We do love our gadgets don’t we…and solar watches are becoming more and more popular. These watches rely on solar power to operate, which makes them a great choice for people who don’t want to rely on winding or changing batteries.
However, like any other type of watch, solar watches can experience problems from time to time…and sometimes those problems aren’t totally apparent and their fixes can be a bit of a mystery.
I’ve put together a list of the most common solar watch problems and their possible solutions. Hopefully, this will help you out if you’re experiencing difficulties with your solar watch. For answers to some more general solar watch questions, check out this other article that I wrote!
How Do You Know If Your Solar Watch Is Charging?
Typically, your watch should have a charge indicator similar to the one your phone has. It should give you either a picture readout or percentage of your watch’s current charge and an icon indicating if your watch is actively charging.
If you’re not sure if your solar watch is charging, there are a few things you can do to check:
- Check the watch’s charging indicator. Many solar watches will have a light or symbol that indicates when the watch is charging. If this light is on, your watch is charging correctly.
- Look at the watch’s power meter. This meter will usually tell you how much energy your watch has stored and how much it is currently using. If the watch is charging, the power meter should be moving from left to right.
- Check the time on your watch. If it’s running slow or stopped, that could be a sign that the watch isn’t getting enough charge.
If you’re still not sure if your solar watch is charging correctly, contact the manufacturer’s website or user manual for troubleshooting tips specific to your watch.
To charge your solar watch, you will need to expose it to light. The room light is weaker than sunlight, so it can take longer to recharge when you are inside. The best way to recharge your solar watch is to have it sit by a window or someplace where the dial is facing the sunlight.
Since solar watches will automatically charge when exposed to sunlight it can be challenging to know when it is charging (some models more than others)…It’s sort of always doing it in the background. You can go about your life for months without having to intentionally charge your watch because you are spending a lot of time outside with it on.
The time it will take for your watch to charge can vary depending on how intense the light is. A general rule is that it will take about three hours to charge in direct sunlight fully, but that can fluctuate depending on how intense the light is at the time you’re trying to charge it. A full charge should last anywhere from 6 to 12 months, depending on the watch.
Why Did Your Solar Watch Completely Stop?
If your watch hands have entirely stopped, that is probably the surest sign that your watch needs to charge. Let it sit by a window for five to six hours before you try to use it again. Trying to use it before it has charged enough could result in it stopping again shortly. If it still isn’t working after charging it, the battery needs replacing.
Why Is The Second Hand Skipping Seconds?
Another sign that your solar watch’s battery is running low on charge is if the second hand is skipping in 2-second intervals or more. If you see this stuttering it could be because the battery is about to lose all of its charges and your watch isn’t getting the power that needs to have the hands move as they should.
Will A Light Bulb Charge A Solar Watch?
An LED light can charge a solar watch. However, it will take a lot longer to charge your watch using an LED light as opposed to sunlight. That said, not everyone can rush out for a stroll whenever their watch starts getting low on battery, so if you need a quick charge and then using an LED light will do the trick.
Why Do Solar Watches Stop Working?
The most common reason a solar watch stops working is because of a lack of battery charge. This can be because it’s somewhat tricky to know when the battery is charging and what it isn’t, or it could be something wrong with the battery itself. Over time the battery may become outdated or leaking in some way.
If the problem is that the battery isn’t fully charging, then you need to put it either into the sunlight or under a room light to help charge the battery. If you’re wearing it outside and hoping that it’ll charge during that time, but it isn’t, it might be because you’re asleep is covering the face of the watch, so it isn’t getting any sunlight.
If the battery itself is an issue, you will probably need to replace it. You can always remove the battery and replace it with a new rechargeable battery similar to the make. However, changing the battery can sometimes be expensive because you need a professional to do it for you.
Do Solar Watch Batteries Need To Be Replaced?
Generally, batteries in solar watches should last 10 to 15 years before replacement is needed. The main exception is if there is damage to the battery as a result of something going wrong with the mechanisms or if the battery begins leaking.
This 10 to 15-year margin is a lot better than a regular battery for a nonchargeable watch because the battery life for those watches is between 2 to 5 years. Using a solar watch not only means that you will have to change the battery less often, but you are also going to have to remember to target regularly as just wearing the watch around is enough.
The best way to ensure that you don’t need to replace the battery on your watch is to ensure that you take good care of it from keeping it in a safe location when you aren’t wearing it, being mindful of it while you are wearing it, so it doesn’t get damaged, and keeping it clean so that nothing like dust or dirt gets into the mechanisms.
For more answers to solar watch battery questions, check out this article.
Can You Overcharge A Solar Watch Battery?
While solar panels may cause a battery to overcharge, most solar watches have measures in place that disconnect the solar panel and the battery once it reaches a full charge. This is a safety mechanism that guarantees no harm will be done to the battery from receiving too much charge.
Solar watches are usually exposed to light all the time since they charge not only when exposed to sunlight but also LED light. As a result, manufacturers of these watches need to ensure that the Lithium-ion batteries have no damage from continuous exposure to light.
Most of the time, solar watches are more high-end, which means that they have specific mechanisms and enjoy that the watch continues to function for a long time. The average battery in a watch should last between 10 to 15 years. So these solar watch companies ensure that even if the watch face is towards the light after being fully charged, the battery doesn’t overcharge.
If you find that your battery isn’t holding a charge no matter how much you are keeping it in the light, there may be something wrong with the battery because you have overcharged. If you think that you’ve overcharged the battery, then you’re going to need to replace the battery either with a rechargeable one on your own or get a professional to replace it.
Final Thoughts
Solar watches have a great advantage over a regular battery-operated watch in that they are usually more high-end, which means the average battery life is between 10 to 15 years…basically up to five times longer than a standard watches battery.
The best way to ensure you don’t need to replace the battery on your solar watch is by taking care of it so that it doesn’t get damaged or exposed to dust and dirt. If for some reason your solar batteries do need replacing, most manufacturers offer affordable replacement services.