If you’re a fan of Tolkien’s books or the movies based on these books, this riddle probably means something to you:
“This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town, And beats high mountain down.”
Time. Arguably, the most powerful thing in the universe. After all we’ve done to study it and everything we’ve learned to ever-so-slightly manipulate it, we’re still no closer to truly controlling it. However, we’ve become rather successful at measuring it in a multitude of ways. One of the most common: watches.
But sometimes, these tools lose their accuracy—or their power altogether. Here are some scenarios you may run into with your watch.
It just stopped
Sometimes, a watch just stops, kind of like your dad’s wakefulness when he’s watching TV. This is definitely the biggest sign your battery needs replacing.
Watch batteries tend to last about two years, but there are things that can affect this timespan:
- The different functions many watches have and how often you use them.
- Whether or not you use the stopwatch (assuming the watch has it).
- The battery’s size.
- If the watch is digital or analog.
- If your watch is exposed to extreme temperatures and how long that exposure lasts.
It has inaccurate timing
Watches are made to be accurate, otherwise they’re pointless. Quartz ones are extremely so, while mechanical ones may lose a couple of minutes as times ticks on. Both can be fast or slow, but either way, inaccuracy is bad.
While this is often a sign to replace the battery, it could also be a problem with the movements.
The second hand jumps
You’ve probably seen phones, laptops and many other electronic devices say “low battery” or something similar. A watch’s way of sending this message is that the second hand jumps by five seconds.
If this happens, you should definitely consult a professional. They’ll know exactly what to do. At the risk of bragging about ourselves, Times Ticking is a an extremely reliable option with over 37 years of experience and hundreds of 5 star reviews to our credit. We specialize in any type of watch battery replacement for everything from Seiko to Armani to Rolex to Pulsar.
There’s moisture in your watch
It’s very important to get moisture out of your watch. You can do it yourself (if you’re careful and know how) but should take it to a professional no matter what. They’ll be able to test and fix its water resistance. If you don’t get that taken care of, your battery will die.
Whatever is going on with your watch, remember that these are complicated little mechanisms. You may be able to save money and replace the battery yourself. However, just because it’s cheaper, doesn’t mean it’s safer. Some people that replace their batteries have given the back of their watch a score of scratches.
If you’re not sure you can do a job right, get a professional to do it. Beyond that ugly scarring, anything could go wrong when changing it. You could send parts flying like Harry on a broom stick. Or you could break one of the many important pieces within, like the copper coil. Maybe you bought the wrong battery or all of the moving pieces are making you anxious. If you have a simple, cheap watch you’re not worried about scratching, give it a try, but if you have any concerns, contact our professional team at Times Ticking.
