Eco-Drive is a technology developed by Citizen company that allows watches to be powered by solar light, including natural and artificial light sources.
Eco-Drive solar-powered watches do not have traditional solid batteries that need to be replaced once in a while.
Instead, they have a small solar panel built into the watch face that converts light into electrical energy, which is stored in a rechargeable battery. So, it means they have a battery.
The rechargeable battery in an Eco-Drive watch is typically a lithium-ion battery, which can be recharged multiple times and has a longer lifespan than traditional watch batteries.
Some Eco-Drive watches also have a power-saving feature that allows them to go into a low-power state when they are not being worn or exposed to light, which helps to extend the life of the battery.
While Eco-Drive watches do not have traditional batteries that need to be replaced, it is important to keep the watch exposed to light on a regular basis in order to maintain a sufficient charge on the battery.
If the battery becomes fully depleted, it may need to be recharged before the watch can be used again. Sometimes, the battery needs a complex wakeup charging process to make it alive.
Do the Citizen Eco-Drive solar watches need new batteries?
Well, in short, the Citizen Eco-Drive solar watches don’t need new batteries. These solar watches are manufactured with light-powered technology; they have solar rechargeable cells instead of the traditional silver oxide battery.
It is recommended that you shouldn’t keep your watch in dark condition for more than 6 months.
This is because the stored energy keeps running the watch well for up to 6 months, and after that, you have to recharge it under the light.
However, to ensure optimal working performance, the Citizen’s recommends that you change or replace the battery after 10 years of regular usage of your watch. So, it can efficiently convert the light into power to run your solar-powered watch.
Besides, you are also recommended to do regular movement maintenance of your Eco-Drive watch, such as replacing your watch gasket, preservation of the watches’ water-resistance quality, etc.
By doing so, you can have this Eco-Drive solar watch for a long time. And also, surprisingly, the solar cells or battery of your watch will last up to 40 years.
Not only that but also the original charge capacity of the battery will retain up to 80% even after 20 years of usage.
So, overall, the highly specialized rechargeable cells are far better than the traditional batteries that help you have your timepiece year after year.
How long does the battery last in your Citizen Eco-Drive watch?
According to Citizen, a Citizen Eco-Drive watch battery lasts well for quite a long time, mostly up to 10 years. However, with proper care, you can have it for more than a decade.
As I said before, the Citizen Eco-Drive watch uses light-powered proprietary technology. So, the type of battery commonly used in watches is not used in this solar-powered watch.
Final thought
So, finally, your confusion about Do Eco-Drive Solar-powered watches have batteries? Has been cleared in this article.
The Citizen Eco-Drive watch features the most developed power generating and power reserving system than other brands of solar watch. The energy provider of this solar watch is mainly the solar rechargeable cells and the solar conversion panels, which indicates that it doesn’t need a battery.
Eng. Matthew Joseph Nandirio is the Founder of walkingsolar.
After graduating from the University of Houston in 2002, matt started working as a Solar Electrical Engineer for several multi-national solar energy companies.
He has a wide range of experiences including solar system requirement analysis, planning, maintaining, debugging and even solar device development through research.
He now shares his 20 years of expertise through his articles on the walkingsolar website.
Further, he is also the author of two books on Solar Technology, “Solar Power for Villages” and “DIY Solar System for Dummies”.
