Why Your Watch Stopped Running and What It Will Take to Fix
Common causes of a dead watch, from dead batteries to broken mainsprings, and how each is repaired.
By Harry · · 4 min read
A watch that stops running is almost never a sign it's beyond repair. Most of the time it's a simple mechanical failure, a battery that's dead, or sometimes just a watch that's been sitting too long and needs cleaning. The bad news is that you probably can't fix it yourself without the right tools and knowledge. The good news is that a competent watchmaker can diagnose what's wrong in a few minutes and get you back to wearing it. The trick is finding someone who actually knows what they're doing and won't charge you more than the watch is worth.
Dead Batteries and Quartz Movements
If you have a quartz watch and it stopped suddenly, the battery is the first suspect. Quartz watches run on a small battery that typically lasts three to five years, sometimes longer if you don't wear it much. When the battery dies, the watch just stops. It's not broken. A battery replacement takes about ten minutes and costs between fifteen and forty dollars depending on the watch. Some people try to open the caseback themselves with a flathead screwdriver. Don't do that. You can strip the threads on the caseback, crack the crystal, or damage the gasket that keeps water out. Let a professional handle it. We see watches come in every week with caseback damage that cost more to fix than the battery replacement would have.
Mechanical Watches Need Cleaning
A mechanical watch that hasn't been serviced in ten or fifteen years is going to get sluggish and eventually stop. The oil inside the movement gets thick and gummy. Dust and lint settle into the gears. The mainspring loses tension. None of this means the watch is broken. It means it needs what we call a movement cleaning or overhaul. We take the movement apart, clean every part in a specialized solution, replace the oil with fresh watchmaking oil, and put it back together. A full service usually takes one to two weeks and costs between one hundred fifty and three hundred fifty dollars depending on the complexity of the movement. A simple three-hand Seiko costs less than a vintage Rolex or a chronograph. This is the most common reason mechanical watches stop running, and it's completely normal maintenance.
Broken Mainsprings and Worn Pivots
Sometimes the mainspring inside the watch breaks. The mainspring is the metal ribbon coiled inside the watch that stores energy when you wind it or when the rotor winds it automatically. When it breaks, the watch won't run at all. You'll feel no resistance when you try to wind it. A broken mainspring can't be repaired, but it can be replaced. We have mainsprings for hundreds of different movements. A mainspring replacement costs between eighty and two hundred dollars depending on the watch. We also see worn pivot holes where the gears spin. After decades of wear, the steel pivots that hold the gears in place start to wobble in their holes. The gear train gets sloppy. The watch runs slow or stops. Fixing this requires skill and specialized tools. We have to replace the jewels or bushings that the pivots spin in. This is more expensive work, usually between two hundred and five hundred dollars, but it brings an old watch back to life.
Water Damage and Corrosion
A watch that was exposed to salt water, left in a humid bathroom for years, or dropped in a puddle may have water inside the case. Water causes the steel parts to rust and the oil to break down. The watch stops because the movement is corroded. If caught early, we can disassemble the movement, clean off the corrosion, dry everything thoroughly, and reassemble it with fresh oil. If the corrosion is heavy, some parts may need to be replaced. This is why the gasket and caseback seal matter. A watch rated for water resistance only stays water resistant if the caseback gasket is in good condition and properly seated. We replace a lot of gaskets on vintage watches that haven't been serviced in decades.
Getting a Real Diagnosis
The only way to know what's actually wrong with your watch is to open it up and look. From the outside, a watch that stopped running could be any of these problems. A real watchmaker will examine the caseback, check for water damage, listen for the tick of the balance wheel, and if needed, remove the movement and inspect it. This diagnostic process usually takes about thirty minutes and costs twenty to fifty dollars. That's money well spent because it tells you exactly what you're facing and what the repair will cost.
If your watch stopped running and you're not sure why, bring it in to Watch Repair & Co here in New York. We'll take a look, tell you what's wrong, and give you an honest quote. Most watches can be fixed.