How to Change a Watch Battery with a Cell Strap

Changing a watch can be a little tricky at first, but once you know what to do you can change your watch battery in minutes. With this video from Esslinger.com, you can learn how to replace a watch battery that has a cell strap holding it in place. Before you can change a watch battery, you must remove the watch back. If you need help figuring out how to open your watch case back, you can check out our other videos here. The tools you will need to replace the watch battery are: A watchmaker's flat head screwdriver A parts tray A pair of non-magnetic tweezers A pair of plastic tweezers Finger cots Put plastic finger cots on your fingers that may touch the watch movement. Dirt, oils and grease on your fingers can damage the inner workings of the watch and the cot will keep that oil from transferring to the watch. When the watch case is open and before you attempt to remove the battery, find the battery number on the battery. Batteries will sometimes jump out of the watch case and get lost, making it very difficult to replace if you don't know the number. The watch battery number may be a difficult task. Turn the battery under the cell strap to see the number: Usually the batteries are marked with their three digit number, but sometimes they are marked with a combination of letters and numbers. If it marked with letters and numbers you will need a battery chart, like this one, to find its three digit number. Using the watch battery number, get the right size replacement battery for the job. To be able to remove the watch battery, you will probably have to remove the plastic movement ring that keeps the movement in place inside the watch case. Once you have removed the movement ring, you must remove the cell strap holding the battery in place. Take your screwdriver and begin to loosen the tiny screw holding the cell strap in place. Be very careful and keep one finger on the cell strap, sometimes there is tension in the strap that might cause the screw to spring away. When you have loosened the screw, remove it with your non-magnetic tweezers and put it in the parts tray. Now you can remove your finger from the cell strap and lift it out of the case with your tweezers. Place it in your parts tray as well so they don't get lost. There will usually still be a spring loaded arm holding the battery snug in the case. Take your screwdriver again and gently pull the spring loaded arm back. Do not be concerned if the battery jumps out of the case. Once the old battery is free of the case, set it aside in case there is a problem and you need it later. Take the new battery out of the package and pick the battery up with the plastic tweezers. Make sure that the side of the battery with the engraved number is facing upwards. Insert the new battery into the battery well. It usually works best to start by sliding one side of the battery in toward the arm first. When the battery is most of the way into the well, take your watchmaker's screwdriver again and gently pull the spring loaded arm back again and push the battery flat into well. Release the arm while holding the battery steady to ensure it holds the new battery in the watch case. Now that the battery is back in place, you can replace the cell strap to hold the new battery securely. With your non-magnetic tweezers, pick up the cell strap and place it across the battery, sliding the tab end into the slot on the side of the battery compartment. Hold the strap down across the battery and align the screw hole in the strap with the one in the movement. Very carefully, pick you the cell strap screw in your non-magnetic tweezers. Hold the screw so the threaded point is facing downward. Take your time placing the screw in the hole for the cell strap, this tiny screw can be easily lost so don't feel like you need to rush through this step. Once the screw is in place, take your watchmaker's screwdriver and tighten it all of the way into place, turning the screw clockwise. When the battery is securely held in place by the cell strap, you can put the plastic movement ring back in place around the movement to keep it from moving in the watch case. When you are done, you can replace the watch case back and begin to wear you watch again. For information on how to close your watch back, check out these videos. For more how to watch repair help, visit Esslinger.com's learning center today.