Hi folks - as I was unable to find any useful information online about this, I thought I should share what I've learnt based on a DIY.
The Technomarine Abyss is an oil-filled quartz movement watch which has a tendency to go flat pretty quickly (ie, annually) as the second hand has to trawl its way through the oil- the manufacturer charges quite a bit for a battery change and I have had little luck finding someone to do it locally or any advice on it, so if you find yourself in the same boat at some point, its a pretty simple DIY.
You'll need:
- a watch case holder tool, and an adjustable screw wrench tool - these are a combo on amazon for around $10. Look for an adjustable jaw distance of 11mm. I needed to crack the tool open and adjust the screw jaw manually as it was still slightly too large for the small battery case cover on the back of the watch.
- a 371 battery, these are around 5 and fairly readily available from places that sell batteries
- some mineral oil to top up the liquid in the watch (look for a clear vacuum pump oil or similar). This is not 100% necessary but you may end up with a bigger bubble as you'll lose some when you replace the battery.
Steps
a. Put the watch in the case holder, line the screw wrench holes up with two of the indents on the small round cover and unscrew.
b. use a small flat blade jewelers screwdriver to press the retaining clip in and slide the battery free, and flick it out. don't turn the watch upside down or you'll get all the oil come out and may be difficult to replicate the bubble.
c. insert the new battery, same process - push the clip in and battery down until the clip engages over the top of the battery
d. top up the oil so its completely full to the top of the case.
e. reinsert the battery cover and screw back in with the tool, torque up tightly by hand.
f. clean off excess oil and set the time, you're done.
If you're so inclined, you can go to your local watch place now and ask them to pressure test it. But realistically, this is pretty unnecessary - there is no o-ring and the unit is filled with oil, so it is pretty difficult to not get it to seal correctly. I just put mine in freshwater and verify no bubbles or leaks.
Hope it helps someone, and if you're looking for one of these they pop up on ebay from time to time with a flat battery, so for $15 you can fix this yourself and then $5 a year ongoing. They are an interesting little watch and a fun conversation piece more than an actual dive watch, but if you ever find yourself at 10,900m you will still be able to check the time.
The Technomarine Abyss is an oil-filled quartz movement watch which has a tendency to go flat pretty quickly (ie, annually) as the second hand has to trawl its way through the oil- the manufacturer charges quite a bit for a battery change and I have had little luck finding someone to do it locally or any advice on it, so if you find yourself in the same boat at some point, its a pretty simple DIY.
You'll need:
- a watch case holder tool, and an adjustable screw wrench tool - these are a combo on amazon for around $10. Look for an adjustable jaw distance of 11mm. I needed to crack the tool open and adjust the screw jaw manually as it was still slightly too large for the small battery case cover on the back of the watch.
- a 371 battery, these are around 5 and fairly readily available from places that sell batteries
- some mineral oil to top up the liquid in the watch (look for a clear vacuum pump oil or similar). This is not 100% necessary but you may end up with a bigger bubble as you'll lose some when you replace the battery.
Steps
a. Put the watch in the case holder, line the screw wrench holes up with two of the indents on the small round cover and unscrew.
b. use a small flat blade jewelers screwdriver to press the retaining clip in and slide the battery free, and flick it out. don't turn the watch upside down or you'll get all the oil come out and may be difficult to replicate the bubble.
c. insert the new battery, same process - push the clip in and battery down until the clip engages over the top of the battery
d. top up the oil so its completely full to the top of the case.
e. reinsert the battery cover and screw back in with the tool, torque up tightly by hand.
f. clean off excess oil and set the time, you're done.
If you're so inclined, you can go to your local watch place now and ask them to pressure test it. But realistically, this is pretty unnecessary - there is no o-ring and the unit is filled with oil, so it is pretty difficult to not get it to seal correctly. I just put mine in freshwater and verify no bubbles or leaks.
Hope it helps someone, and if you're looking for one of these they pop up on ebay from time to time with a flat battery, so for $15 you can fix this yourself and then $5 a year ongoing. They are an interesting little watch and a fun conversation piece more than an actual dive watch, but if you ever find yourself at 10,900m you will still be able to check the time.
