Indefinitely....Have some old solar Citizen, Timex and Casio. They continue to work perfectly. Even those I obtained that the seller thought were "dead", only to be revived after a few days of strong sunlight.

Have never had to change out a solar battery/capacitor.

GW-400

G-2300EB

Don't believe Timex even sell solar watches anymore.

Raysman is the original solar G-Shock

Guardian Angels DW-9300GA

Raysman DW-9350 MSJ Middle Sea Race

Galapagos DW-9350DJ titanium

 

I can't remember exactly when my brother got this watch, but this old Eco Drive that I inherited from him has to be around 10 years old. It's taken more than a few unintentional hits while on his wrist and mine. It appears to still be keeping time accurately based on rough comparisons to the time to my much newer radio controlled Citizen Eco Drive. There's no reason for me to believe that it won't continue to run for a long time still.

 

While not solar watches (I do have fairly new Seiko and Citizen solar watches), I have a 25 year old quartz watch on its third battery and a 48 year old Bulova Accutron Spaceview that gains 6 or 7 seconds per day. It has been serviced twice.

I suspect they'll run a long time.

 

This is me, i have an old Citizen solar i bought about 15 years ago, wore it for couple of years then forgotten about it, stayed in the draw for 13 years not even charged once, when i discovered it last month i was expecting the worst, so i left it on my window sill for 2 days, it fired up, holding charge and keeping excellent time. true story.

 

It's probably due to that wonderful Australian sunshine!
Here in the grey & miserable UK, the watch would probably not have even 'woken up'. :roll:

 

The rechargeable battery cell should last a long time if you keep it charged. No one really seems to know how long, but a couple decades is quite likely as long as you don't let the battery run down frequently. When net worn, let it sit somewhere that it'll "see" some light.

 

This 2002 Seiko is still ticking away....

 

Cool watch, does Seiko still make this style diver?

 

I had a Casio, died in 3 years

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

 

Oldest solar I have is an Eco-Drive, about 8 years old, still going strong

 

This V145 is from 2004 and is still going strong. Old pic but I'm wearing it today.

 

That V145 is looking good I like that case design. (I've had solar watches for only a couple of years, hoping they'll give me 10 to 15 years, at least. If not more.)

Only solar pic I have at the ready, a V147 Alba, which looks eerily similar to BDC's 2002 Seiko, posted above...

 

That V145 is looking good I like that case design. (I've had solar watches for only a couple of years, hoping they'll give me 10 to 15 years, at least. If not more.)

Only solar pic I have at the ready, a V147 Alba, which looks eerily similar to BDC's 2002 Seiko, posted above...

Thanks!
Despite the folded link bracelet and slightly off-colour second hand I really like it for the case style. I've seen similar cases amongst 70s/80s quartz Seikos but on the subject of Alba, they have a couple of current solar models which are quite similar.

When I was in Japan earlier this year I took a look at them when I found them in places like Yodobashi camera but I couldn't find examples with second hands that hit the markers...

 

Rechargeable batteries are one thing where "treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen" will cause you major problems. Kept at a high level of charge the battery should have a lifespan of at least 10 years, perhaps even 20.

 

^^ This ^^

The average life will depend on how well you maintain the charge level on the battery. If kept to 70% or higher charge at all times, and not allowed to run completely dead, you should expect your watch to require service (for the battery/capacitor) every 15-20 years, possibly longer? If you frequently allow it to run down, or stay dead for months at a time... it will need servicing because the battery will be incapable of holding a charge due to damage, chemically.

The recommendations I've read (for Seiko Solar at least) is to provide the watch at least 2-3 hours of direct, full sunlight to reach a full charge, and the watch should run for 6-8 months on that full charge. A full 24-hours under a 60W light bulb should also be equivalent to 2-3 hours of sunlight (or at least that is what the manual says). To maintain a minimum 70% charge, the watch should "see" direct, full sunlight for a couple hours at least once per month... and more often is perfectly okay, too.

 

some of mine are 10 or 12 yrs old... still fully charged

 

I bought a Citizen Eco-Drive in Jan 1998, so it's almost 18 years old now. It still runs and keeps time perfectly, nothing has been done to it. However, the minute hand started twitching a couple of years ago, and the perpetual calendar doesn't change the date/month at correct time anymore, so there are other issues with it (possible worn down gears or something).

 

Solar watches have been out a while. I think the technology is mature enough to expect the solar panel and capacitor should function for several decades.

 

No one really knows how long they will last because the oldest, first solar watches are still going strong.

Citizen has said they expect their Eco-Drives to last 23 years, but that's just a guess because the technology isn't quite 23 years old and none have begun to systematically fail yet.

 

My 2007 eco-drive is still going strong, and my 2010 casio pathfinder is still going strong too. Not quite ten years yet, but I'm pretty happy with the results.

 

I have a Pulsar 100m watch that was made in 1998.I got it for $10 at the thrisft store. It is well used and I have every reason to think the original storage battery is still in it. It was running in the watch case at the thrift store and still running now with me. Keeps good time and as I left it in a dark drawer for a week when after I got it and it is still running, I believe the storage battery and solar panel are still running fine.

 

I have a Pulsar Solar that is identical to the one you have
pictured except it has the white/gray glow-in-the-dark dial.
I'm not certian when I bought it but know it was before 1996.
That Pulsar is the best watch I have ever had. It looses only
6-8 seconds a year. I was so impressed that I bought a
second identical watch. I read somewhere the it has one of
the better Seiko movements. This watch is now 20+ years old
and still holds a charge but this winter the charge died after
wearing long sleeve shirts for weeks. This is the first time the
watch has lost its charge. I plan to charge this watch in full
sun for a few days this fall in hope of reviving the battery.
The second identical watch has not kept time as well as the
first but still keeps good time (< 2 minutes a year) I don't
remember the exact amount. The second watch has also lost
it's waterproofing. Probably a gasket failure due to age.

 

If your watch has any resin parts, expect the battery to outlast the resin by at least 2 to 3 times. If you really, really like that newly-introduced model you just got and think you'll want to wear it forever, either buy some spare copies of the watch, or buy lots of replacement resin parts... especially if the watch is a G-Shock, because Casio has a weird habit of discontinuing production of the replacement resin parts before 95% of the watches sold will need any. So when the resin parts start to rot, you discover that you can't find them anymore!

 

BTW, re

Anyone have a solar watch that's 10 or 15+ years old? Anyone have one actually give out on them (not including defective watches)?

I now have, or have owned, 30+ G-Shock Raysmans (every model but the Galapagos, which I'm still seeking), which were made in 1998-1999. I have not had to replace a single ML-2020 cell yet. Some did not respond well to charging on a sunny windowsill even after a couple of weeks, which I do by removing the case from the resin bezel and strap to minimize UV damage to the polyurethane parts. But even those stubborn ones recovered just fine after an overnight bench charge.

After reviewing the literature, I determined that a good way to charge an ML-2020 is by putting it in series in the correct polarity, plus to plus, with a fresh pair of alkaline AA cells at 3.1 to 3.2 volts, through a 180 ohm resistor. The Schottky diode shown in the literature is not needed for bench charging; it seems to be there to prevent draining the storage cell through the solar panel or other power supply when the circuit is not powered (i.e. in darkness). Be aware that other cell chemistries and sizes will require different setups.

I have had one Raysman which wouldn't charge at all, but it turned out to be a simple fix. All I had to do was clean the metal contact pads on the back of the solar panel and the ends of the pickup springs coming out the front of the module.

 

This is good news. I love my solar watches, and keep them topped off by storing them next to a window. I hope Seiko makes a solar tuna one day. I think that would be my ultimate daily watch.

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Im just repeating what a lot of ppl have already stated above. But i do remember reading an article somewhere that they should be mostly ok for even 20-25 years if kept decently charged. Not sure if thats backed by facts.

 

My Casio Wave Ceptor Tough Solar WVQ600DA-1AV is 12 years old and it still runs. However, it doesn't keep its charge as well as before and it has a habit of tripping into powersave mode and staying in it for a long time. Still, I am impressed y its longevity and I can only assume the efficiency of solar and battery technology has improved in the last decade.

 

my Seiko Men's Solar SSC081 Leather Strap , 41mm

Did not last long at all. Maybe a year. I left it in a drawer for a month or so (mistake i know now). But it never came back to live despite leaving it on a windowsill to charge for 2 months.

Very disappointing. I thought these solars would last forever, but my Seiko arnie is over 30 years old and still runs fine, and this 2 year old watch is a paperweight.

Anyway to warranty this?

 

Likely a faulty accumulator. It's cheap to replace.

 

I have a Citizen's ecozilla, that's about 12 years old. Still going strong. The watch is a "beast". I've used it and abused,

 

The Seiko is long discontinued. You can buy the Alba (by Seiko) which is nearly identical. There's a real pic above ... post 11,

seiko specialty store 3s | Rakuten Global Market: Seiko Alba mens watch solar diver watch black AEFD530

 

The Seiko is long discontinued. You can buy the Alba (by Seiko) which is nearly identical. There's a real pic above ... post 11,

seiko specialty store 3s | Rakuten Global Market: Seiko Alba mens watch solar diver watch black AEFD530

I have a new one for sale. https://www.watchuseek.com/f29/seiko-5-snk809k1-%8085-alba-diver-%80110-eu-seller-3135802.html