Citizen Eco-drive Watch Is Not Working

by Linda Bonnette
(Morehead City, North Carolina)

Where can I send my Citizen Eco-drive watch to have the battery/solar cell (?) renewed. The solar cell is dead and will not keep any time.

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Citizen Eco-drive Watch Is Not Working

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Mar 12, 2010
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Battery not woking
by: Anthony F.

I let my Citizen Calibre 9000 fully discharge in a case at the bottom of my drawer several months ago and when I removed it to charge it in the sun for a day,it did not budge. Any items of how to give it CPR to restart the heart?

Mar 12, 2010
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Battery or Fuser
by: BM

I took both the men's and ladie's Eco Drive to a reputible repair shop after charging them under the lamp for a few days. I was told that the fusers needed to be replaced and that was why the lamp charging did not work. The fuser was placed in the ladies watch and was very expensive ($65.00), but the watch ran great. I did not allow them to fix the men's watch because the price of the fuser had me bent out of shape. Find out how much the fuser and labor will be before leaving the watch.

Mar 10, 2010
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U101 charging
by: Anonymous

OK, thanks, put it yesterday evening under a halogen spot. charged up a little bit more. will try to charge more over next wekeend when i don't have to wear it :)

Mar 09, 2010
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U101
by: Grant Stewart

Edwin,

It is very possible on that model that it will not be fully functional without a full charge. Multi-function watches like that can take 60+ hours to charge depending on the light source.

Good luck!

Mar 09, 2010
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U101
by: Edwin

Thanks Grant,

Already did a full reset for aligning the hands. No success.

However, will first try to charge full. Did not go to more than fase 3 on the charge reader till now.

Will put it under a light for some hours, see if it charges more.

Mar 08, 2010
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Response to comments below
by: Grant Stewart

For the U101 Dive watch, it was unclear when you say that you set the hands to 0 if you did an all functions reset of the watch or just zeroed out the hands. If you just zeroed hands, try doing an all functions reset. Whenever this type of watch loses charge, it has to be completely reset.

For the Citizen calendar problem, it is hard to say specifically without knowing what calibre the watch is. If you are talking about a perpetual calander that is an analog watch, most Citizen calendar watches have a recessed "all reset" button on the outside of the watch at the two o'clock position. On most models, you pull the crown out to the second click and push this button for 2-3 secs, the hands will spin around randomly then stop. Don't try to set the calendar until the hands stop or it will not reset.

If you are talking about a digital watch that is failing to keep the proper date, most likely the circuit has gone bad and needs replaced.

With either of these watches, if they are less than 5 years old and you have proof of purchase from an authorized retailer, the Citizen Service Center should fix the problem at no charge.

If the watches are out of warranty, and you still have problems, please visit our website http://www.StewartTime.com. We specialize in Citizen Eco-Drive repair.

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Mar 08, 2010
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Submitted by: Grant Stewart

Title

Comment
For the U101 Dive watch, it was unclear when you say that you set the hands to 0 if you did an all functions reset of the watch or just zeroed out the hands. If you just zeroed hands, try doing an all functions reset. Whenever this type of watch loses charge, it has to be completely reset. For the Citizen calendar problem, it is hard to say specifically without knowing what calibre the watch is. If you are talking about a perpetual calander that is an analog watch, most Citizen calendar watches have a recessed "all reset" button on the outside of the watch at the two o'clock position. On most models, you pull the crown out to the second click and push this button for 2-3 secs, the hands will spin around randomly then stop. Don't try to set the calendar until the hands stop or it will not reset. If you are talking about a digital watch that is failing to keep the proper date, most likely the circuit has gone bad and needs replaced. With either of these watches, if they are less than 5 years old and you have proof of purchase from an authorized retailer, the Citizen Service Center should fix the problem at no charge. If the watches are out of warranty, and you still have problems, please visit our website http://www.StewartTime.com. We specialize in Citizen Eco-Drive repair.

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Mar 08, 2010
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Citizen Calendar reverting to 2016 every day
by: Anonymous

I cannot keep my digital calendar on the year 2010. I have to reset it every day from 2016 to 2010 and then the next day it is back to 2016. I have no idea why this started a few days ago.

Mar 08, 2010
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Not keeping charge/second hand not moving
by: Edwin

Hi there, using a cabre U101 (diving watch) I have these issue(s):

1) since several weeks second hand is not moving any more
2) 2 days ago it went into message "charge". Solkved this by putting it into sunlight for about half a day. Has been charged up til 50% approx.

However, decond hand is still dead. Tried to set everything at 0 again. However, it failed aligning the second hand (minute and hour hands were aligning OK)

please advise.

Mar 03, 2010
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CITIZEN ECO DRIVE CALIBRE 9000
by: almiecz

Witam. Czy może mi ktoś podać jaki jest symbol akumulatora zainstalowanego w tym modelu? Pozdrawiam.

Mar 01, 2010
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We sell genuine Citizen bands
by: Grant Stewart

Kerim,

We do sell genuine Citizen watch bands. This model is not in stock, but is currently available by special order (usually 7-10 days). Availability and price fluctuate so we cannot guarantee a time frame and price in a blog. If you would like, send an inquiry directly to customercare@stewarttime.com. Please include the model number and the band material (rubber, stainless steel, titanium etc).
Thanks.

Feb 26, 2010
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Eco-drive was not working
by: Kerim

First of all i would like to thank people for these feeds because i was really frustrated when i got my watch from a watchmaker and it was not working. In my case second hand was on SET (while hour and minute hand did not move). Looking through the comments I tried to reset the watch but nothing worked as only time/calendar dial could be rotated. After many failed attempts i decided to leave my watch next to the window... Just wanted to tell you that it took more that 4 days of recharge for hour/minute hands to move... As many people have stated it earlier if your watch stops working just leave it on the sun light and check it every other day.
Now i need to find a band replacement for BL5180-57L because the watchmaker could not fix it. Any good places??

Feb 07, 2010
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Response to Ron
by: Grant Stewart

Ron, we have seen Eco-Drives come in for repair that are 13-15 years old with the original capacitor. However, most have been in constant use. We have seen some that are less than 5 years old. Unfortunately, there is no reliable way to predict if the capacitor will fail. We see them most often in watches that are 7+ years old.

If the watch continues to tick in two second increments after being charged for at least 24 hours under the light, it probably needs new capacitor. If it starts to double tick or stops after only a few days, it is likely the same problem. A fully functioning capacitor should hold a charge for months with no light. Your idea to have the seller charge it and put it back in the dark is a good one. If it keeps time and doesn't double tick after several days in the dark, it may be OK. There is just no way to predict when the power source will go bad.

Feb 06, 2010
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Will old watch hold charge after years in dark
by: Ron needs an eco drive

I am thinking of buying an eco-drive wr100 day/date from 2002 that has been in the box since new and fully discharged. The seller said the movement started again after a few minutes under a light (2 second increment). I told her to charge for a full day and put back in drawer for a day to see if it will hold. My question, will an eco-drive this old hold a charge after this long or is it likely to fail due to being discharged for what might be 8 or so years?

Feb 02, 2010
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Problem with Calibre 2100
by: Grant Stewart

The 2100 Calibre also known as the Minute Repeater is a complicated multi-function watch. Often completing an 'all reset' will clear the issues the watch is having. The instructions would be in your owners manual. If you do not have the manual, the instructions are available for download at the official Citizen website: www.citizenwatch.com. Search under technical support, then caliber E210. There are some other troubleshooting guidelines there. Depending on the light source, it can take over 30 hours to become fully charged from a stopped state so you may want to charge it again. As listed in the owner's manual the 'secondary battery' could have gone bad, if that is the case, no amount of charging will fix it. If the watch is less than 5 years old and you have proof of purchase, it may still be under warranty and you could send it to the Citizen Service Center. We specialize in out-of-warranty repairs for these watches if none of the other suggestions work. http://www.stewarttime.com

Jan 31, 2010
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Citizen Eco-Drive 2100 stopped working new
by: Anonymous

I was just gifted a citizen eco-drive cal:2100
i noticed the chonographer was not working although the time was ticking away and holding good time.
the charge dial was at about half way, when i sent it to be sized (removed a couple of links from the band.)
then it returned the charge meter was at empty but the seconds were still ticking.
I let it charge under a lamp for about 8 hrs with no change to the charge meter. so i reset it.
after the reset the second hand stopped working and there is no activity on the watch.

Any idea what i should do?
Thank you in advance.

Jan 27, 2010
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Interesting clarification
by: Grant Stewart

Thank you for your clarification. When we order parts from our Citizen distributor, we ask for capacitor #xxx-xxxx and we receive the parts we need to make the watches functional again. In various literature, Citizen also calls them "power cells" (which people confuse with silver oxide or lithium cells), or "secondary batteries" (a term that is also confusing since the watches have no "primary battery" and they do not work outside of light without one - so they are not a true 'secondary' or 'back-up' power source). They are used in Citizen Solar, Solar-Tech and Eco-Drive watches. Some of them are LiIon types, many are not. Many watches that we receive for service have silver oxide button cell batteries put in where the "secondary battery", if you like that term better, should be located. These silver oxide batteries, in the best case scenario do not make the watch run, and in the worst case scenario burst and seep corrosion which destroys the watch movement. For the safety of their watch, no one should put a regular battery in their Eco-Drive. Thanks.

Jan 25, 2010
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Capacitor or battery?
by: Electronics

Most Eco-Drive watches are equipped with a special titanium lithium-ion "battery" that is charged by an amorphous silicon solar cell located behind the dial. The titanium lithium-ion composition precludes it from being affected from the regular charge/discharge cycle of other types of rechargeable batteries.
A capacitor is not a battery, the Eco-Drive movement uses a form of lion battery.

Jan 14, 2010
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Eco-Drives don't use normal watch batteries
by: Grant Stewart

Eco-Drives don't use normal watch batteries, but capacitors that work like rechargeable batteries. They are quite a bit more expensive than watch batteries and not as readily available to consumers. We get ours directly from Citizen. There are dozens of capacitors for Eco-Drives and some calibres actually have one or two capacitors that they use. In our shop, we often don't know what capacitor to use until we extract the old one and compare it to what we have in stock. Even if you can find the right capacitor for your watch, they are a little more tricky to install than a battery. We get many Eco-Drives in for repair that have been damaged by do-it-yourself capacitor replacement. For these reasons, we recommend sending the watch to a reputable repair shop for capacitor replacement. We have information on capacitor replacement and other Eco-Drive questions at our website at http://www.stewarttime.com

Jan 14, 2010
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Battery replacement
by: Linh Lam

Dear All,

Here is my watch model
CITIZEN QUARTZ, ECHO-DRIVE. Model No, EP8XXXX/Cal.No.B23+

Please advice the number/model of my watch battery so that I can buy one for replacement.

Thanks and regards

Dec 05, 2009
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Response to Reilly - watch won't charge
by: Grant Stewart

Try to charge the watch in bright sunlight or under a desk lamp for at least 12 hours. Your watch, a calibre B020 should not need more charging time than that to get going. It should start to click in two second increments as it charges. Once it shows life, pull the crown out and wait 30 seconds then set the time and push the crown back in.

If this charging and resetting does not work, the watch likely needs a new capacitor (rechargeable battery). If this is the case, please visit our repair site at http://www.StewartTime.com

We also have articles and FAQ about Eco-Drives on the site.

Dec 04, 2009
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no charge
by: reilly

I have an Ecodrive that stopped after not using for 4 months. How to recharge or reset? Numbers on watch 8020Y70620, 050036 Battery type MP(T)516.

Nov 28, 2009
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Solved..Thank You
by: Anonymous

<<Rating
Solved!
by: Anonymous

My Skyhawk went into dead mode after I hadn't worn it for several months. Despite full sun for several days, it remained dead. I was about ready to send it to Citizen when I came across the instructions for resetting the whole watch. It worked! Watch is back after a manual zeroing. >>>

Thank you so much.. Mine just start working after the reset. I'll never let her run out of battery.

Nov 23, 2009
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Hey Bob
by: Andy

I bought a citizen ecodrive on ebay a few months ago also and it quit working a month after i bought it. Was the seller from NY? I thought mine needed a capacitor but the watch repair guy said it was more serious than that. My watch kept sticking on the 12 also. Did you ever get yours repaired

Nov 16, 2009
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Response to UTC not working
by: Grant Stewart

Bob,

If you have given the watch enough time to charge, have tried to adjust the reference position and have tried an all functions reset (which it sounds like you have-the instructions for all these are in the manual that you downloaded), the watch could have a mechanical problem (unfortunately), notwithstanding how new it is.

Feel free to respond to this post or you can contact me directly at service@stewarttime.com if you have further questions.

Grant

Nov 16, 2009
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utc not working
by: bob

i bought a Citizen Atomic Skyhawk AT Flight Chrono Blk JY0005-50E a couple of weeks ago on ebay, it didnt come with a box, manual or cd, so i downloaded 1 from the citizen site. i went trough the settings, managed to set the time by Radio Wave Reception but the utc hour and minute hands seems like its not working, stuck at 12 o'clock i've performed the "Adjusting the Reference Position" multiple time now and only successfully managed to adjust the rest of hands, indicators and digital displays. the watch looks pretty good no scratches, i mean none whatsoever so i though maybe it needed some sunlight but the utc is still stuck.

please help thank you in advance!

Oct 28, 2009
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Eco-Drives that won't charge may need a new capacitor
by: Grant Stewart

Eco-Drive watches often do take resetting and long periods of charging after they have been allowed to completely run down. So, be patient and give a good recharging a shot.

However, the capacitor that works like a rechargeable battery can go bad after periods of low charge or disuse or due to age (about 10 years) and no amount of recharging will fix this.

Our company specializes in replacing worn out capacitors in Citizen Eco-Drive watches. Prices start at $59 with free shipping and most capacitor replacements are done the day the watch is received.

Please visit www.stewarttime.com

Sep 20, 2009
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not working
by: warwick

my eco drive has stoped working should i send it back to citizen or can i reset it? case number gn-4w-s , e870

Aug 19, 2009
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Charging time
by: Julien

Hi,

From citezen quartz ecodrive model bmxxxx, bl009x/Cal. No. E11x, E10X

"
LUX - Environnement - stop state/1day/empty to full
500 - ordinary office - 26hr /1h20 /290hr
...
10000 - extoriior cloudy - 1h20 /4min /14hr
"

I didnt use my 7 year old watch for a year and I started using her again yesterday and she didnt keep tieme. Seems like she needed a lot of light!

Hope it will help u.

Imp. : u must send to citezen to change the battery, it could be dangerous (even explode) if another battery type is use.

Julien

Aug 17, 2009
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Solved!
by: Anonymous

My Skyhawk went into dead mode after I hadn't worn it for several months. Despite full sun for several days, it remained dead. I was about ready to send it to Citizen when I came across the instructions for resetting the whole watch. It worked! Watch is back after a manual zeroing.

Here's the solution:

1 -Turn the crown to set the mode hand to the chronograph [CHR] mode.

2 -Pull out the crown to the second click. This is the Zero position correction mode.

3 - Press buttons (A) and (B) simultaneously and then release.

4 - All segments of the display will be shown when the buttons are released.

5 - The fully lit display is blanked when the crown is pushed to the normal position.

6 - A confirmation sound will be heard after which each hand will perform a "demonstration" going in the order of: second hand, minute hand, UTC minute hand, UTC hour hand, and 24 hour hand to indicate that the All Reset procedure is finished.

Note: After performing an "All Reset" make sure that you perform a "Zero Position Adjustment."

May 15, 2009
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WATCH NOT WORKING
by: Anonymous

MY ECO DRIVE HAS STOPPED WORKING AND I CAN'T EVEN GET THE HANDS TO MOVE ON IT. THE ONLY THING THAT WILL WORK IS THE HAND THAT MOVES FROM TIME, CHRONOGRAPH, L-TM, ALM... WHAT SHOULD I DO BECAUSE I CANT RESET THE WATCH WITH THE HANDS NOT WORKING WHEN I TRUN THE PIN.

May 02, 2009
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help
by: Ryan(dethdale@hotmail.com

I bought my watch on ebay, when I got it, it was amazing but i put it away for a month and then when i went back to put it on I found that it was dead. I read on here about putting it in the light but I am in calgary and don't get a lot of sun, I dont know if the battery is dead or if I just need to charge it by the sun? email me with you answer please

Mar 31, 2009
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Beware of charges at Watch Shops
by: Daef-Llama

I hadn't searched on Google or read any of these wise comments when the following happened.

I have worn the watch daily for almost 7 years no problems. This morning when I woke up it had stopped and was showing 2350 shortly after I'd turned out the lights last night.

As my wife's watch (Quartz usual type) had needed a battery at the weekend, I took it in to the chain of jewelers in the High St for a battery.
"This is an eco-drive" it will have to go back to Citizen for a service." they said. Cost GBP 75.00

I left it with them thinking, that's nearly the price of a new eco-drive watch! (Mine had cost GBP250.00)

Well I got home, found the instruction booklet, saw that it needed to be left in the light (actually I'd even forgotten it was an eco-drive, I just knew it as the best watch I've owned in 50 years).

I rushed to the shop, collected it before they'd dispatched it to Citizen's workshop and put it in a window for 15 mins. It is working perfectly and caught up the time in less than an hour.

So please be warned, try it in the light for 24 hours as the instruction book says.

I had a lucky escape.

Mar 12, 2009
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watch not charging
by: Anonymous

I have a citizen eco drive calibre 9000 and it will not charge

Feb 24, 2009
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Tip on Eco-drives
by: Anonymous

My husband has two analog eco-drives (loved the first one so much)and found one of them dead. Seems eco-drives are not for the occasional wearer unless you want to charge them before you wear them. He stuck the watch in a sunny window but no luck (ticked for a while but didn't keep time). Then we found a tip on the web that worked: pull the pin out as if you are setting the time, leave it that way for a while, then push back in and the watch will work again, as long as you wear it enough to keep it charged. This worked for my husband and I just did the same procedure on my own backup eco-drive right now and so far it has been working. They are awesome watches for everyday use but for speical occasion watches, I would buy something with a regular battery.

Jan 31, 2009
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citizen Eco-Drive Calibre
by: Anonymous

My citizen Eco-Drive Calibre 8700 is not working even after keeping it for 8-9 days ... what to do? ... i bought during november 2007 ...

Aug 25, 2008
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Eco-Drive Skyhawk May be Dead!
by: AnonymousCarol

My Eco-Drive Skyhawk stopped working about six months ago, and dumb me, I actually forgot it was a perpetual battery and was thinking I needed a new battery!

Once I read the manual and saw that it likely could be be recharged, I sat it on a window sill and it's been there four days...and it's still not charged! Each day I come home to see the charge indicator at Level 2 and the watch is running, but it all goes blank when I try to set the time. We start over the next day.

Is it possible that the "permanent" battery is truly dead??

Feb 10, 2008
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Response for George
by: Jay

George:

I read your comment about your Eco-Drive not working. If it has been in a drawer for a while and was never fully charged, then it will take more than 12 hours to come back to life.

I had someone swear that their Eco-Drive was "broken". I put it in a south facing window and forgot about it for a few days. When I went back to check it, it was working perfectly! So, depending on how fully charged it was and how "dead" it is, it may take a few days for it to start going again. I also had my first Eco-Drive sitting on my desk after a pin in the clasp fell out. It was in the light but it was not in a bright area. Same thing happened with that watch and it is fine now.

So, keep it in a bright south facing window for another day or two and hopefully you will find it alive and well in a few days! Take care.

Jay

Feb 10, 2008
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Citizen eco drive watch
by: George

My citizen eco-drive watch is not working.
I have placed it under a light for 12 hours and stiil nothing
I only wear it on special occassions
It is only a year old

Dec 31, 2007
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Eco-Drive Batteries Need Replaced By Citizen
by: Jay

Linda:

If your Eco-drive battery is truly dead, you will need to send it back to Citizen to be replaced. You can take it to a local Citizen watch dealer and they can take care of it for you. Also, if your watch is still under warranty - Citizen's five year warranty is one of the best in the watch industry - you may be able to get it fixed for free.

If you want to send it directly to Citizen, here is a link to their website where you can get instructions for sending your watch to them.

http://citizenwatch.com/COA/English/service.asp

By the way, you did not say how old your Eco-Drive is or how long it has been since it has been "charged". If the storage battery completely loses its charge it may take 3-4 days of sitting in a sunny window before your watch starts working again. If you haven't tried that yet, you might want to simply put it on a window sill for a few days and see if it comes back to life. I have done that on more than one occasion after someone told me their watch was "dead".

Hope you get your watch going again. I have several Citizen Eco-Drives and I wear them all the time. They are great watches. Take care.

Jay

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