How do you change battery in a bulova ladies watch?

Answer 1

On my Swiss Army watch there are notches on the back cover plate. They guy at the jewelry store has a fancy little wrench that fits in there. I've done it with a pair of needle nose pliers. Open the pliers, fit the ends in two of the notches oposite each other and turn. The cover will unscrew and the battery is there....

This doesn't work well. Perhaps the needle nose pliers are a particular brand of length. I own seven different pair of needle nose pliers and only one could reach the notches. Once you reach the notches the tip of the plier will not stay in the notch once presure is applied. All you will end up with is a scratched watch case. Take it an authorized dealer or other business that has the right tool to open the case. It's not worth ruining an expensive watch just to save a couple of dollars to change the battery.

Addendum by John Michael Shaw....

Go to a art supply store and get an adjustable drawing compass that has two metal points. Use a magnifying glass and a good light to see what your doing. Place each point of the compass at opposite groove marks on the back of the watch. Make sure to have the watch on a soft, firm, gripping type of surface... something rubbery to keep it from turning as you hold it. Press the compass firmly and try to rotate it SLOWLY counterclockwise. Be carefull and use the light and magnifier to see if your turning it or just scratching the watch. If it doesn't want to cooperate pay the bucks and have a jewelry shop do it.

Addendum by Greg Nelson

Buy the fancy little wrench on eBay for $11 (including shipping!) from Hong Kong. Works great on all the different notched screw on backs. Change your own batteries and save big bucks and don't ruin your watch case with sharp tools. Search eBay for "Watch Case Wrench".

Addendum

Use two thumbtacks. This works well because I just did it! My Swiss watch (Swiss Military--The Genuine) has six notches on the back face. I took two thumbtacks (the kind with be big coloured plastic ends to hold) and pushed counterclockwise. You can either get someone to hold the watch so it doesn't just spin around, or position your hand so that that stops it from turning.

Be careful not to jab yourself because you have to push very hard with the tacks and if they slipped, they'd go all the way in your hand. Ouch! It does take quite a bit of torque, but it gives. Then I just lifted off the white plastic protector inside and pried the battery out with one of the tacks. Mine had a Maxell SR726SW battery inside. The internet says they're worth $1-2. I'm sure I'll pay ten at the drugstore.

DIY for life!

Addendum

The o-ring also needs to be inspected and possibly replaced to make sure it is water-resistant. The service centers you vacuum and pressure tests to make sure it is correctly sealed. You may save the money by doing it yourself but you also run the risk of not having it seal correctly and thus leaking.

ADDENDUM: I used a pair of scissors with pointy tips and it was really easy to open.

Answer 2

Finally figured this one out on mine with a little help from a website called the watch guy. I was used to the backs that you snap off with a tiny screwdriver. instead, this watch had 6 notches in the back - and you need a special wrench that locks into three of those notches and then you turn counter clockwise to unscrew. I didn't have the wrench (or the time to hunt one down) so I used clamps to lock the watch down on a pad on the counter top - and then one of those little screw drivers in a notch at an angle and tapped it with the hammer until I could see the back start to turn/unscrew. Did that a few more times and then was able to turn it by hand and remove it. Same thing in reverse to put it back together. Count how many turns that you took to remove it to be sure you put it back on tightly!

To change the battery in a Bulova women watch is really easy! The only problem you have is that the cover doesn't want to get back! I hate it!

Answer 3

For my Columbia CL-3005, I used a jeweler's screwdriver, not to pry the back off, but to hit one of the small notches, and rotate the whole back. Apparently it's threaded with an o-ring and everything.

Took some muscle but I got it off, went to London Drugs for a new battery (SR927W), and it's working again! Just be careful when you're reattaching the back not to cross-thread it.

Answer 4

Most Rolex wristwatches have a self-winding mechanical movement and do not have batteries. To charge the watch, simply swing it from side to side or put it on and walk around with it to wind the mainspring, which is what stores the kinetic energy. If you have a rare battery-powered Rolex, see your authorized Rolex dealer for more details.

Answer 5

While Bulova suggests that you take a Caravelle watch needing a battery change to a reputable jeweler/watch repair place, it is relatively easy to change the battery yourself. Remove the back of the watch to find out what power cell you need, then replace the back. You can generally buy watch power cells at electronics stores. Once you have the right power cell, remove the back again, gently remove the old battery (a fine tweezers is immensely useful) and put the new power cell in its place, then replace the watch back. If necessary, reset the time and date.