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Thread: Grand Seiko Quartz Battery Life

  1. #1
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    Grand Seiko Quartz Battery Life

    I have a Grand Seiko SBGX261 which was purchased in April 2019. The 9F62 movement battery has expected life of 3 years and yet my watch has stopped working. Surely less than 2 years is rather abnormal for a battery to expire? I'm just curious as to whether any other forum members have had a similar experience? The watch has been free of incident, no impact accidents to account for it to cease ticking , so I have to assume the battery is the culprit.

    I will probably have to return watch under warranty just incase it's a more serious issue than an expired battery. Thanks for reading, I'd be grateful for any feedback.

  2. #2
    Grand Master ryanb741's Avatar
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    2 to 3 years and the watch may have been at the AD for a year before sale. Change the battery and see if the watch works as this situation doesn't merit a warranty return as it stands

  3. #3
    I have the same movement in my watch. Any recommendations for a decent place to send it for battery replacement? The jewellers near me all seem to use cheap poundland batteries and pay scant attention to the watches seals.

  4. #4
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    Replacing Grand Seiko Quartz Battery

    Quote Originally Posted by ODP View Post
    I have the same movement in my watch. Any recommendations for a decent place to send it for battery replacement? The jewellers near me all seem to use cheap poundland batteries and pay scant attention to the watches seals.
    Unless you are confident in opening your watch and replacing the gasket along with the battery, it's probably best to return your Grand Seiko to the UK service centre in Maidenhead for a battery change. I think the charge is around £60-£70. A good independent watchmaker will be able to do this for less, but difficult with Covid etc. Also the required battery SW920 is less likely to be stocked at other outlets.

  5. #5
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    9F62 Battery

    Quote Originally Posted by ryanb741 View Post
    2 to 3 years and the watch may have been at the AD for a year before sale. Change the battery and see if the watch works as this situation doesn't merit a warranty return as it stands
    Ryan, you are probably correct as regards the Watch may have been in storage at the AD for awhile. Given the current slow Covid affected service turn arounds at Seiko UK I will try a battery change myself and hope it works. I'm in Portugal at the moment awaiting receipt of the battery at the mercy of a very variable post service!

  6. #6
    Master beechcustom's Avatar
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    I think these 9F movements indicate a low battery by having the seconds hand move in 2 second increments. If you didn't get that and it just died overnight I think that may suggest a wider problem unfortunately.

  7. #7
    Grand Master Neil.C's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pompousmax View Post
    Unless you are confident in opening your watch and replacing the gasket along with the battery, it's probably best to return your Grand Seiko to the UK service centre in Maidenhead for a battery change. I think the charge is around £60-£70. A good independent watchmaker will be able to do this for less, but difficult with Covid etc. Also the required battery SW920 is less likely to be stocked at other outlets.
    If you mean SR920SW its equivalent is the easy to obtain 371.
    Cheers,
    Neil.

    My Speedmaster website:

    http://www.freewebs.com/neil271052

  8. #8
    Master Rocket Man's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by beechcustom View Post
    I think these 9F movements indicate a low battery by having the seconds hand move in 2 second increments. If you didn't get that and it just died overnight I think that may suggest a wider problem unfortunately.
    Yes that's what happened to the one I used to own - I sent it to Seiko UK who replaced the battery, gasket and checked water resistance for £60. Very quick turnaround time but that was a couple of years ago.

  9. #9
    Master beechcustom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rocket Man View Post
    Yes that's what happened to the one I used to own - I sent it to Seiko UK who replaced the battery, gasket and checked water resistance for £60. Very quick turnaround time but that was a couple of years ago.
    Bargain! That's what I'll be doing with my SBGX061 when the time comes.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by beechcustom View Post
    I think these 9F movements indicate a low battery by having the seconds hand move in 2 second increments. If you didn't get that and it just died overnight I think that may suggest a wider problem unfortunately.
    I'm either incredibly unobservant ( my wife would testify to that) or the 2 second jump didn't happen to warn me of the battery running out. Thanks for pointing that out. To err on the side of caution I will send the watch to Seiko to examine under warranty. I do have 8 other watches to wear afterall.....

  11. #11
    Master beechcustom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pompousmax View Post
    I'm either incredibly unobservant ( my wife would testify to that) or the 2 second jump didn't happen to warn me of the battery running out. Thanks for pointing that out. To err on the side of caution I will send the watch to Seiko to examine under warranty. I do have 8 other watches to wear afterall.....
    Good plan. Hope it all works out for you.

  12. #12
    I’m quite familiar with the 9F and the points above are correct in that: ~3 years battery life, so 22 months from purchase sounds about right, allowing for time from manufacture to sale; and they don’t just stop. The second hand will move in 2s jumps, and they may go on for a month. I doubt it could go unobserved.

    Back to Seiko sounds correct if you’re certain it didn’t go into low power indication. Otherwise, I don’t see what the OP has to loose by fitting the battery he or she has on order.

  13. #13
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    Battery now replaced and working fine.

    Quote Originally Posted by JGJG View Post
    I’m quite familiar with the 9F and the points above are correct in that: ~3 years battery life, so 22 months from purchase sounds about right, allowing for time from manufacture to sale; and they don’t just stop. The second hand will move in 2s jumps, and they may go on for a month. I doubt it could go unobserved.

    Back to Seiko sounds correct if you’re certain it didn’t go into low power indication. Otherwise, I don’t see what the OP has to loose by fitting the battery he or she has on order.


    I finally received some batteries from the glacial Portuguese postal service. I took a punt on the notion that I'm not very observant , there was not likely to be anything wrong with the watch and so it proved when I opened the watch and replaced the old battery with a new one.

    When opening the watch the main thing is to protect the caseback from damage when using the caseback removal tool . It is alarmingly easy to scratch the caseback if don't use plastic protection. Once the battery is replaced, be careful to line up the rubber gasket when replacing the caseback. The most difficult part of the procedure is refitting the bracelet , which requires a surgeon's steady hand to handle the micro screws Seiko uses in the bracelet, these are so tiny you need tweezers to place them in the links. Woe is you if they flick off your work surface! Almost all of my other watches are mechanical. The great thing about Grand Seiko is the incredible accuracy ( mine runs at -3 seconds a year!) and the impeccable case and hands finish. Always a pleasure to wear and showing the correct time. Once you've mastered the battery change,maintenance costs are negligible.

  14. #14
    Master beechcustom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pompousmax View Post
    I finally received some batteries from the glacial Portuguese postal service. I took a punt on the notion that I'm not very observant , there was not likely to be anything wrong with the watch and so it proved when I opened the watch and replaced the old battery with a new one.
    Result! Glad nothing serious was wrong.

    I'm not hard-core enough to attempt a battery change on a Grand Seiko. I'm happy to pay someone to do it rather than risk any damage.

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