Where to change a Longines battery?
Discussion
What do you guys think?
I've got a quartz Longines Lungo Mare that needs a new battery. Last time I sent it off to Longines' UK official repair place (run by owners Swatch) somewhere oop north and was thoroughly put off by the very un-premium hard sell from the guys there. I just wanted a battery dammit! Expensive too.
I was told that because it's waterproof to so many metres that it had to be done by professionals, but surely any high-street watch battery inserter should be able to cope with that given how many watches are waterproof these days. Is that right? To be honest, I'm not that precious about it.
Any advice much appreciated!
I've got a quartz Longines Lungo Mare that needs a new battery. Last time I sent it off to Longines' UK official repair place (run by owners Swatch) somewhere oop north and was thoroughly put off by the very un-premium hard sell from the guys there. I just wanted a battery dammit! Expensive too.
I was told that because it's waterproof to so many metres that it had to be done by professionals, but surely any high-street watch battery inserter should be able to cope with that given how many watches are waterproof these days. Is that right? To be honest, I'm not that precious about it.
Any advice much appreciated!
I'm sure they'll have a go, but I was told last time that the fact it's water-proofed to however many metres means it requires special handling.
I'm not precious about it, but I don't want it hacked about to the point it's not even resistant to wrist sweat. Is there a middle ground does anyone know?
I'm not precious about it, but I don't want it hacked about to the point it's not even resistant to wrist sweat. Is there a middle ground does anyone know?
A competent battery changer will leave it just as waterproof after a battery change as it was before they touched it. That doesn't necessarily mean that it'll be waterproof though.
Changing a battery only involves disturbing the back seal, which is nothing complicated - a simple rubber ring (usually round but occasionally shaped awkwardly). If it's damaged or hardening with age then it should be very obvious to anyone opening the watch. If it's ok and it replaced correctly then it'll seal again.
A pressure test doesn't "add" anything to the water resistance - all does is confirm that all the seals (including the recently disturbed back seal) are still working ok.
Wihout a test, the person changing the battery is reliant on you being truthful about the fact that the watch isn't already leaking (possibly through the crown or glass seal, which won't be disturbed), which is why no-one in their right mind will guarantee proofing without a test. Not everyone is as honest about the current condition of their watch as I'm sure you'll be.
One tip for finding that "competent" battery changer is to see if they give a similar explanation of the risks to what you've just read. If they insist that "it won't be proof" without testing then they're either pushing you into a more expensive job or don't really understand what they're doing
Changing a battery only involves disturbing the back seal, which is nothing complicated - a simple rubber ring (usually round but occasionally shaped awkwardly). If it's damaged or hardening with age then it should be very obvious to anyone opening the watch. If it's ok and it replaced correctly then it'll seal again.
A pressure test doesn't "add" anything to the water resistance - all does is confirm that all the seals (including the recently disturbed back seal) are still working ok.
Wihout a test, the person changing the battery is reliant on you being truthful about the fact that the watch isn't already leaking (possibly through the crown or glass seal, which won't be disturbed), which is why no-one in their right mind will guarantee proofing without a test. Not everyone is as honest about the current condition of their watch as I'm sure you'll be.
One tip for finding that "competent" battery changer is to see if they give a similar explanation of the risks to what you've just read. If they insist that "it won't be proof" without testing then they're either pushing you into a more expensive job or don't really understand what they're doing
You're welcome - I spend a lot of my working time explaining that to customers when they've been told it "won't be proof" elsewhere and lose some pressure tests as a result. But they all seem to appreciate having it explained, and even those who decide to skip the test are still a customer stolen from the places that were insisting on "£££ or your watch will die a watery death as soon as it rains, sir"
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