Solar vs Replacable Battery powered watches

After years of being a mechanical movement only snob, I discovered the magic of high accuracy quartz with the fantastic Longines Conquest VHP (apparently discontinued ?), probably the cheapest Perpetual Calendar in the market.

I recently discovered the incredible The CITIZEN Chronomaster Washi dial AQ4030-51L, which almost made me having buyer's remorse after adding a quartz Grand Seiko (SBGN003) to my collection

I still love my hand wound timepieces, but these battery-less Citizen eco-drive are mighty attractive

Solar powered/eco-drive is very gimmicky in my opinion, 2 of my eco- drives and 3 solar powered G shock needed servicing because their batteries loose their capacity to store power. So the minute it got dark the watch stops working. So battery powered for me any day

No preference but I like to go for the solar option if there is one for the model.

If you live in a humid climate or expose your watch to water often, then you need to take it for a service to change the seals and gaskets cause they wear out. Especially a dive watch, its just a part of routine maintenance you have to do even if the movement doesn't need any attention.

Most solar movements don't need any interfering for 10 years or even longer. From my experience I fixed my father's Seiko solar which was like 14 years old before it needed a battery change. The seals were pretty much disintegrated and that watch was never opened in its lifetime. If you get a solar, routine service for seals is important. And when you do battery changes on a no solar watches, always check up on the seals before they install the caseback.

It's mostly a matter of preferences. Eventually everything wears down and fail so it's just a question of having a maintenance free watch that will eventually fail and need replacement or a watch that need periodic replacement of its battery.

I prefer mechanicals, but among quartz watches, I prefer solar powered ones as well, pretty much for your reasons.

Keep in mind that accumulators in solar watches aren't eternal either - they are just rechargeable batteries with a LONG life but eventually they'll need to be replaced as well.

I change batteries myself (got a couple of tools) so I don't need to go to a store to do it. I cannot verify WR, but all my divers are mechanical. I got however some spare o-ring in several sizes and an appropriate lubricant, so I change the o-ring if it seems worn out.

I love the idea of solar powered watch, it has an "everlasting" philosophy that I'm really fond of.

My 4 latest watches are solar, I found it to be really practical, typically the grab & go kind of watch. Just to be sure that the capacitor never fall in deep discharge, I put them by the window every two weeks or so, even if the battery is announced to be 3 months and more.

replacing a battery is easy in a regular watch, solar powered watches are trickier because you can't just buy the part in a watch kiosk or large supermarket.

I have a few solar watches already for quite long. Two of them now seem to need replacement, they do not charge well anymore. They both are about 10-12 years old, a Casio and a Seiko. So you also need to replace the battery for these ones at a certain moment and they do not cost 5€...

I always enjoyed the Kinetic / Solar watches, and I have had little problems with them. The Kinetic lasted about 15 years, and the battery removal was more tricky than expected, as the rotor and supporting bridge also had to be removed. Probably no such issue with solar watches, but I haven't had them long enough for the battery to fail, so I really don't know at this time.

I don't mind replaceable batteries all that much, but different sizes causes me to have a small drawer full of different types of button cells.

I have a vintage solar watch from the 90s and it's crap - about 3 days on 1 charge. Makes sense because these materials degrade over time, but it's so inconvenient that I never wear it.

With modern capacitors giving us 8 months on 1 charge, I think the balance has certainly shifted.

Citizen is one of my favourite and most loved brands, but the trade name "Eco-Drive" makes me roll my eyes a bit... surely the manufacturing process generates much more waste than a couple battery changes do?

Aren't those Chronomasters something?? I'm in the same situation - fortunately I found out about both product lines before committing to either. With GS being a little more exclusive about not combining its best dial finishes with its quartz movements, the eye-catching washi paper is really attractive.

The Conquest V.H.P. was (and still is to an extent) a long-time grail of mine. It also shifted my perception of quartz from entry-level basic movements nailed together in the far East to little computers. The V.H.P. is a supercomputer; I handled it in person and it took a week before I fell in love with it. Top-tier watch, I hope you're enjoying yours!

I am honestly not fussed. I don't own a solar movement yet, but it's on the horizon somewhere. I live in a part of the globe where I get intense sun in the summer and less intense, but still ever present, sun in the winter, so a solar movement would make a lot of sense. The main drawback for me is cost. I'd rather spend a tiny portion of money every three to ten years and replace a battery than shell out extra cash to get a solar movement. Having a solar panel on your wrist is a bit of a flex in South Africa, because we have no electricity (there is no electricity as I'm writing this) so I'd consider getting one just for bragging rights.

I went through a similar though process, and decided all of them need opening. Rechargeable batteries like a solar watch would have do have a limited number of charge cycles, and ultimately would need to be opened and replaced when that occurs… 5-10 years for servicing? Quartz batteries are changed 2-5 years? Even mechanical watches are typically recommended for opening and oiling/cleaned 5-10 years. The silver oxide batteries for quartz watches are common and dirt cheap. I’m not so sure how ubiquitous a rechargeable solar watch batter will be to find and replace in 10+ years. … though perhaps my speculation on solar battery life is way off. 😉

Great to find other VHP fans. I have given the Longines to my son when he got his first job. Having a bigger wrist than mine, the 41 mm case suits him better, and I truly enjoy seeing him rocking it.

I was really disappointed when Longines confirmed to me yesterday than the brand had removed the VHP from their range. If they had released a 38 mm version with a nice blue dial at around € 1000, it would have been unbeatable. These gorgeous Citizen Washi dial chronomasters are fantastic but come with a € 3000 price tag, and, let's face it, a name associated with a slightly less prestigious horological significance

100% The V.H.P. didn't get the love it deserved.

And how long did you have these watches before it died? How come I’m reading 30-40 years on forums. Haha

7-10 years, citizen service Centre told me that the cell needs to be replaced every 8-10 years. So pretty much the same as quartz just more gimmicky