How to Fix Your Citizen Eco-Drive Watch | Replace Capacitor

Is your Citizen Eco-Drive watch ticking in 2 second increments? Have you followed the recharging guide but it still does this? You may need to replace your battery, otherwise known as a capacitor or rechargeable cell. While many think of the Eco-Drive as completely solar powered, the light source is actually converted into energy that is stored in a special cell. Your watch uses this cell as a reserve power source when there is not enough light for operation and charging. So dig that watch out of the drawer and get it working again!

Items needed/suggested:
Caseback Removal Tool
Springbar Tool (optional)
Wooden Cuticle Stick
Plastic Tweezers (optional)
Examination Gloves or Finger Cots
OEM Citizen Replacement Battery (specific to your caliber number, mine was $17 on Amazon)
OEM Citizen Replacement Caseback gasket/seal

You'll need a special battery specific to your Citizen caliber/movement number. A regular watch battery of the same size will NOT work, and may burst. I'll show how to find your caliber info. These rechargeable cells are available to purchase at various online stores, plus Amazon and eBay.

There is a link below to the exact tool kit featured in the video, but you won't need ALL those items for this task. I also find a simple wooden cuticle stick to be helpful. Please note that the caseback removal tool featured in this video only works with this particular caseback. If your watch does not match, you may need a different tool.

Do not hold the new capacitor/battery/cell with metal tweezers, as shown in the removal of the OLD battery. This may cause your new battery to short out. The oils from direct contact with your skin (fingers) can also cause the same affect over time. Please use gloves or finger cots.

Check your Citizen Watch manual for the exact Recharge Guide specific to your watch. For the movement in my watch (E111) the required recharge time after replacing the capacitor is:
Indoor Light: 120 hours (6" from fluorescent, 20" from incandescent)
Outdoor Light: 35 hours cloudy day, or 11 hours sunny day

Note that charging in sunlight through a window provides less energy than directly outdoors, due to glass filtering and coatings on windows/screens.

Citizen has revised this webpage to a generalized charging guide. For more detailed guides, find the manual for your specific movement. You can likely find it with the next link below.

Visit my page on Amazon to find some watches and accessories I've featured on my channel in the past. I am an Amazon affiliate and will receive a small commission if you purchase anything on Amazon after following that link, but your prices are the same as if you found the item on your own.

Please like and subscribe if you found this video helpful. Thanks! - Witt

#EcoDrive #howto #BudgetWatchCollecting #watchrepair

00:00 Intro, Parts & Tools
00:50 Start of Project
01:39 Identify Movement Number
02:00 Remove Caseback
03:27 Remove Old Capacitor
04:58 Install New Capacitor
05:53 Verify Normal Operation
06:43 Inspect Caseback Gasket
07:09 Get Some Sun!

[williamjames]

A battery and a capacitor are two entirely different things. In theory a capacitor should not need replacement just recharging. A battery will die over time. Decide which is which please!

[SusieRed]

You are incredible. Do you know you're the only person on YouTube who gave such incredibly detailed instructions? I thought I'd received a bad battery, but I had done just about everything you stated NOT to do while trying to figure out just HOW to put this battery in to my eco watch. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I'm going to place my battery in properly this time and, if it doesn't work, I'll know why and order a new one. That one will be going in just as you instructed and I'm sure will work. Take care and be safe. We need people like you in the world.🤗❤️

[garethsigrist]

I just bought a Citizen Eco-Drive BJ9130-05E on eBay and it arrived with the dreaded 2 second tick. I assumed it had probably been in a draw or a box for a while so just needed charging but after a few days on the windowsill, it still wouldn’t hold a charge. I googled it and realised I needed to change the capacitor. I then found this video on YouTube and you made the whole process simple with your excellent and easy to follow demonstration. Thanks to you I have a working Eco-Drive! Thank you!

[catsmeow]

Thank you, I now know which battery to order! Purchased my watch over 25 years ago for myself for Mother's Day, when I was a single mother! I've now been married 18 years & my husband had it fixed for me (I kept it in my sock drawer, when it stopped working) & wrapped in a beautiful watch box!

[TsukiumisGuy]

Thanks for your video. I had a hard time only because I didn't have any gloves to position the battery when getting it in place. Once I finally got it in, I turned the watch over. Nothing happened but as soon as I got it where bright sunlight hit the dial it started right up. I have it on a window sill right now to get it all charged up. This is a Citizen Garrison Watch I got off Ebay from a seller I used before. It wasn't charging like my other Citizens and when contacted the seller said they had been in storage for a long time. Citizen told me and him that it would take 1 to 2 months for it to fully charge after being in storage that long. Thats way long. So I ordered a new capacitor off Amazon and thanks to your video its now charging so I can use it. Thanks again.

[derrickjohnson]

Before you replace the capacitor try putting an adjustable LED LAmp above the watch for a few days and see if it helps. It helped me to charge my Citizen Skyhawk that had not seen light for years. I left an LED Lamp directly above the watch (Maybe an inch above the watch) for 2 days over the weekend at work and when i got back on Monday it was fully charged and held the charge as if it was brand new.

[rjohnsoneod]

Thanks, I take a couple watches (G-shock mudmasters) into the jewelry store, for battery replacement. For some reason the tech at the Jewelry store did not work on these watches but they have someone that they send some watches to. The staring price for battery/capacitor replacement was $125. The capacitor and the watch repair kit added up to less than $30 (I will also replace the gasket based on your recommendation). But while my citizen was more expensive it is still kind of a basic watch with no special features and I should be able to replace the batter/capacitor. Your video was very helpful. Thanks for your video. Sorry for all the trolls trying to give you a class on battery vs capacitor. Your video was fine. Order the right part in the first place and you don't have to worry about putting a battery where a capacitor should be. Regardless of what I am working on, I always check my parts across several websites to make sure it is the right one. I like the part about wearing gloves. That is my down fall. I get into the repair and forget to put on the gloves laying next to me.

[vantrinh]

You explain step by step very clearly. Thanks so much for a good video.

[soulbrother]

Genius!! Thanks for posting! I've bought two of the 8700 diamond bezel ones gold ones two tone!! The gold one was stolen..hate a thief!! Thank God for insurance!! As well as a receipt!!

[patrickryan]

So you’re a watch repairer as well Witt. A man of many talents. 😊

[hurlholloway]

Great video and information, thanks! My Aqualand has been dead for quite some time (it was left in a drawer after a move). With your help, I was able to correctly identify the right battery and ordered it and the tool kit from Amazon. Both came in a few days and I just finished the repair. It's back up and running again. Awesome!

[louis]

I have a Citizen Eco and after 10 years it was ticking with 2 seconds increments too. I charged the battery by putting it at the kitchen window for two days, but it was still ticking with 2 seconds after that. Pulling out the crown and pushing it back solved the problem! It has been ticking nicely for 3 year years after I did that.

[TheWatchCorner]

Good video. Nice to know how simple it is to replace. I keep all my solar watches in box with plexi glass top to always have light on them

[e.rivera]

..Great video thanks. i have Eco Drives for more than 15 years., time to replace a couple of batteries, did not know i have to use gloves to avoid contamination.

[kghwanadoo]

Well mine seems to have done really well, 20years almost to the day. I'll give this ago to see if I can get it back from its slumber, thanks for posting

[SBC]

Great instructions! I followed the instructions from the link. I didn’t need a new battery. The recharging time from zero for my watch is 36-70 hours and direct sunlight outside is best. My 20 year old watch is running again.

[VvvV]

People in the thread, try pulling out the crown & pushing it back in. Sometimes this works as it resets the second increments after/while charging. I purchased a Citizen Skyhawk from Amazon back in 2011. It’s 2024 today & my original capacitor/battery still works fine to this day. This watch has been in & out of rotation for months/years at a time & gets stuck in a drawer at times. I just put it in a window sill & it charges right back up no problems. It ticks in 2-4 sec increments when charging back up. I just pull the crown all the way out & push it back in & it works brand new again no issues.

[doright]

Great video. My 2012 Citizen Eco-Drive is doing the 2-second movement. I guess it is time to replace its battery.

[travisjones]

Jewelry store quoted me $120 for this repair. Thank you for the tutorial.

[charlesburling]

Excellent video! I have an Eco that's stopped and doesn't want to restart. I'll try charging outside. If that doesn't work I now know what to do! Many thanks!
The cleaning cloths look good, too!