Watches have evolved quite fast. Today we’re wearing all sorts of these tiny devices. They have become a common and popular fashion accessory, with smartwatches used as fitness and health trackers.
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And unless you’re using an automatic watch, you will have to get concerned with their battery life. Most watch users want to ask the question; how long do watch batteries last?
Unlike the automatic watches, also known as self-winding watches, these tiny devices use electrical energy from a battery to run.
And you know what, the traditional watches use replaceable batteries that you can get cheaply in a watch store.
However, when it comes to smartwatches, the story changes. These tiny micro-computers use rechargeable batteries that might need replacing after some time.
Because of their functions like alarms, LED displays, GPS services, Fitness tracking, and more, they quickly drain their battery. It’s nothing compared to the analog watch battery consumption.
For most people, battery life isn’t a concern when buying a wrist watch. Others check the wrist watch power consumption spec and forget that overall battery life matters too.
The manufacturer won’t state this information in the description. So, it’s up to you to know how long the watch’s battery lasts.
You should know, the watch battery life of a smartwatch battery depends on the type, usage, and features the device has.
How long should your Watch Battery Last?
Almost everyone experiencing a battery problem with their watch want to know how the watch battery should last.
The standard benchmark for smartwatch battery life is around 2-5 years, with older models estimated to last 14-18 months.
Of course, this is the most common battery life. However, some models can last for up to 10 years, depending on the manufacturing.
Of course, that might change because of the design and the features the watch comes with. Another thing, as the watch ages, the power consumption increases, thus reducing the battery life.
It’s crucial to understand the things that increase the wrist watch power consumption before you can judge its life.
How do I know if my watch needs a new battery?
Even though it might be other issues, the obvious answer would be when the watch battery drains too fast. But that is an assumption as there might be other things causing the problem. We’ll go through them later. For now, let’s look at the ‘symptoms’ your watch will show to tell you it’s time for a new watch battery replacement.
Your Watch Stopped Working Completely
If your watch has halted completely, you might be dealing with a dead battery. It might be another issue, but if it’s not waking up, then you might want to remove the battery and replace it.
Still on that, if you’re using a rechargeable watch, it might take time to wake up and display charging progress once totally dead. That is also a sign the battery needs replacement.
What’s more, if the watch recharging time has reduced exponentially, it takes a minute or seconds to recharge; that’s a problem. It means it has depleted the charge capacity, and it will lose the power quite fast.
The Watch Second-Hand Jumps Few Second Intervals
Smartwatches have some ways of telling you when the battery is low. That’s different with analog wristwatches. When the battery nears death, the second hand will start jumping at few second intervals.
For the digital watches, the display might reduce light or stop functioning. If that happens, the battery or the watch itself needs an inspection to check the issue.
Your Watch Not Keeping the Correct Time
Apart from jumping a few seconds or the display malfunctioning, the watch might have a problem keeping the correct time.
If your watch is losing or gaining time per day, it indicates the battery is faulty. If it’s an analog watch, you can replace the battery or take it to a professional to have its movement inspected.
For a digital watch or a smartwatch, the problem would be the battery issue. Of course, the software memory might also be causing the time loss or gain. But the primary cause would be a faulty battery.
Why Watch Battery Dies Quickly?
Most people are not concerned with wristwatch power consumption until the watch starts draining its power too fast. The same applies to battery life; for most people, a watch battery should last for over a year or two.
However, some users don’t enjoy the same benefit. Some watch batteries die fast, begging the question, why do watch batteries die quickly. Here are factors that affect the battery life of a digital watch:
Watch Model and Design
Different digital watches have different battery life. The effect on the battery life depends on the circuitry and feature-packed in it.
An example is a digital watch with a strong backlight for outdoor use. It uses up more battery power than a watch with a weaker backlight.
Another example is an advanced smartwatch with complex circuitry put in place to facilitate the features it offers.
Such watches consume more power than a simple digital watch. Some even require more than one battery to keep them going.
However, you might come across an advanced model with better manufacturing in that its battery can last for over ten years. However, you’ll have to break your budget to afford it.
Battery Age
We have to agree that a battery sitting on a shelf does lose power as time goes by. The process might be slow, but over time the charge will reduce.
The aging process reduces the battery charge, and if it’s a rechargeable type, it reduced its charge capacity.
If you bought a battery that was sitting on a shelf for over five years, it wouldn’t have the same charge as a 1-year old battery. That’s for sure.
The same applies to a rechargeable watch. If you bought a designed watch years ago and shelved it without use, the battery capacity and runtime wouldn’t be the same as a newly made model.
Batteries come with an expiry date or a ‘Best Before’ date. Check it out before buying; additionally, if you’re purchasing a smartwatch, check on the battery warranty.
Watch Age
Similar to battery age, the watch age also affects battery life. A new watch comes with freshly new parts and circuits. They all perform at peak efficiency.
However, when the watch ages, these parts degrade gradually. They tend to drain more battery power.
Corrosion and Water Damage
Water is never good for anything electronic. When water or corrosion finds its way into your watch, it will affect the battery life and reduce its overall functionality.
How Do I Keep My Watch Battery from Dying?
If you’re using an advanced smartwatch, you have to keep the brightness minimal unless necessary. It’d also be best to reduce apps running in the background to improve watch battery life.
If you detect moisture accumulated underneath the glass, take it to a professional for a checkup. The water and other chemicals could cause damages to the movement or, even worse, cause corrosion. In the end, it might require an expensive and complex service.
Regular servicing is also crucial, especially for traditional watches, both digital and analog. The movements and the simple circuitry system might be needing a simple clean-up to improve the watch battery life.
Get a watch battery replacement. Your watch battery might have done its time. If all the above isn’t working, it’s time to replace the watch battery.
How long does a Cheap Watch Battery Last?
A cheap watch doesn’t always mean cheap manufacturing. It might be a promotion or something. However, that is a rare case.
Most of the time, the low price means the maker used cheap materials, and the overall cost of building the watch was low.
For that case, you can expect a cheap watch battery not to last the same as a high-end watch battery.
Most of the time, a cheap watch battery will last around 1-2 years or less, depending on its maker’s reliability.
Conclusion
How long do watch batteries last? A watch battery can last for 1-10 years, depending on the model, type, and features packed in it. If it’s a cheap watch, its battery life is anything between 1-2 years, while a high-end model can even last for over ten years. However, most watch batteries last between 2-5 years, which is ideal considering they aren’t that expensive.
