Posts Tagged ‘Watch Batteries’
Basic Survival Skills
When most people think of survival skills, they conjure ideas of minimalist adventurers testing their physical and mental capacities in nature. But just as it takes a good deal of knowhow to survive in the wilderness, thriving in the urban jungle takes a specific skill set as well. It may not seem like it, but everyday we are required to employ a variety of skills-from using a mini-screwdriver to change your watch battery, to cooking dinner on the stove.
Many people take these simple tasks for granted growing up, relying entirely on their parents. I’ll never forget how inept one of my college roommates was when it came to the most mundane tasks; he needed help doing everything-addressing an envelope, grocery shopping, doing his laundry. These tasks may seem second nature to you, and that’s a good thing. It’s important to hone these basic skills if you want to be self-sufficient.
The Evolution of Watch Movements
Even if you only have a rudimentary understanding of watch movements, you can’t help but to be amazed with the precision and meticulous nature of the various mechanisms. There are several components that work in harmony to create the movements, including the power source, wheel train, escapement and oscillator. The wheels and other moving elements of the watch are mounted between two plates, designated as front and back.
The front plate is always circular, but there are three different types of back plates that are used. A full plate movement was utilized in the earliest watches and features a circular design. As the watch evolved, part of the back plate was eliminated from the design to make room for balances; this was referred to as the three-quarter plate movement. In modern watches, the back plate is actually a series of bars or smaller plates that allow for more movement, known as a bridge movement.
Replacing the Battery Is a Snap
It would be a serious shame to set your watch aside for days at a time just because the battery died. The process of replacing a watch battery is actually quite simple, and the sooner you make the switch the more use you’ll get out of your timepiece. Place the watch face-down on a soft linen so that the surface doesn’t scratch. You’ll probably notice a tab to pull or an indentation to turn on the back of the watch.
You might find that the watch is restrained by a bracket or some similar component, which might require the use of a screwdriver to loosen. Once that barrier is removed, tap the watch face lightly to send the lithium watch battery tumbling out. Simply reverse this process to install the new battery. Ask a jeweler or local hobbyist about replacing a waterproof watch battery as these are much trickier.