# Bit the bullet and replaced the capacitor.



## SNAKEBITE (Feb 13, 2012)

I am the owner of 2 Seiko Kinetic watches.

The first one was bought in 1999 (ish) and lasted well until I noticed it was stopping overnight.

Whilst I was procrastinating over what to do I bought a second one in 2010.

Whilst I was wearing this new one I sent the first one away to Seiko for repair, the jewellers quoted around £60 but it actually cost nearer £200!

Anyway, I was happy as it had sentimental value, so accepted the cost.

(I looked into doing it myself but just didn't have the bottle to do it).

Moving on 6 years I noticed the newer one was not holding its charge, so I thought sod it I'll have a go at doing it myself. I bought a kit and have just finished fixing it.

I'll give it a couple of days to make sure everything is charging as it should etc, but the sense of achievement so far, assuming it worked, is really good.


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

SNAKEBITE said:


> I sent the first one away to Seiko for repair, the jewellers quoted around £60 but it actually cost nearer £200!


 :swoon:


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## SNAKEBITE (Feb 13, 2012)

I know.

It was a bit of a surprise.


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## davidcxn (Nov 4, 2010)

Well done for doing the work yourself. :thumbsup:

Hopefully the charging will be fine in the next few days. :yes:


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

Well done for replacing it yourself the 2nd time though, nice one :thumbsup:

I replace all my batteries myself, and I get the impression a capacitor swap isn't much more difficult than that, so it should be pretty straightforward really.

One thing to note about kinetics is that you're not supposed to let them run out completely, like you might do with a normal rechargeable battery. The charge should last for at least a month anyway, and up to 6 months if you can get it fully charged, so you don't need to wear it all the time (or swing your arms around like a demented gorilla :laugh: ). Just normal movement should be enough to keep it topped up :biggrin:


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## SNAKEBITE (Feb 13, 2012)

I have been wearing it for all of about an hour now, just tested the charge by pressing the button and it has swung round to the 30 second mark already.

Is this normal?

It went from having the stuttering second hand when I first assembled it to an indicated full charge in under an hour.

Hope I haven't done something wrong.............


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## gimli (Mar 24, 2016)

It's also worth mentioning that the older ones like those from the 90s weren't of good quality compared to the modern ones available so it's a good thing to change them if you have older kinetics.


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

SNAKEBITE said:


> I have been wearing it for all of about an hour now, just tested the charge by pressing the button and it has swung round to the 30 second mark already.
> 
> Is this normal?
> 
> ...


 That is perfect mate :thumbsup: I think a full charge shows by the indicator going to the 40 second position, but you shouldn't get obsessed with having a full charge. The Seiko BFK I recently sold to Bruce always indicated at the 20 past marker, which I think indicates a month of charge left, and that is fine. The problems start if you let them run out completely, as mentioned before.


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## kevkojak (May 14, 2009)

Hiya snakebite.

Capacitors are meant to come "flat", therefore require charging up once fitted. In my experience though they usually come with a full charge, so it's not at all unusual to get the full 30 second indicator as soon as you've put the watch back together.

Easy job but time consuming. I have about 4 to do today but keep putting them off. :biggrin:


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

Kev, just out of interest, what is time consuming about these? Do they need some sort of soldering or something to fit them? I've never changed one, but it would be good to know what is involved, and I get the impression you have done loads of these in the past, so you would definitely have the know-how. Anything tricky to watch out for? And can anything go horribly wrong? Any info gratefully received mate :thumbsup:


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## SNAKEBITE (Feb 13, 2012)

Thanks for the replies guys.

It was a bit nerve racking, but I did have a bit of a hand doing it, someone with a better pair of eyes!



Davey P said:


> That is perfect mate :thumbsup: I think a full charge shows by the indicator going to the 40 second position, but you shouldn't get obsessed with having a full charge. The Seiko BFK I recently sold to Bruce always indicated at the 20 past marker, which I think indicates a month of charge left, and that is fine. The problems start if you let them run out completely, as mentioned before.


 The two I have go to the 30 second mark, I think it goes 5, 10, 20,30 seconds depending on the charge.

My older one I wear at the weekends, if I put it on, on a Friday, it shows 20 seconds on the charge indicator. By Sunday it is up to 30 seconds.

If I leave it for 2 weeks before wearing it then it is still 20 seconds on charge, and will not go to 30 seconds by the Sunday when I swap it over again.


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## gimli (Mar 24, 2016)

Davey P said:


> Kev, just out of interest, what is time consuming about these? Do they need some sort of soldering or something to fit them? I've never changed one, but it would be good to know what is involved, and I get the impression you have done loads of these in the past, so you would definitely have the know-how. Anything tricky to watch out for? And can anything go horribly wrong? Any info gratefully received mate :thumbsup:


 You just have to open up the watch, remove some components (on some models) swap the capacitor, put back the components and that's it. There's just screws to unscrew, mostly.


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## SNAKEBITE (Feb 13, 2012)

The kit I bought of Ebay was very comprehensive.

I am not sure whether it is allowed to link the auction, so I'll not do so.

Instructions were very comprehensive, although I would have a computer handy so you can get a few visual clues as they did not come with pictures.

All the tools were there, although the screwdriver was a little big so I used one that I already had. (The instructions say thin it down on an oilstone, I have one so may do that at a later date). Kit comes with finger stools, but I wore latex gloves just to be sure. The back remover tool was excellent.

It is very fiddly, no soldering required, but a loupe and a steady hand were needed. The screws can ping around a bit, next time I do it I would order 3 spare screws, to replace the three screws I needed to remove in case of emergency.

I also ordered a watch vice, but that has not come yet, but I managed without it.


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## kevkojak (May 14, 2009)

Davey P said:


> Kev, just out of interest, what is time consuming about these? Do they need some sort of soldering or something to fit them? I've never changed one, but it would be good to know what is involved, and I get the impression you have done loads of these in the past, so you would definitely have the know-how. Anything tricky to watch out for? And can anything go horribly wrong? Any info gratefully received mate :thumbsup:


 It's just fiddly Dave. I can do one in 5-10 minutes but prefer to leave myself lots of time and room.

Open the case-back, unscrew the rotor and remove. Easy.
Unscrew the two sides of the plate over the capacitor - very fiddly, they are tiny little screws and easy to lose, or strip the thread if not using a steady hand.
Remove the plate, remove the insulating plastic, remove the capacitor.

Then it's everything in reverse - the plastic cover can be a PITA as it needs to be exactly placed, not one millimetre out.


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## SNAKEBITE (Feb 13, 2012)

The plastic cover on mine had two holes that located over corresponding spigots, fiddly but made it easier.

The two screws holding the plate are the worst, we found the best way was to hold the plate in place with the plastic tweezers and drop the screw in with the nonmagnetic ones.

Warning: removing the plastic tweezers a bit early will jettison the screw a good few inches across the bench!!

I'd be happier doing it next time, but the irregularity in which I'll have to do it will mean it will be back to square one again.


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

Excellent stuff, cheers for the information guys, that sounds easy enough to me so I'd be happy to do it myself in future if needed :thumbsup:


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## dobra (Aug 20, 2009)

Thanks for the info folks, very useful. I would only add, use a white towel on the working surface as the escapees can't roll.

mike


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## kevkojak (May 14, 2009)

dobra said:


> Thanks for the info folks, very useful. I would only add, use a white towel on the working surface as the escapees can't roll.
> 
> mike


 They can still "ping". :biggrin: I've spent a fortune on replacement screws... :blush:


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## gimli (Mar 24, 2016)

Speaking of screws I'm going to need some to replace on some vintage watches. Should I just buy one of those sets that offer like 50 pieces of each diameter ? They come in boxes of 300-400 or so ...


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## marley (Dec 22, 2012)

"Easy enough"?????? Pah!!!!

Im so cack handed...all I will do is to change the straps/bracelets! I wont even change a battery or attempt to alter a bracelet!

Kudos to you guys who do it though! I know its probably "relatively" easy to do these things..............but my eyesight isnt the best! and Im mega mega mega! cack handed!


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## SNAKEBITE (Feb 13, 2012)

For me it was down to having someone (an electronics expert!) as a responsible adult and moral support. It gave the confidence to do it, as he is the sort of person who can build anything and help me out if I needed it.

He let me do it, but did some of the fiddlier bits when I struggled and read the instructions out!

Knowing what I do now I would do it again.


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## SNAKEBITE (Feb 13, 2012)

All good in the hood.

Tested the charge this morning, and where previously it had dropped to the 5 second mark it went (a lot faster it seemed) right round to the 30 second mark.

All I have to do now is check it's waterproof!!


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## IAmATeaf (Dec 4, 2011)

When I "did" my SKX009, by "did" I really mean did as I screwed it up not once but twice and ended up effectively replacing the entire watch I lost the really small screw on the 7S26 movement, the one that you either need a special Seiko screwdriver or grinding an existing blade to fit the head as it pinged off into the distance.

A few weeks later, barefoot in the office I felt something under foot and it was the bloody screw, bagged it up as a spare for when I'm feeling brave enough to mess up another watch. :laugh:


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## SNAKEBITE (Feb 13, 2012)

Still going.

I switched watches over the weekend and it still had a full charge this morning.

Normally it was doing the stuttery second hand bit within 2 days.

I might just have cracked it!!


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## johnbaz (Jan 30, 2005)

Hi

I bought two replacement cells from AGThomas at Bradford, Fitted them and both were no good, They wouldn't charge and to this day those watches are somewhere in the house with the dysfuntional cells still fitted! I should have sent them straight back but never did!

I've since fitted a couple more for friends, Bought the cells off fleabay and never had a problem!! They were cheaper too from ebay!!

I bought a Pulsar Kinetic at the weekend for £2, Obviously it wasn't working so I thought, New cap needed but upon shaking it next to my lugoyl, It sounded more poorly!! :wacko:

It turned out that some halfwit had removed the cell and replaced it with an ordinary watch battery!, Not even the correct size! They lost the screw for the rotor/gear too!!!!

I think i'll still have a go and replace the missing screw and the cell as it's quite a nice looking watch!!










It needs a jolly good scrub though to be rid of the last owners DNA!! :laugh:

John


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## andyclient (Aug 1, 2009)

Davey P said:


> Kev, just out of interest, what is time consuming about these? Do they need some sort of soldering or something to fit them? I've never changed one, but it would be good to know what is involved, and I get the impression you have done loads of these in the past, so you would definitely have the know-how. Anything tricky to watch out for? And can anything go horribly wrong? Any info gratefully received mate :thumbsup:


 If you haven't done one before Davey you might find this video useful just to give you an idea what to expect

http://www.watchrepairtalk.com/watch_repair_videos.html/quartz-watch-repairs-service/seiko-kinetic-watch-is-not-holding-charge-how-to-fit-a-new-capacitor-r26/


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

andyclient said:


> If you haven't done one before Davey you might find this video useful just to give you an idea what to expect
> 
> http://www.watchrepairtalk.com/watch_repair_videos.html/quartz-watch-repairs-service/seiko-kinetic-watch-is-not-holding-charge-how-to-fit-a-new-capacitor-r26/


 Excellent stuff, thanks very much mate, that is really useful. Looks a bit fiddly, and clearly more difficult than a simple battery change, but still possible for an average tinkerer, which is pretty much what I would classify myself as (very average would probably be a better description :tongue: )


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## sewingman (Nov 7, 2015)

Now that all hard works have been done, your next step is a small investment.......Bob.

Braun Charger Type 4728


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## LongBike (Nov 29, 2016)

When you get tired of them have to be charging like those ... BFK's 371's & 369's , just remove the Capacitor .... gently pull the contact off the old one

get a .... 371 Battery place it into the watch. Now place the contact on the battery and make sure that little Thingy is on the contact in the watch

then hold it good and then screw it tight. The watch will turn into a .... " Everyday Grab and Go or Beater " , and always be constantly running good till the next battery

change comes. I got fed up looking for to expensive chargers for all of mine, so I did that and no problems since doing that.

Note : Do not put the ...." ROTOR and SCREW .... BACK ON " , keep it and store it some where. ( It is not needed after the battery is installed. )

It will not effect the watch at all in use.


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