Citizen Eco-Drive no longer holding charge
Discussion
I've got a Seiko Citizen Calibre 2100 Eco-Drive AV0031-59A which I think could do with a service. I've noticed the charge indicator drops very rapidly even once charged so I'm guessing the battery's just not holding a charge as long any more (is it even a battery or some kind of capacitor?).
It's one of these:
How much should I be expecting to pay for a service for one? I thought about having a crack at the battery myself but it specifically says on the back "DO NOT f
k WITH" so I'm going to assume that's there for a reason!
Any recommendations or should I be sending it off to Citizen UK?
Edited because stupid.
It's one of these:
How much should I be expecting to pay for a service for one? I thought about having a crack at the battery myself but it specifically says on the back "DO NOT f
k WITH" so I'm going to assume that's there for a reason!Any recommendations or should I be sending it off to Citizen UK?
Edited because stupid.
Edited by Funk on Wednesday 17th September 08:16
*facepalm*
I have no idea why I wrote Seiko. Long day.
I have several of both and for some reason I just had Seiko on the brain. It's definitely the right model number, I guess I should probably send it to Citizen.
What a fking idiot. 
On a side note, I've had it around 10 years so I'm aware of the fact it needs light to charge it; the issue is that even having been left in sunlight to charge, it's not holding that charge for very long.
I have no idea why I wrote Seiko. Long day.
I have several of both and for some reason I just had Seiko on the brain. It's definitely the right model number, I guess I should probably send it to Citizen.
What a f
king idiot. On a side note, I've had it around 10 years so I'm aware of the fact it needs light to charge it; the issue is that even having been left in sunlight to charge, it's not holding that charge for very long.
Edited by Funk on Wednesday 17th September 14:17
The capacitors in some of the early eco drive watches were not that good in the long run....
I would send it back to the citizen service centre, they should be able to turn it around pretty quickly. Usually they are pretty good, but standards can slip when they are working on something a little less mainstream.
I would send it back to the citizen service centre, they should be able to turn it around pretty quickly. Usually they are pretty good, but standards can slip when they are working on something a little less mainstream.
NeMiSiS said:
"The watch that never needs a battery"............but it will need a £45 re-chargeable cell every five years, they should never have been able to use this marketing ploy.
[loophole]But if you follow their service recommendations (return for service every 6 years or so) then they never do need a battery because the cell is changed as standard during the service. No company is going to guarantee advertised performance if you don't look after the item properly!
[/loophole]
On a more serious note, if it's running ok in light and simply not lasting as it should in the dark then a simple cell change (and pressure test if you want water resistance guaranteed) should be all it needs.
Unfortunately the Citizen caps are relatively expensive. We do Kinetics for £20 (inc pressure test) but basically the same cell in a Citizen fitting version (different contact tags welded to the case) works out closer to £35
Edited by Variomatic on Monday 22 September 21:10
It's still running just fine (time/date are spot on) but you can see the charge needle is swung to the left. After leaving it in the sun for a while it charges up but pretty quickly returns to where it is now.
I'm not sure how much Citizen would charge to service, I emailed them a couple of days ago to get a quote. I'm also going to ask them to straighten the alarm indicator as it's been on the cock since I bought the watch (it points a little too high).
Still one of my favourite watches after more than a decade!
I'm not sure how much Citizen would charge to service, I emailed them a couple of days ago to get a quote. I'm also going to ask them to straighten the alarm indicator as it's been on the cock since I bought the watch (it points a little too high).
Still one of my favourite watches after more than a decade!
That fast charging but doesn't hold it is classic sign of a tired cell.
They're generally known as capacitors (because that's what Seiko kinetics used originally) but are actually miniature li-ion cells. So, as they age, you get the same symptoms as your mobile or laptop gives when its battery is giving up.
They're generally known as capacitors (because that's what Seiko kinetics used originally) but are actually miniature li-ion cells. So, as they age, you get the same symptoms as your mobile or laptop gives when its battery is giving up.
If the quote is a silly price Creation have this in the sale
http://www.creationwatches.com/products/citizen-pr...
http://www.creationwatches.com/products/citizen-pr...
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