How do I know if I need a new watch capacitor or rechargable battery?
All Kinetic, Solar and Eco-Drive watches have a symptom that lets you know when they need to be charged - the second hand begins to skip two seconds for every second it ticks.
Always try to recharge your watch before going through the process of sending it to us.
Kinetic
To charge a kinetic watch, swing it from side to side 300 – 500 times rhythmically at a rate of twice a second. When the second hand starts to move at one-second intervals, wear the watch on your wrist.
If the second hand is still skipping, the watch will probably need the capacitor replaced.
You might consider getting a watch winder to maintain the charge on the capacitor if you are not wearing it regularly.
Solar or Eco-Drive
To recharge a Solar or Eco-Drive watch, place it under an incandescent light bulb.
It will be fully charged in about four hours. Do not expose the watch to direct sunlight or leave it on the dashboard of a car, etc, as the watch temperature becomes extremely high, which may cause a malfunction.
If it is still skipping after 20 minutes, the watch will probably need the rechargeable battery replaced.
Citizen recommends exposing an Eco-Drive to light every day to keep the battery "conditioned" so you can see why a jewellery box is not the best place to keep this type of watch.
