When you own a wristwatch, every now and then it slows down or stops working. Although it may be distressing when it first happens, especially if you spent a lot of money on the timepiece, sometimes there is a simple fix.

Before you come to any conclusions about why your watch stopped working, it is important to read up on what factors impact the performance of your watch.

Sometimes, the watch has issues because of age which means the lubricants have become dry or certain pieces have worn down from years of use. However there are many other reasons why a timepiece stops performing and we’ll give an overview of these reasons as well as how a watchmaker might be able to fix it, next:

The Most Common Reason: The Battery

The most common reason why quartz watches stop working is that the battery is dead. Not all fine watches use batteries, but when they do, they should last for at least 2 years. However just like cars or any other piece of machinery, there are a few factors that affect the life of your battery.

Here are some factors that affect the life of your battery: If your watch is digital or not, The size of the battery, What functions your watch has and how often you use them, How often you use the chronograph function (Leaving it running will cause the battery life to decrease rapidly), and if your watch has been in extreme temperatures for a prolonged period of time

If your watch stops working, a watch service technician will check the battery first and the state of the contacts to the battery, and if it is a dead battery, they will usually be able to replace the battery there. Although it is the most common reason, we don’t advise you to try to replace the battery on your own. The reason your watch stopped might not be the battery, and removing the battery might damage other functions of your watch.

Other Common Reasons: 1. Water Damage

Did you know that even a single drop of water inside of the watch will completely affect how the watch works? The tiny parts of the watch gears will become rusted when exposed to the water and will stop working over a short period of time, so much so that the gears and parts will not be able to be repaired, but will need to be replaced. This is sometimes due to seals within the watch failing and can even happen from contact with dampness or moisture.

2. Physical Damage (aka Impact Damage)

When you use your hands daily and for almost everything, some physical damage can be expected with watches. This can range from everyday activities at your workplace causing something inside the watch to become loose or broken due to the repetitive activity, or even to the internal wheels or gears to break due to accidentally dropping your watch when you are putting it on or taking it off. When taken to a jeweler, the watch may need to be sent to the manufacturer, depending on the extent of the physical damage.

3. Poor Manufacturing

If you have ever seen the inside of a luxury watch, you know that there are many teeny-tiny gears and pieces that are required to make your watch tick. In this way, because there are so many small parts, and we are only human, sometimes the parts could have not been set up correctly. When this happens, the small pieces may become detached or moved around, causing the watch to stop working. A simple trip back to the manufacturer may be all that you need to fix this problem.

4. High Electrical Currents

If you have ever read through the Internet after searching “Why did my watch stop working?” you will notice that you come across these obscure-sounding stories of people who are convinced that they can’t wear watches because every watch they try to wear just dies instantly. In some very rare cases, people will put on a watch and it will just stop ticking. This phenomenon, as weird as it sounds, is due to high electrical currents in a person’s body. Depending on the level of electrical currents in your body, or if you have ever been exposed to electricity, you may have an effect on the battery life of your watch and if it works or not.

If you need help with fixing your watch, trust a professional.
https://www.timesticking.com/watch-repair

Times Ticking has been in operation for more than 30 years, since 1982. We have performed watch repair for customers both locally and internationally. If it Ticks! We KNOW it! Our team of watch repair technicians have a combined experience in watchmaking of over 120 years.