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It's the little things in life that torture a person

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coldplugs

coldplugs

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Why are there so many different sizes of those small “button” batteries used in various remotes, digital calipers, etc?

Some sizes last a while, others have the shelf life of milk.

Most of them can't be bought in a package of one – you need to buy two. And by the time you need the second one (A year later? Two weeks later?) the spare has vanished and you need to buy two more for a single battery application.

And then finding the size you need is a whole new challenge.
 
I've reverted back to mechanical chronographs because of that! Two watches: A Waltham chrono and an Omega Seamaster. I check with USNO to set 'em about once every two days. All the other "things" that use those button power sources get the dead battery taped to the outside and one day I ~may~ take them all at once to a battery place and look for replacements. Or maybe not.
 
DrEntropy said:
I've reverted back to mechanical chronographs because of that! Two watches: A Waltham chrono and an Omega Seamaster. I check with USNO to set 'em about once every two days. All the other "things" that use those button power sources get the dead battery taped to the outside and one day I ~may~ take them all at once to a battery place and look for replacements. Or maybe not.
Click to expand...

I inherited an Omega from my Dad and somewhere in one of our many military moves it went missing. I'd love to get another, but man - price of a small car!
 
DrEntropy said:
I've reverted back to mechanical chronographs because of that! Two watches: A Waltham chrono and an Omega Seamaster. I check with USNO to set 'em about once every two days. All the other "things" that use those button power sources get the dead battery taped to the outside and one day I ~may~ take them all at once to a battery place and look for replacements. Or maybe not.
Click to expand...


Doc, there is a battery place in Altamonte Springs that charges $1.00 per battery - I have more than once brought a mitt full of watches - here, last time, I paid $20! aargghh (BTW did you know Amazon & Ebay sell watch tool kits for under $20.
 
Just saying... All my watch batteries have been purchased at our local mall at a kiosk that fixes silver jewelry and puts watch batteries in and you get a lifetime guaranty. Once a year I take all my watches that need battery replacement and it's done, no charge. Are you sitting down, this has been going on for at least 10 years. I'm smiling. (I have no shame, I'm bragging.)
 
I wear a 1932 Hamilton 992, I check the time once a week and hardly ever have to set it. I also own one electric wristwatch, a 67 Bulova 218 keeps even better time than the Hamilton.
 
Shoulda qualified: I do wear battery powered ones, too. The go-to is a "Swiss Army" phenolic cased one and it has seen some rough duty. It has been the "work watch" for a couple decades. The other is a recently acquired Pulsar with a day/date attribute. Those are the 'every day' choices. Though lately, the mechanical ones are worn more and more. Would love to find an older Hamilton Khaki mechanical for slim money.

It was sad news when Swatch took over Hamilton, IMHO.

One of my clients is a jeweler so most of my battery changes are gratis. It's when the darn'd things STOP without warning I get annoyed. That's when I revert to being the ancient curmudgeon with the wind-up timepiece.
 
I'm not ancient by any means, but I choose to wear my Hamilton over a lot of other watches, I also see wearing a pocket watch as practical because wristwatches tend get caught on something when I'm trying to turn wrenches.

It is very sad when a grand old company is bought by something like Swatch, I think they also own Bulova now.

I'm not really interested in non-US made watches, but I would certainly pick up an old Omega Constellation if I found one for a good price.
 
I guess I'm lucky. Most of the button cell devices I have use the same A76/LR44/357. But I have a few 2016 and 2032 gizmos and a couple of misc. others, too.

I buy them at Amazon. They usually come in eight/twelve/twenty/whatever packs for about the same price as local retailers charge for one or two. Since I buy everything in multi packs it's easier to keep track of 'em than individuals and I just keep everything 9V and smaller in the same drawer anyway.

I love the idea of the guaranteed for life jeweler. But I haven't heard of one around here and I doubt they'd like all of my flashlights, laser pointers, calipers, garage door clickers, thermometers, bike computers, etc. (Seems like the only batteries I hardly ever change are in our watches.)


pc
 
waltesefalcon said:
I'm not really interested in non-US made watches, but I would certainly pick up an old Omega Constellation if I found one for a good price.
Click to expand...

I've been a long-time fan of Seiko watches (I own three: One inherited, one a 15-year gift from work, and one I bought from Amazon. I also have a really nice 1946 Lord Elgin inherited from Grand dad and a $19 Timex I wear when I'm doing chorrs or working in the garage.
 
When Seiko first intro'd their LCD digitals I got one without the alarm feature. That thing lasted for over a decade. I really liked that watch.
 
I'm currently wearing my 40+ year old self winding Seiko and it hasn't missed a tick.
 
coldplugs said:
Re American made watches: I was interested to read about the watches made by "Shinola" (yes, they bought the name) in Detroit.

I think they're all handsome timepieces, but the "Made in Detroit" is apparently more a marketing strategy than a manufacturing reality.

Look at https://www.shinola.com/
Click to expand...

I wanted one of those for my birthday but my wife got me a Seiko instead.

She didn't know "it" from Shinola!
Ba-dump!
 
:lol:

I'd be a little leery of buying a watch made by a shoe shine company. I went ahead and checked out their company and it seems they make pretty much everything but shoe shine now.

"I'm currently wearing my 40+ year old self winding Seiko and it hasn't missed a tick."

Forty years old is barely broken in for a quality time piece.
 
Hey Bas, I have a 1956 Lord Elgin self-winder given to me by an old girl friend. Don't usually wear a watch at all anymore but that one still works and doesn't need a battery either.
 
I've had those fancy watches before. Now, I'm a Timex fan.

Back to the original post: it's called "Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts".
 
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