EcoDrive/Kinetic Battery Life?

Midget

Midget

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Jun 1, 2002
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What happens to a Citizen Eco-Drive or Seiko Kinetic battery if you let it die? Say, you cover up your ecodrive and put both in a drawer somewhere and let the movement just wear the battery down. Can these "self powering" watches handle storage?

I already read about lucbricants slowly migrating to one side, or them drying up and stuff. But excluding these facts, how does a watch of this caliber hold up to storage? Will the battery leak or anything?
 
Honestly I don't know. My Citizen EcoDrive World Timer has a battery that lasts 70 days without further charging. That's a long time (for me), and I've only run it down once or twice during winters (long sleeves). Nowadays, I just leave it in my window on weekends when I wear a different watch.

There are also EcoDrives that can hold sufficient charge for 180 days of use. But if you're talking storage for year(s)... no clue. Sorry.
 
Thanks for the heads up, but that's not exactly what I'm after.

I am wondering what would happen to the battery if you were to store it (dead). Do batteries leak, or will they suffer memory, or will they not be able to hold as much charge, etc. etc. On that same note, about how long to batteries last (lifetime wise)? From everyday usage, how long have you used your ecodrive w/o having to replace the batt?
 
The Kinetics don't have a battery. They use a capaciter to store power. The newer Kinetics depower the hands to save power if they are stored for a few days and will wake up with a few shakes.
 
I have a Kinetic that I got new three years ago. I would hold a charge for over seven days when new. Today it will hold a charge about seven hours. Not so good.
 
Can't speak to LONG storage but my wife has an EcoDrive with a mother of pearl face that does not transmit much light . . . she let's it run down quite often while in her jewelry box. Just sticks it in the window when she feels like wearing it . . . no problems. None of the ones I use have ever run down.
 
I don't think it matters how you store it. Mine lasts about 12 hours now. Eventually the storage cell gives up the ghost no matter what.
 
My Eco-Drive will hold a charge for 5 Years. In the night the second hand stops to conserve power and if it is in total darkness for 3 days everything shuts down the hands and the date...for 5 years if necessary. And in 4 years 364 days I bring it back into the light, the hour hands go to the current time that the date changes to the correct date. Well this is of course assuming that the battery does not mess up. Which I don't think it will. Hope this helps!

Ryan W
 
wow, we seem to be getting mixed reviews about our watch capacitors.

Randman, your watch only holds a charge for 7 hours? Buzzkill.

See, I have an ecodrive that I just sort of leave in my box. I like it a lot and all, it's just that I like my seiko auto a whole lot better. I'm paranoid that the capacitor is going to die if I just let it sit in there (like how batteries leak, ni-cads get memory, etc.). I must admit I have rudimentary knowledge of high end watches and capacitors. I guess I'll just have to wait and see?


So how about this. Is there a way I can compare resilience of my seiko automatic vs. citizen ecodrive? Say I alternate watch every other day, and over time wear and tear averages out to be the same on each watch. Based on your experiences and opinions on either design, which do you predict to kick the bucket first?
 
I guess you guys do not know that the capacitors in the kinetic watches (Seiko) can be changed as after a long while(years) they won't hold a charge for long. In the back are the capacitor numbers if you know what to look for.
 
See, I have an ecodrive that I just sort of leave in my box. I like it a lot and all, it's just that I like my seiko auto a whole lot better. I'm paranoid that the capacitor is going to die if I just let it sit in there (like how batteries leak, ni-cads get memory, etc.).
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The Citizen Eco-Drive watches are extremely accurate, use a lithium ion battery, and a lot of them (as previously stated) can keep the time for up to five years with no light. They are designed for a lifetime without maintenance. Some people prefer an automatic mechanical watch and are willing to tolerate the reduced accuracy and relatively fragile mechanical movement, and have a local watch repairman to service it regularly, but not me.;)

JK
 
Originally posted by dannyv
I guess you guys do not know that the capacitors in the kinetic watches (Seiko) can be changed as after a long while(years) they won't hold a charge for long. In the back are the capacitor numbers if you know what to look for.
Click to expand...

Seiko told me that they only stock parts for their watches for 7 years. I was a couple of years too late on one of mine, and they told me they no longer had that particular storage cell available. So good luck if you've had the watch for some time.
 
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