Water resistance
Just curious, once a battery is changed in a watch, does that really mean the water resistance is down the drain? (No put intended). Is this why people tend to buy solar or automatic watches?
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Kinda. As long as the o-ring gasket is still in good condition (and all the others that might be one the watch) and you haven’t crushed it, it will likely be fine. You can always grease it with some silicone grease to help with that (or some people used Vaseline in the old days —may eat some rubber though) and make sure the backplate is on properly. You can also completely change the gasket, though sometimes you need specially shaped ones to be certain.
Both Solar and Automatics are gonna need popping every tent or twenty years — or sooner — but solar is the best bet for never needing to. Saying that, even then sometimes the seals will degrade, I believe they recommend changing them every… three years? Ten years? Something like that. Ones under a case back are easy to do yourself, ones on crowns or pushers, maybe not so easy.
If you get the watch wet at all then it should be pressure tested every time the back is opened.
Thanks guys. Makes sense what you're saying. My Fossil has had its battery replaced maybe 3 times over the past 7+ years, so I was just wondering and at the same time I've always kept it away from any kind of water after the very first battery change. I will continue the tradition as I really like the watch and want it to last for many more years to come. Thanks again :)