# Pulling Out The Crown To Save Battery Life



## Andy the Squirrel

Does pulling out the crown on quartz watches which aren't worn everyday save a significant amount of battery life?


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## zed4130

Andy the Squirrel said:


> Does pulling out the crown on quartz watches which aren't worn everyday save a significant amount of battery life?


good question ive wondered this as well,

paul


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## Andy Tims

I only have 2 quartz watches now. Hardly ever wear them & I do keep the crown pulled out. However, I've only done this for about the last year so can't give a definitive answer.


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## Nalu

I asked Hawk this last year and ISTR that he felt it would preserve the battery. Of course, there is some risk in leaving the crown out in a vintage watch in terms of the movement being exposed to humidity if the seals aren't intact.


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## Andy the Squirrel

Nalu said:


> I asked Hawk this last year and ISTR that he felt it would preserve the battery. Of course, there is some risk in leaving the crown out in a vintage watch in terms of the movement being exposed to humidity if the seals aren't intact.


There's also some risk of leaving a battery inside a watch for a long time... batteries do have a limited shelf life and the longer its in there the greater the chance its going to leak!


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## Silver Hawk

If pulling the crown out disconnects the battery, then sure...it will save the battery. Modern, quality, silver oxide batteries rarely leak when they still have a charge.

The trouble with some vintage watches is that the circuit is not disconnected when the crown is pulled out. 214 and some 218 Accutrons are good examples; they'll continue humming away with crown out.

I usually leave my watches running when not wearing them....the only exception being the Hamilton Electrics...you *must* pull out the crown on these when not using them. Not to preserve the battery, which can easily be replaced, but to lengthen the life of the gold contacts.

And this little post brings my total to 7000 post on this Forum. :rltb:


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## Robert

With batteries being so cheap I wouldn't worry about preserving their life. As has been said, I'd be more concerened about moisture ingress and battery leakage.


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## Robert

Silver Hawk said:


> And this little post brings my total to 7000 post on this Forum. :rltb:


 :rltb:

When I say batteries are cheap, they are when bought in small quantities. I can't imagine Pauls expense in a year on them.


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## HereBeMonsters

Noticed the watchmaker I use has the crowns pulled out on all of his watches on display. All my quartzes are Eco-Drive or Kinetic, so I don't need to worry as long as I wear them every now and then.


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## scott laurie

Its strange but you done even think about some of these things till you start watching these threads,

I was considering whether leaving the crown tightened would make the seal more prone to leaking on watches that arent worn very often, i.e it sits in it box for a few months, then you unscrew the crown to set the time and tighten back up ?

regards

Scott


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