Difficult choice: watch batteries types

It would seem that changing a dead battery in a watch is not a big problem. Actually, it is. After all, watch batteries differ in chemical composition, size, capacity, operating current, supply voltage and manufacturer. Due to the lack of a single generally accepted marking of batteries, the codings for suitable batteries can be very different.

According to the chemical composition, watch batteries are divided into three large categories:

• silver oxide(SR) ;
• alkaline(LR) ;
• lithium(CR).

The first two types of batteries use an operating voltage of about 1.5 V and are interchangeable with each other, however, other things being equal, silver oxide batteries are preferable. They are superior in terms of stability and durability to alkaline counterparts. In addition, alkaline batteries leak more often, which can damage the internal mechanisms of the watch. An advantages of alkaline batteries is an affordable cost.

Cheap alkaline batteries can cause irreparable damage to the watch. Therefore, it is preferable to use silver oxide batteries.

Lithium batteries are large "coins" or "buttons" with a supply voltage of 3 V. The numbers in their expanded name indicate the size. For example, a CR2032 battery has a size of 20 mm and a thickness of 3.2 mm.

The size of lithium "coins" is usually encrypted in a digital code.

Also, all watch batteries are divided into two large groups according to the type of electrolyte. The first category with low internal resistance uses potassium hydroxide. Such batteries are marked with the symbols W or HD and are used in devices with high and uneven power consumption: watches with dial backlight, a sound signal or a chronograph. Sodium hydroxide is used as the electrolyte in the high internal resistance (SW or LD) group. Batteries of this type are suitable for standard watches without any "bells and whistles".

Watches with backlight need more energy efficient batteries.

The same battery produced by different companies may have different markings. To simplify the search for the suitable battery, we offer you compatibility tables by manufacturer:

Correspondence table for silver oxide batteries (SR)

Correspondence table for alkaline batteries (LR)

Correspondence table for lithium batteries (CR)

Choose your watch batteries well!