You are currently viewing I dropped my watch and now it won’t run. What is the first thing that I must do?
Eve Acosta

I dropped my watch and now it won’t run. What is the first thing that I must do?

That depends. Watches come in a variety of types, so before opening your timepiece and tinkering around, take a minute to read some expert recommendations from watch enthusiasts around the globe.

Erik Pham

Eve Acosta

Eve Acosta, Founder of Eveswatch.com.

Bring the Watch to a Jeweler or Technician

One of the most common reasons for a watch to stop working is because of physical damage caused by being dropped. When a watch is dropped, the internal gears likely become loose or broken. If your watch stops working after it’s dropped, it’s hard to tell how serious the damage is so it’s best to bring your watch to a jeweler or service technician.

They will be able to figure out how badly damaged the watch is after being dropped. Most of the time, if it’s not being dropped too frequently, it won’t be damaged badly. In instances when the extent of the damage is bad, the jeweler or service technician will have to send the watch to the manufacturer to have it fixed.

David Bowen

David Bowen

David Bowen is the owner, CEO, and content manager of Bordeaux Undiscovered.

It Depends on What Type of Watch You Have

If you’ve dropped your watch and it’s stopped running, the next thing that you should do depends on whether it’s an analog, digital, or smartwatch. If it’s an analog watch, take it to a jeweler so they can fix it; if it’s a digital watch, contact the manufacturer and ask them what to do; and if it’s a smartwatch, head straight to your nearest tech-friendly shop and see if they can isolate and repair the problem.

Shawn Laib

Shawn Laib

Shawn Laib is a tech expert with Clearsurance.com.

Seek Professional Advice

While many people worry that they have broken their watch if they drop it and it starts acting a little wonky, there is usually nothing to worry about. You need to immediately look for the best professional advice possible, perhaps bringing the watch back to the store that you bought it at and asking if they have a professional who can look at it.

Usually, something has been jarred a little loose, and a watch professional can open up the item and readjust whatever has been detached. Sometimes it’s even a battery, so you’ll get a replacement in the process. Don’t panic or try to open up the watch on your own unless you have experience doing so successfully in the past.

Christen Costa

Christen Costa

Christen Costa, CEO, Gadget Review.

Steps to Troubleshoot Your Apple Watch

If you own an Apple Watch, the first thing you want to try to do is perform a hard reset. To do this, hold down the digital crown and side button at the same time for about 15 seconds. Once the Apple logo pops up on your screen, you can let go of the buttons and your watch should soon be back on. If that doesn’t work, your watch is likely more seriously damaged, so you should take it to the Genius Bar at your local Apple store to see if they can diagnose and fix the problem.

Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry is the founder and owner of CocoSign.

Look Online for Help and Resources

Mechanical watches are very intricate devices. There is no way to tell what needs fixing without knowing what is broken. Open it up and see if anything is loose or out of place, and if it has a battery maybe see if it got knocked loose.

However, if it is an expensive one – search its model number with the problem on Google and see if you find any threads related to the problem you’ve encountered. If you still don’t find an answer it is better to check its warranty or just go to the finest repairmen.

But if it’s an inexpensive one it would be made of very poor materials and will likely cost more to fix than it would replace. If you plan to replace it, it doesn’t hurt to just open and tinker with it first.

Olivia Long

Olivia Long

Olivia Long is a tech and gadget expert who holds the very important role of editor-in-chief for DroneGuru.

Gear or Axle Could Be Damaged

When you drop your watch, the most common thing to happen inside is that gear or axle has become instantly damaged, causing your watch to stop running properly, or running at all. This is unfortunately not a quick fix and will need to be taken to a watch repair store in order to replace any parts that are broken.s

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