Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

9

Time Required

                          10 minutes

Sections

1

  • Battery
  • 9 steps

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What you need

Step 1

              Battery
  • Here is your watch! Actually, this one is mine. Yours is the one with the dead battery. My battery was dead, not too long ago, but I replaced it, and now you can, too!
  • Your first job is to remove the watch band, which has flanges that overlap the back plate.
  • But wait! The watch band isn’t quite what it seems. On the side of this watch, there are what appear to be screw heads holding on the band. These are not screw heads, they’re just decorative. Instead, you must use a screwdriver or other thin blade to compress the spring pins and remove the band.

Here is your watch! Actually, this one is mine. Yours is the one with the dead battery. My battery was dead, not too long ago, but I replaced it, and now you can, too!

Your first job is to remove the watch band, which has flanges that overlap the back plate.

But wait! The watch band isn’t quite what it seems. On the side of this watch, there are what appear to be screw heads holding on the band. These are not screw heads, they’re just decorative. Instead, you must use a screwdriver or other thin blade to compress the spring pins and remove the band.

1024

Step 2

              Remove the back plate of the watch
  • Remove the back plate by unscrewing the four small phillips-head screws at the corners of the back plate.
  • Put them in a bowl, or somewhere safe!
  • Remove the metal back plate.

Remove the back plate by unscrewing the four small phillips-head screws at the corners of the back plate.

Put them in a bowl, or somewhere safe!

Remove the metal back plate.

Step 3

  • Yay, you got the back off!
  • Next, the entire watch body can be lifted out of the case. Do that.
  • Next, go ahead and use tweezers to remove that sticker. Set it aside upside-down to be re-applied later.
  • Finally, insert a thin-bladed screwdriver or spudger in the slot indicated by the purple circle (second picture), and slide it up and to the right to release one catch holding the battery in.
  • You should be able to lift the whole “meat” of the watch out of the case. Do that.

Yay, you got the back off!

Next, the entire watch body can be lifted out of the case. Do that.

Next, go ahead and use tweezers to remove that sticker. Set it aside upside-down to be re-applied later.

Finally, insert a thin-bladed screwdriver or spudger in the slot indicated by the purple circle (second picture), and slide it up and to the right to release one catch holding the battery in.

You should be able to lift the whole “meat” of the watch out of the case. Do that.

Step 4

  • Remarkably, the battery doesn’t just come out of the back. We have to disassemble the “sandwich”.
  • There are a whole bunch of metal straps that run around the edge, but only five of them engage with the top half; these need to be released.
  • You can use a spudger or screwdriver for this, but I found that a fingernail worked just as well, maybe better.

Remarkably, the battery doesn’t just come out of the back. We have to disassemble the “sandwich”.

There are a whole bunch of metal straps that run around the edge, but only five of them engage with the top half; these need to be released.

You can use a spudger or screwdriver for this, but I found that a fingernail worked just as well, maybe better.

Step 5

  • Remove the top half of the sandwich, and flip it over.
  • You need to release the metal cover that holds the battery in. At the location indicated by the purple circle, use a screwdriver (a fair amount of force is required) to lift/push/release the edge of the cover from the plastic cleat that it’s wrapped around.
  • In this picture, the cover has already been released.
  • Now, flip it over.

Remove the top half of the sandwich, and flip it over.

You need to release the metal cover that holds the battery in. At the location indicated by the purple circle, use a screwdriver (a fair amount of force is required) to lift/push/release the edge of the cover from the plastic cleat that it’s wrapped around.

In this picture, the cover has already been released.

Now, flip it over.

Step 6

  • Yay! the battery is out.

Yay! the battery is out.

Step 7

              Reassemble
  • Replace the battery with a new one.
  • Follow the preceding steps in reverse until you’re ready to put the back plate on.

Replace the battery with a new one.

Follow the preceding steps in reverse until you’re ready to put the back plate on.

Step 8

              Reset the watch
  • At this point, the watch might be running and ready to go. If so, you can skip this “Reset the watch” step, and simply reassemble.
  • Otherwise, before putting the back of the watch on, you’ll need to follow the instructions on the sticker, and “short” the two “pads”.
    1. The term “short” refers to creating an electrical connection, sometimes known as a “short-circuit”, between two points.
    1. The term “pads” refers to electrical contacts.
  • On the sticker (in the photo above), you will see an arrow (really more of a small triangle) at the lower right of the sticker, pointing to two circular metal contacts, or “pads”. In order to reset the watch, you may need to create a “short” by touching both of these pads with a conductive object.
  • A short piece of copper wire would work, or nearly anything else that’s conductive. Let me see… Actually, if you took any unplugged appliance, you could probably use one of the prongs of a 110VAC plug to bridge these. (Reiterating: NOT WHILE IT’S PLUGGED IN.) Maybe it would be safer to use a fork, spoon, or conductive screwdriver.

At this point, the watch might be running and ready to go. If so, you can skip this “Reset the watch” step, and simply reassemble.

Otherwise, before putting the back of the watch on, you’ll need to follow the instructions on the sticker, and “short” the two “pads”.

  1. The term “short” refers to creating an electrical connection, sometimes known as a “short-circuit”, between two points.

  2. The term “pads” refers to electrical contacts.

On the sticker (in the photo above), you will see an arrow (really more of a small triangle) at the lower right of the sticker, pointing to two circular metal contacts, or “pads”. In order to reset the watch, you may need to create a “short” by touching both of these pads with a conductive object.

A short piece of copper wire would work, or nearly anything else that’s conductive. Let me see… Actually, if you took any unplugged appliance, you could probably use one of the prongs of a 110VAC plug to bridge these. (Reiterating: NOT WHILE IT’S PLUGGED IN.) Maybe it would be safer to use a fork, spoon, or conductive screwdriver.

Step 9

  • Complete reassembly by screwing on the back plate and reattaching the watch band.

Complete reassembly by screwing on the back plate and reattaching the watch band.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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                    John Clements

Member since: 11/05/2017

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Lily Tom - Jun 21, 2021

Reply

Replaced battery per above, but screen is blank. How to reset? Sticker says “short pads to reset.” What pads? Short??

John Clements - Jun 25, 2021

Oh! golly, is that necessary? I’m trying to remember whether I did that. Okay, explanation, apologies if you already knew all of this.

On the sticker (in the photo above), you will see an arrow (really more of a small triangle) at the lower right of the sticker, pointing to two circular metal contacts, or “pads”. In order to reset the watch, I believe you will need to create a “short” by touching both of these pads with a conductive object. A short piece of copper wire would work, or nearly anything else that’s conductive. Let me see… Actually, if you took any unplugged appliance, you could probably use one of the prongs of a 110VAC plug to bridge these. (Reiterating: NOT WHILE IT’S PLUGGED IN.) Maybe it would be safer to use a fork, spoon, or conductive screwdriver.

I’m guessing that I did this, and neglected to mention it. Yikes!

Tom Strikwerda - Feb 4, 2022

Reply

I just replaced my battery and didn’t have to short the contacts. I inserted the battery and reassembled the two halves, and when I turned it over it was already running.

John Clements - Feb 4, 2022

Oh! Interesting! I should update the instructions to reflect that.

Hugh - Oct 28, 2022

Reply

My Ironman is a bit different: The battery can be removed without removing “the sandwich” - Take the sticker off, unscrew the screw near the battery which releases the retaining metal strap and the battery.