I finally got to the business of replacing the battery.
I used a combination of a case wrench, o-ring, and battery from eBay, and a generic case vice, also from eBay. While the wrench works, in fact it's not made correctly. It's set up to go into the dimples around the bezel and not the squared grooves. The grooves, I assume, are what Suunto uses to turn the bezel. I tried a small JAXA wrench but, although I have the right tips for the grooves (not the dimples), I can't get enough spread. A larger JAXA wrench should do the job.
The generic wooden vice is, for this watch, almost a dead loss. I was able to figure out a way to wedge the case into place, but four nails, properly spaced, driven into a block of wood are probably a better bet.
(It should be obvious that the bracelet has to come off to put the watch in the vice.)
Once I had the bezel loosened enough to turn, it's just "lefty loosey" with no surprises. The crystal comes off readily. I used a small jeweler's screw driver to gently lift the o-ring out. The bezel with the function markings lifts off the movement. I strongly recommend lifting it gently with the same screwdriver put under the bezel. The idea is to avoid leaving greasy finger prints on the bezel. Note that there are two pins, at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions, that drop into the dimples, on the movement, at 12 and 6 o'clock. These are the points where the movement can be lifted out of the case.
WARNING!!! There is a small bit of plastic that serves as an insulator (see above re: the ACW problem). Note where it came from and don't lose it! I found it sitting on the work surface later and tossed it into the trash. DOHHHH!
With the outer bezel unscrewed, lift the crystal out, and put them both in pure white vinegar. The idea is to clean off some of the deposits that form between the crystal and bezel.
As mentioned above, be careful with the ribbon cable. Turn the movement over and gently remove the white insulator in the battery spider. A small contact spring sticks out through the insulator at about 10 o'clock position. Damage it and the beeper will never beep again. The spider that holds the battery in place can be lifted with a light bit of prying to start it moving. Remove the old battery, put the new one in (the + must face you), and then replace the spider and insulator (be sure the beeper contact comes through the hole in the white insulator).
At this point, I made two insulators, using the plastic cover from the new battery carrier. One insulator fits into the flat at the 9 o'clock position. Put the movement back into the case, slide the insulator into place at 9 o'clock. The second insulator is a small square that slides between the movement and the case, at the 3 o'clock position - after the movement is back in the case. Slide it down to the point where it bumps against the contact coming from the case, and trim the insulator so it's flush with the top of the movement. If ACW shows up, hold the reset button down for 5 seconds, let go, and the ACW should turn off. If not, play with the 3 o'clock insulator.
Replace the bezel with the labels on it. Be sure the Suunto logo is at 12 o'clock. A little gentle poking and pushing will put the pins on the back of the bezel into the movement.
Grease the o-ring with silicone grease. Do not, not, not use Vaseline or other white petroleum jelly! It will eventually soften and dissolve the o-ring. Gently tamp the o-ring into place.
Take the outer bezel and crystal out of the vinegar and dry them. Some deposits may remain but maybe not. Can't hurt - might help. I cleaned the crystal with a DIY lens cleaner. It's 50% distilled water (no dissolved minerals), and 50% 91% pure alcohol. Do not use rubbing alcohol; oils in the alcohol will leave a film on the lens or crystal. 91% alcohol can be found in a pharmacy or the pharmacy section of most supermarkets. The place you found the distilled water. Mix the two and add a couple of drops of Darn dish detergent (great grease and oil cutter!). I use a small spray bottle left over from commercial lens cleaner. Anyway, clean the crystal and bezel with the alcohol/water mix and dry them off with a clean microfiber cloth. From here out, handle the crystal only by the edge to avoid fingerprint smudges on the inside surface.
Put a small bit of silicone grease on the outer bezel's threads. With the o-ring in place, the reset button pushed, the inner bezel in place, and the crystal resting on top of it, put the outer bezel on top of the stack. Begin by turning the bezel counterclockwise a turn or two. The idea is to get the threads on the bezel and on the case in the right place so they don't cross-thread. Then it's "righty tighty" by hand until the bezel starts to feel the o-ring. Stop and check to see if ACW is visible.
If the insulators are in the right places, ACW won't show up. If it does, take the outer bezel, crystal, and inner bezel off, and play with the insulators. Re-assemble the watch and tighten the outer bezel again. At some point, ACW won't show up; the outer bezel can be fully tightened. With a good grip on the case, and on the bezel, it should be possible to tighten the bezel to the point where the bezel wrench is only needed for the final twist and tweak. Check if the bezel will turn a bit more after a few minutes. As the o-ring compresses, there will be room for the bezel to turn slightly.
Test the water sensor by holding the watch under running water from a tap. ACW should turn on and then turn off when the case is dried. If not, check the insulators.
This job is not for everybody. There are a number of chances to kill the watch: damage the ribbon cable, the battery hold-down, or the beeper and its contact, wrinkle the o-ring, get the insulators in the wrong place, cross-thread the bezel... the list goes on. And there's no way to really check the work except to dive with the watch. Either you have a good dive and a good watch or you come back with an expensive paperweight. Think about it before starting the job.
I used a combination of a case wrench, o-ring, and battery from eBay, and a generic case vice, also from eBay. While the wrench works, in fact it's not made correctly. It's set up to go into the dimples around the bezel and not the squared grooves. The grooves, I assume, are what Suunto uses to turn the bezel. I tried a small JAXA wrench but, although I have the right tips for the grooves (not the dimples), I can't get enough spread. A larger JAXA wrench should do the job.
The generic wooden vice is, for this watch, almost a dead loss. I was able to figure out a way to wedge the case into place, but four nails, properly spaced, driven into a block of wood are probably a better bet.
(It should be obvious that the bracelet has to come off to put the watch in the vice.)
Once I had the bezel loosened enough to turn, it's just "lefty loosey" with no surprises. The crystal comes off readily. I used a small jeweler's screw driver to gently lift the o-ring out. The bezel with the function markings lifts off the movement. I strongly recommend lifting it gently with the same screwdriver put under the bezel. The idea is to avoid leaving greasy finger prints on the bezel. Note that there are two pins, at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions, that drop into the dimples, on the movement, at 12 and 6 o'clock. These are the points where the movement can be lifted out of the case.
WARNING!!! There is a small bit of plastic that serves as an insulator (see above re: the ACW problem). Note where it came from and don't lose it! I found it sitting on the work surface later and tossed it into the trash. DOHHHH!
With the outer bezel unscrewed, lift the crystal out, and put them both in pure white vinegar. The idea is to clean off some of the deposits that form between the crystal and bezel.
As mentioned above, be careful with the ribbon cable. Turn the movement over and gently remove the white insulator in the battery spider. A small contact spring sticks out through the insulator at about 10 o'clock position. Damage it and the beeper will never beep again. The spider that holds the battery in place can be lifted with a light bit of prying to start it moving. Remove the old battery, put the new one in (the + must face you), and then replace the spider and insulator (be sure the beeper contact comes through the hole in the white insulator).
At this point, I made two insulators, using the plastic cover from the new battery carrier. One insulator fits into the flat at the 9 o'clock position. Put the movement back into the case, slide the insulator into place at 9 o'clock. The second insulator is a small square that slides between the movement and the case, at the 3 o'clock position - after the movement is back in the case. Slide it down to the point where it bumps against the contact coming from the case, and trim the insulator so it's flush with the top of the movement. If ACW shows up, hold the reset button down for 5 seconds, let go, and the ACW should turn off. If not, play with the 3 o'clock insulator.
Replace the bezel with the labels on it. Be sure the Suunto logo is at 12 o'clock. A little gentle poking and pushing will put the pins on the back of the bezel into the movement.
Grease the o-ring with silicone grease. Do not, not, not use Vaseline or other white petroleum jelly! It will eventually soften and dissolve the o-ring. Gently tamp the o-ring into place.
Take the outer bezel and crystal out of the vinegar and dry them. Some deposits may remain but maybe not. Can't hurt - might help. I cleaned the crystal with a DIY lens cleaner. It's 50% distilled water (no dissolved minerals), and 50% 91% pure alcohol. Do not use rubbing alcohol; oils in the alcohol will leave a film on the lens or crystal. 91% alcohol can be found in a pharmacy or the pharmacy section of most supermarkets. The place you found the distilled water. Mix the two and add a couple of drops of Darn dish detergent (great grease and oil cutter!). I use a small spray bottle left over from commercial lens cleaner. Anyway, clean the crystal and bezel with the alcohol/water mix and dry them off with a clean microfiber cloth. From here out, handle the crystal only by the edge to avoid fingerprint smudges on the inside surface.
Put a small bit of silicone grease on the outer bezel's threads. With the o-ring in place, the reset button pushed, the inner bezel in place, and the crystal resting on top of it, put the outer bezel on top of the stack. Begin by turning the bezel counterclockwise a turn or two. The idea is to get the threads on the bezel and on the case in the right place so they don't cross-thread. Then it's "righty tighty" by hand until the bezel starts to feel the o-ring. Stop and check to see if ACW is visible.
If the insulators are in the right places, ACW won't show up. If it does, take the outer bezel, crystal, and inner bezel off, and play with the insulators. Re-assemble the watch and tighten the outer bezel again. At some point, ACW won't show up; the outer bezel can be fully tightened. With a good grip on the case, and on the bezel, it should be possible to tighten the bezel to the point where the bezel wrench is only needed for the final twist and tweak. Check if the bezel will turn a bit more after a few minutes. As the o-ring compresses, there will be room for the bezel to turn slightly.
Test the water sensor by holding the watch under running water from a tap. ACW should turn on and then turn off when the case is dried. If not, check the insulators.
This job is not for everybody. There are a number of chances to kill the watch: damage the ribbon cable, the battery hold-down, or the beeper and its contact, wrinkle the o-ring, get the insulators in the wrong place, cross-thread the bezel... the list goes on. And there's no way to really check the work except to dive with the watch. Either you have a good dive and a good watch or you come back with an expensive paperweight. Think about it before starting the job.
Last edited:
