Grand Quartz Seiko Battery Change
Posted by: petew
Opening up a vintage watch for the first time can be a little unnerving. No matter how nice the watch looks on the outside, there is always the chance that the inside has been butchered from a previous service. So when I saw the second hand on my beloved 9943 Grand Seiko started doing its 2 second dance this week, you can imagine my concern regarding what I’d see once I opened it up.
Being an old quartz watch, this one has a battery hatch cover. While these are easy to use, occasionally they can be tricky to get off once unscrewed. Sometimes they get stuck and have to be pried out. This one came right off!
As I peeked inside, I was happy to see that everything was clean and tidy; even the gasket looked new. The “Seiko” branded battery was a plus and makes me wonder if the last battery change had even been done by Seiko Japan; which is a possiblity as I’d purchased the watch from Japan.
I dropped the new battery in and she started right back up with one second ticks. Mission accomplished, and I now know that this vintage Grand Quartz is as clean on the inside as it is on the outside.
April 18th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Hi Pete,
Thanks for the great post. On a green strap, that Grand Quartz reminds me of The Master’s, and sort of has a Rolex vibe.
–Bryan
April 19th, 2009 at 1:56 am
Hello Pete,
Browsing the web I fell on this page, where disassembly of tens of Japanese watches is shown (including changing the battery!):
http://akiyose.com/battery-exchange/japan-watch.html
Of course, 9943 grand quartz disassembly is shown
Pages are in Japanese, but translation through Google Translate is enough to understand the topics, very well illustrated with pictures.
Best regards,
MikeNovember
April 19th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Hi Bryan,
The Masters! Yes, I can see what you are saying Bryan. I’ve known people who have been to the Masers tournament in Augusta and all have been struck by just how green the grounds are. One day I’m going to go. Since we are on the subject, are any GMT+9 readers members of Augusta?
Back to the watch. The green strap probably is a bit much, but I like the color that it adds to a very monochromatic serious presentation.
petew
April 19th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Hi MikeNovember,
That akiyose site is a tremendous resource isn’t it? Thanks for sharing the link with us. I encourage all GMT+9 readers to spend some time looking through the various watches and taking peeks at these movements.
Thanks for reading,
petew