR, is about 14 months old.

and the digital display has been going blank, with a low battery indicator.

but the battery has always showed full power.

I tried putting it under a lamp to charge, but it was no good.

so i hit it a couple of times and after a while the diplay came back on.

showing a full battery.

must have been a bad connection.

regards.


----------



## picard (Jun 3, 2006)

I have the new citizen eco-drive 8000 54L model. It runs entirely on solar power. Isn't cool ?


----------



## senecaripple (Jun 3, 2006)

i just purchased an atomic solar g shock analogue watch! nice looking watch, never need to replace battery! but somewhere in the manual says when your solar battery cannot hold a charge you need to replace it!. well guess its just like any other casio watches! batteries must be replaced! oh well! marketing scam!:thumbsdow


----------



## 83Venture (Jun 3, 2006)

I have wondered why solar watches use rechargable batteries in stead of some type of capacitor. I got knocked across the room one time by a peice of equipment that had not been in use or connected for over ten years. I thought the fellow with me was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard.


----------



## Alloy Addict (Jun 4, 2006)

Considering the apparent price difference between the rechargeable replacement and a typical lithium watch battery, the "old" way is the cheap way. I have a Casio G-shock that I bought in 1987 that is on its second battery and still running great. I rarely use the light or alarm on my digital watches so that probably helps a lot. I don't wear the old one anymore because all the rubber rotted off of it, but it functions like the day I bought it.

I was wanting a G-Shock atomic solar, but after reading this thread I'm going to have to do a little more research.


----------



## Wingerr (Jun 4, 2006)

With a regular G-shock, I'd forego the solar rechargeable feature unless you use backlighting a great deal; in that case, you'll come out ahead being able to keep it charged up rather than replacing batteries.
My old G-shock, that I rarely used the backlighting because it was a regular incan type bulb, lasted over 5 years with the std lithium. In that case, the rechargeable wouldn't make much sense.


----------



## charliek (Jun 4, 2006)

picard said:


> I have the new citizen eco-drive 8000 54L model. It runs entirely on solar power. Isn't cool ?



I have the 8700
http://www.citizenwatch.com/COA/Eng...y=COA&Language=English&ModelNumber=BL8004-53E


According to Citizen, the battery will "Never need replacing"
(if it is properly maintained)

The WORST thing you can do is let it go completely dead ( more than 6 months in a dark drawer)


----------



## Amonra (Jun 5, 2006)

I have a seiko kinetic and i have had to change the capacitor twice, wasn't cheap either. on top of that it flooded every time after the cap replacement. ( even though ive had it pressure tested ) it is all siezed up inside and i didnt bother to fix it yet as it's gonna cost me a lot.


----------



## senecaripple (Jun 5, 2006)

well, looks like my $150.00 list, sells for $90 at amazon.com but got it at one of their fri. sales for $50.00 just became a disposable solar atomic g shock watch. i dont think i'll be mailing this watch to casio to replace any solar battery. wished they had stated that this watch contains two batteries!
"NEVER NEED TO REPLACE BATTERY" IS A FARCE!


----------



## stockae92 (Jun 5, 2006)

it need something to store/provide energy when the watch is out of light

so a battery/capacitor is needed otherwise the watch would stop when its without light


----------



## IanJ (Jun 5, 2006)

I have a Citizen Eco-Drive Skyhawk Titanium which I bought in early 2002. I wear it every day, and its battery indicator is still showing the full three bars. Never any indication that the power system was having any trouble.

I suspect Casio and Citizen are using different solar technologies, though. It's been ages, but I thought I read in my manual that the battery should be good for the practical life of the watch (implying many many years).


----------



## charliek (Jun 5, 2006)

IanJ said:



> I have a Citizen Eco-Drive Skyhawk Titanium which I bought in early 2002. I wear it every day, and its battery indicator is still showing the full three bars. Never any indication that the power system was having any trouble.
> 
> I suspect Casio and Citizen are using different solar technologies, though. It's been ages, but I thought I read in my manual that the battery should be good for the practical life of the watch (implying many many years).



I think the watches are in totally different classes..... I don't mean to sound snooty, but you can't compare a $50 watch and a $500 watch... ya know?


----------



## mossyoak (Jun 5, 2006)

but still its basically the same technology a solar cell used to keep the battery topped off the battery is basically used for when the watch is out of direct sunlight


----------



## Wingerr (Jun 6, 2006)

What I'd like to know is if anyone's contacted customer service at either Citizen or Casio, and asked if they'll cover replacement of the rechargeable battery/flux capacitor/energy cell/etc. if it stops taking a charge, years down the line. I've tried contacting Casio when I had problems bringing one of my solar powered watches back from discharge, and didn't get a response either way. Luckily it came back up after a long stint in direct sunlight; indoor lighting just doesn't do when it's been deeply discharged. 
Maybe there'd be better luck with Citizen, but I'd wouldn't count on an official response saying it'd be covered, despite any advertising to the effect that it'll "never" need a battery for the lifetime of the watch. It'll probably be covered for the lifetime of the warranty period though-


----------



## senecaripple (Jun 6, 2006)

when i purchased this watch i suspected there's atleast going to involve one battery. when i was reading the manual i found the section where it indicates two batteries and when the one i believe is gathering the solar energy fails to hold a charge you must sent it to casio for replacement, the manual also tells you not to attempt the replacement yourself. must be replaced by the manufacturer!


----------



## flashlight (Jun 6, 2006)

carrot said:


> Damn, I'm getting a Casio solar atomic watch for graduation.
> 
> If I only have to replace the rechargeable battery every 5 years that will not bother me much... one has to consider that 5 years is a decent length of time, but not if you're expecting a maintenance-free watch.
> 
> I like my Seiko Kinetic watch; have used it on and off for at least four years without a hitch. Shouldn't ever need to replace a battery as I suspect it uses a capacitor.



I had to replace the capacitor on mine after about 3-4 years as it couldn't hold a charge anymore. :ironic: I don't think the manufacturer of such watches will cover the replacement of the rechargeable battery/flux capacitor/energy cell/etc. FOC.


----------



## charliek (Jun 6, 2006)

My Citizen has a neat power saving feature... after 30 minutes in the dark, the second hand stops at the 12'00 position. The minute and hour hand continue to keep time, BUT.. instead of the movement moving every second, it moves every sixty seconds... thus saving a great deal of power. 

Now- according to Citizen, normal room light can KEEP the watch charged, but to give it a full charge, you need the sun. About eight hours in the sun to fully charge it. Or 12 hours on a cloudy day.... So... if you have a watch that is "not keeping a charge" put it on a windowsil in a south facing room and let it have a full day of sunlight before you go and yank the rechargeable battery out.


----------



## senecaripple (Jun 6, 2006)

therefore, the conclusion is these kinetic, solar watches that are supposedly self-sustaining perpetual, really are not and they actually cost more than the regular battery operated or winding watches when you have to send them back to the manufacturer to replace the solar battery or capicitor rather than just open the back yourself to replace a battery! 

these are just gimmicks!


----------



## charliek (Jun 6, 2006)

senecaripple said:


> therefore, the conclusion is these kinetic, solar watches that are supposedly self-sustaining perpetual, really are not and they actually cost more than the regular battery operated or winding watches when you have to send them back to the manufacturer to replace the solar battery or capicitor rather than just open the back yourself to replace a battery!
> these are just gimmicks!



I have a Timex I bought just before I got married... that's about 19 years ago... it keeps reasonable time, but you have to wind it daily, and you have to change the calendar manually if the month is less than 31 days long. the band is relatively flimsy, the catch occasionally lets go if I brush against it. I almost never wear it. I have a Timex that supposedly syncs with the Atomic Clock... it does so every so often, and only if I have the watch in the center of the room facing east and west.... It has a good band and a solid hasp, but it looks like a cheap POS.... very plastic/aluminum looking. Not good for a dress watch, and not 100M water resistant, so it's no good for outdoors. The list goes on and on.... My current favorite watch is the citizen Calibre 8700. It's an ecodrive (solar). Perpetual calendar, alarm, Quartz accuracy, it displays day, date, and time without having to push a button, it has a perpetual calendar, so I never have to adjust the date.. The band is comfortable, VERY secure latch, feels like it's made like a tank, and it looks like a million bucks. ( I get many compliments on it ). If I have to send it back to Citizen or take it to an authorized service center every four or five years for a new battery.. then so be it....


----------



## MichiganMan (Jun 7, 2006)

> therefore, the conclusion is these kinetic, solar watches that are supposedly self-sustaining perpetual, really are not and they actually cost more than the regular battery operated or winding watches when you have to send them back to the manufacturer to replace the solar battery or capicitor rather than just open the back yourself to replace a battery!



The solar ones, not the kinetic watches, which I believe legitimately wind themselves using your motion. My parents gave me one in the seventies that worked very well, a little too well in fact. I think they underestimated just how much movement an eight year old could kick out, the thing always ended up a few minutes fast.


----------



## charliek (Jun 7, 2006)

MichiganMan said:


> The solar ones, not the kinetic watches, which I believe legitimately wind themselves using your motion. My parents gave me one in the seventies that worked very well, a little too well in fact. I think they underestimated just how much movement an eight year old could kick out, the thing always ended up a few minutes fast.



I'm guessing that a watch bought in the seventies is an "automatic" watch and not kinetic... Kinetic has only been around a few years. Automatic winds a spring, Kinetic charges a capacitor or a battery.


----------



## MichiganMan (Jun 7, 2006)

Ah, ok. I was under the impression that they were one and the same. That being the case then I have to agree with the assessment of kinetic watches.


----------



## charliek (Jun 8, 2006)

MichiganMan said:


> Ah, ok. I was under the impression that they were one and the same. That being the case then I have to agree with the assessment of kinetic watches.




I didn't know about it myself until just a few weeks ago when I was investigating new watches... I found a few watch FAQ sites that answered a bunch of questions I had about watch Terminology....

http://www.timezone.com/library/wwatchfaq/wwatchfaq631668591017665598

http://www.classybrand.com/watches/watch_guide.asp

http://www.ewatches.com/Information/Glossary.html


----------



## luxlover (Jun 8, 2006)

GarageBoy here:
Hmm, the one I took apart has one CTL1616 battery in here (replaced in a year after purchase) and the watch went blank..guessing theres no second battery, just a crappy Cobalt Titanium one.


----------



## senecaripple (Jun 8, 2006)

according to ewatches.com citizens ecodrive watches never need to replace their solar battery. i always thought that eventually all batteries have some shelf life!
and all watches with tritium are no longer made. i guess their just selling what they have in stock. on these websites it indicates that tritium has not been used in watches since 2000. so the watch i bought last year is already 6 years into its half-life.


----------



## sotyakr (Jun 8, 2006)

This is exactly why I gave up on this "not ready for prime time" technology (at least Casio's) after my "Tough Solar" went belly up after a little over a year. Fortunately, it was purchased at Costco and they gave me full credit when I brought it back.


----------



## Minjin (Jun 8, 2006)

We've talked about these rechargeable battery issues before. Casio seems to be the worst offender, with older Seiko Kinetics coming in a second. Newer Seikos and Citizen Eco Drives seem to fail very infrequently.

As for the Citizen mentioned above that stops its hands, mine goes one step further. If its in dark for about a minute, the seconds hand stops at 12. So when I pull up my shirt cuff, the seconds hand spins into action. Pretty neat. Keep it in the dark long enough (I think 3 days) and all the hands stop, with time being kept internally. Expose it to light and all the hands advance rapidly until time is caught up. I think its supposed to be good for 6 months with a full charge in this state.

Mark


----------

