Ive had my DeVille now 25 years, its the thin 4.4mm model.....

I had it serviced new battery & cleaned at Prestons of Bolton approx 18mths ago at a cost of £175, ive worn it roughly 4 times since, and every time i put it away i pull out the crown wheel, to save the battery.

Bugger me its stopped again, advise please or any ideas ?????

 

One possible thing is that the battery they put in was not particularly fresh. If it was a Renata battery, they have a shelf life of 2 years.

 

Take it back to the shop

 

There's the problem.

 

I'm of the opinion that stopping the watch puts more drain on the battery than letting it run or it just doesn't matter.

False economy in any case...

 

It very much depends on the movement. Lower end quartz movements will hack much like a mechanical watch does, so a lever will come out when the crown is pulled and touch/block a train wheel to stop the watch. If this is all that the hacking does, then yes it can increase consumption because the movement is still trying to drive the hands.

However most decent quality quartz movements not only have a lever that physically blocks the train, but also a switch that disconnects power to the motor. The circuit still stays powered, but with no power going to the motor the consumptions is greatly reduced. For example total consumption in a movement that is running and in good shape might be 1 uA, but the circuit portion of that is likely to be only 0.1 uA so the reduction is significant. So yes, with a good quality quartz movement, it can extend battery life certainly.

Cheers, Al

 

Thanks, Al. My opinion is updated.