Jewelry

[rockygems123]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

@rockygems123.  I have a lot of watches and hav3 always taken them to a local independent jeweler for batteries.  The shop was sold and now batteries have gone up to $16. to replace.  I nearly went into shock.

I have some very expensive watches and would never break the seal to replace them myself...if indeed, I could get them open.  You can destroy the waterproofing.  I have many with tiny screws that must be manipulated. 

I've been told and have read many times to never pull out the crown (stem) to preserve battery like.  It all9ws moisture and dust to enter the mechanism. 

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@Kachina624 

$16 is a lot especially if you have several.  Best I found is $10 for dealer pricing for a volume however than was nearly a year ago. 

And good info about breaking the waterproof seal. That would certaily devalue the piece.

I'll get out my tools next week and have at it on the cheapies and see how it goes.

[rockygems123]

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@GinaV24 wrote:

@rockygems123 I don't change the batteries in my own watches. there used to be a kiosk in my local mall where I would take mine but the mall closed so that option was out. I took a couple of watches to the local jewelry shop & he changed the battery in one of them but told me that the other watch (which was one of Isaac's ceramic watches for which I paid close to $100) was "junk" and wasn't worth doing it so he wouldn't even try. Obviously I paid him for the one watch but I will not take anything there again.

I took one watch to a different jeweler and he got the back open but couldn't get it closed again. I had him give me my not fixed watch back to me in a plastic bag and left with it. Very annoyed option #2

Third time was the charm. I found another shop not too far away and took 3 of my IM watches there for batteries.  Like @Kachina624 it was more expensive than it used to be but they did them all and now my watches actually have the correct time. 

good luck!

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@GinaV24 

Thank you!  And thank you for your info

[rockygems123]

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@On It wrote:

I take mine to the local jewelers. That should be taken with a grain of salt. I do good to change the remote control batteries.

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@On It 

That's actually what got me motivated to try changing batteries with watches....I changed my car fob remote battery after watching a youtube tutorial on it.  lol

[Pezzie]

@rockygems123 DH does all our watch battery replacement and also bought a kit from Amazon.  It all started a couple of years ago when DH went to a watch place at the mall to get a new battery for his watch.  They asked what kind of watch and DH said Movado, and they quoted $60 for life time battery.  We walked out of the place, came home ordered the kit and he has been changing the batteries ever since.

Between the kit and all the different batteries that we have purchased so far, we are still not at the $60 level. 

[rockygems123]

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@BalletBabe wrote:

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@rockygems123 wrote:

There was a post earlier today about watches and thought I would ask if you replace the batteries yourself or take it to a shop or jewelers?

I bought a watch battery replacement kit on Amazon as I need to replace batteries in about 50 new old stock Judith Ripka & Ecclissi watches.  

There will be lots of practicing on some low end watches before I attempt to change out the batteries on the better watches.

Curious if you take them in to a shop, what do they charge?

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@rockygems123   I always change my own.  

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@BalletBabe 

Is it a mix of "good" and regular i.e. not too expensive watches?

Just wondering if there is a big difference.

[RetRN]

I have mine replaced at a jewelry store. 

[songbird]

I can't wear one.  I'm left handed.  So I depend on the phone for time.  If I wore a watch, I would get an automatic. Since you don't really have to rewind it.  Just the hand movement will start it up.  It wouldln't have quartz, but a sapphire and no battery. They would last a life time, instead of replacing a quartz watch every five years. But obviously it wold be very, very expensive.  It's also fatter in appearance and probably heavy. 

[Shelbelle]

As long as my DH can get the back of the watch off he changes it himself, I get the batteries very low priced on ebay. 

[Kachina624]

@songbird.  I'm sitting here wondering what being left handed has to do with not being able to wear a watch?

[Carmie]

Yes, I change my own watch batteries and even remove links from the watch bands to get them to fit.

 I collect vintage watches and often they come without bands, so I buy bracelets and alter and customize them to be watch bands.

If I run into trouble, I ask my daughter to do it.  She worked  in jewelry for over 20 years and is a certified gemologist.  She is really good with basic repairs and alterations on jewelry.

I never open the back of my fine wind up watches.  I see my watch repair man for that.  He also replaces crystals for me and cleans them.