How To Change / Upgrade The Capacitor On A Seiko Kinetic Watch

[@Juandan59]

Before watching your video, I wouldn’t of attempted to even try and install a new capacitor, I thought it was beyond me your video gave me confidence to have a go. Those screws are the size of pin heads. The first try putting the screws back was a nightmare I gave up after trying for hours, the next morning I finally got them in. the watch is working again. Top man yourself.

[@vidmonkey]

Thank you for the thorough, step by step tutorial on this. I've had my Seiko Kinetic watch sitting in a drawer for over 10 years. I came across your video and figured it's worth a try to repair it. It was much easier than I expected. The tiny screws weren't so bad, aligning the insulator was the hardest part for me. Thanks again.

[@HaroldUnderwood-yb6zy]

I have this watch which has been in a drawer for years because Seiko said it couldn’t be fixed. Recently I contacted them online and they responded that their starting price to repair it was $275.00. Doing a Google search I found your video. With an investment of about $30.00 this watch is working perfectly again, thanks to your video. The only thing I would offer is that you cannot stress how tiny those screws are and how difficult it is to get them back in. I would suggest you work in an open area on a white background. Once you drop one on a black surface, like my worktop, it is almost impossible to see. I would also recommend having a magnet handy. It saved me several times.

[@efreutel]

Like open heart surgery. Very entertaining. I’m convinced-,going to a watchmaker! Thanks for a superb review.👍👍

[@emanruoy]

It's amazing at how quickly Seiko (or any watch manufacturer for that matter, including Rolex) will wash their hands of their product and decline to repair a watch. A million thanks for the independent tech people and the individuals like yourself who bolster the DIY efforts of all of us. I have too many Seiko kinetic divers to maintain properly and have had my fill of trying to deal with Seiko repair. Us analog watch wearers won't be around forever to support this industry.

[@smkranz1]

Your video gave me the nerve to replace the capacitor today on my 20+ year old Seiko Kinetic. Thanks for posting!

[@SLO4SpeedBump]

Thank you very much for this video. I have the same watch. You made a great choice buying your watch. You might want to keep a tooth pick close by when reattaching your replacement parts for moving parts into place. A friend taught me that trick to keep from shorting the battery out. Thanks again for this video.

[@freddebed]

Thanks !!! Just followed your instructions and did it in about 25 mins. But damn those two holder screws are small and fiddley.

[@JoeDplummer_]

A wood toothpick can help when installing the insulator. Great video! Thank you.

[@rogervinson4292]

I own the same watch. Seiko replaced the capacitor without a problem. I just filled out the form on the Seiko website & sent it in. They have been easy & fast on the other kenetic I own also. Great video. BTW, the screw driver is designed to put the tip of your index finger on the top for ease of control. Try it. Also a hardwood toothpick can be better than a finger tip. No oil & salt residue.

[@RC-ox9yx]

It's best to use "finger cots" when touching the battery or the movement. These lithium ion batts. have an IC in them, and they could be destroyed by static discharge when touched by hand. The oils from your skin can cause dust and dirt to stick to the movement and gunk up the works. Otherwise great video, and thanks for posting.

[@josephtucker7397]

Thank you for the informative video! You saved me some money and some headache. I have the same watch. The rotor came undone and it sat and died since. But I'm thrilled to have it back. Thanks once again...

[@raykasza6855]

Thank you for this great video about replacing the capacitor on a Seiko Kinetic watch. Now I've got to find the correct part and gasket I need for it and get this model # 5M42-0B09 going again. My wife had a coupon for Service Merchandise back in 1995 for $100 off. Went there and I fell in love with this watch. I think I got it for $125.00 using the coupon. I am willing to attempt anything and I do have some of the items you have but I would like to get a new pair of tweezers that I could use to reinstall the screws (the ones I have are kinda shitty) and I definatly need a jewlers loop to see what I'm doing. I don't drink but maybe I'll take a shot to steady my hands before I start this process. Thanks again for the video. Take care and stay safe. Ray Kasza.

[@phildunne2632]

I've changed a couple of caps in kinetic Seiko's. Great watches & very accurate. They need to be worn regularly.

[@nikolatesla3968]

Really appreciated your detailed and most helpful video. Thanks so much! Since I hadn't been able to get my old Seiko Kinetic to run for some time, I was ready to toss it until I watched this. Afterward, I figured I had nothing to lose but the cost of the kit (about $20 on Amazon) by trying a a capacitor replacement, because I already had all the necessary tools. My Kinetic is a different model from yours. It's a Prospex 5M85, but it takes the same capacitor kit (#30235MY). When the kit arrived, I was a little disappointed to see that the insulator wa curled up like a potato chip. Fortunately, the old insulator was still fine, so I reused that one. Speaking of that insulator, I found it impossible to properly position the insulator and the metal retainer bracket and get them both properly oriented while they were two separate pieces. My solution was to use a tiny bit of contact cement on the surfaces where they mated with each other and allow them to bond together into a single assembly prior to installing them. That was far less aggravating. Surprisingly, after my Kinetic was buttoned up again, it took only a couple dozen swirls before the second hand was dutifully marching around the dial again. Big win! We won't talk about the 3-hour Easter egg hunt for one of those miniscule bracket screws that had popped off the watch and and landed somewhere on the floor. One unexpected result from installing this kit in my watch is the movement's weird response to having its Power Reserve button pressed. Based on your video, I was expecting inaccurate readings on the low side, but that's not what I've been seeing. My second hand will quickly sweep around to Max Charge, maybe even a little more. But then it completely freezes for several seconds, and I'll have to give it several shakes to get it going again. I imagine this has something to do with how my watch's movement reacts to the different capacitor chemistry. Just thought you should know. Anyway, my Kinetic has been running great for nearly a day now, and I expect it will continue to do so. Thanks again for the most excellent video.

[@steved4429]

The replacement "capacitors" are as you have noted, are actually lithium ion. These are simply rechargeable batteries. Although I have not taken one apart, Seiko refer to the original power storage units as capacitors. Capacitors are fundamentally different to batteries, I won't go into it here, but a simple google search will explain. The capacitors would theoretically last a lot longer than the battery, but not hold so much energy, so not have the reserve if the watch is not regularly worn, and moved. Apparently, the early capacitors were prone to leak, which is obviously not desirable! With the advent of the 5M62, 5M63 etc, Seiko changed to Lithium ion, and thankfully they are backwards compatible.

[@teapotlid.5015]

Just cannot thank you enough for this video and information, had the same model watch in a drawer for years, I now have the confidence to replace the capacator, I just need your patience, Thanks again.

[@Poorboychickencoop]

Thank you for the video.. while watching this i realized i will pay a shop to do the capacitor swap for me because I don't have enough patience for that..

[@stehodgson]

I concur 🇮🇲🏍🤝

[@ramadhankanka6402]

thanks alot, I find it very helpful with me coz a technician failed to replace back the metal strip that pushes the button back. I was so annoyed nearly to loose my head with the technician

[@owt2615]

Thanks for explaining the discrepancy in the power indicator with the new capacitor. When the watch button is pressed, the second hand goes only one third way instead of halfway now even when fully charged.

[@muskateer10]

I replaced mine prior to watching this video, but I ran into a problem with my 5M62-0BT0 movement. The cap went bad for the second time. Decided to replace it myself. Everything went well until I tried replacing 1 of those 2 tiny screws. It went flying somewhere; Never to be found of course. Any idea of what size the screws are or where to purchase the correct ones? *** currently it is working just fine, but only 1 screw is in place....Makes me rather nervous. The other issue is the gasket appears to be too big for the watch (probably replaced ty the repair shop 4 years ago for $70).

[@slimdot7031]

Thanks for the video. I wonder if nylon tweezers might be useful.

[@stallion63m35]

Yes! That's what they are meant for.

[@justinbarber4567]

Hello, was it really necessary to remove the rotor weight? It looks like there is enough room to get to the capacitor without doing so. Thank you.

[@RC-ox9yx]

Yes, you need to remove the rotor. There's a little post that the insulator needs to go on to be in the proper position. If you don't remove the rotor, you can't access the post.

[@stehodgson]

AWESOME. Thank you ever so much. Steve 🇮🇲🏍🤝

[@CollieCam]

Beautiful watch, thank you for uploading!

[@americanlegendswatches]

You're welcome!

[@markhordley7294]

Thank you for this excellent instructional video. I have an oldish Kinetic watch from 2005 and it now costs more than I paid for the watch in order to replace the capacitor. With your video, I had the confidence to replace the capacitor at a fraction of the cost, even when buying all the tools as well. Having successfully replaced the capacitor, the watch still doesn't work. Is it possible I have overlooked some other fault - the little test button doesn't work, it just stays pressed down, but I feel this shouldn't affect the general working of the watch?

[@americanlegendswatches]

Unfortunately it sounds like your watch actually needs a repair or a replacement of the movement, but like you said that's going to be more expensive than the value of the watch at this point. I think that's a big reason why Seiko quit making these hybrid kinetic movements; they're not as reliable as regular quartz and not as serviceable as regular mechanical.

[@markhordley7294]

@@americanlegendswatches Thank you so much for getting back to me. It may well turn out that you are right and there is a need for further repairs. I'm going to give it another go, take everything out and then put it back again - I might have missed something. Once again thank you.

[@callmebackfriday2]

Before I replaced the capacity, my watch did run a little bit and when I put in watch winder, it did able to stay running for a few hours; therefore, I think it is the capacity. I am not sure your watch able to move a little or not at all. If it possible that you touch the capacity with metal clamp and short it out @6:37. Good luck.

[@jaspermorris1313]

This was super helpful, thank you!

[@cookieuk1278]

Really good a nd useful. You might want to bear in mind that 1min20 of the video was spent getting the new cap out of its bag! Got any scissors? Thanks again though - I'll certainly be saving it as good authority!

[@jungsomewhat]

Ha Ha yep and a tooth pick😅

[@MiguelBricaBrac]

Muy buen reviso de este reloj. El movimiento 5J22 data de los 1999 hasta casi 2020. El movimiento se duerme después de 72 horas de inactividad y puede mantear un carga por 4 años en estado durmiente. Espero aun lo tengas por que en mi opinión vale la pena mantener un ejemplo de esta tecnología en nuestra colección. Otra peculiaridad es el Crystal el cual tienen ese capuchón en el centro para cubrir el eje central de las horas y minutos. Saludos desde Texas.

[@davidg1830]

El movimiento 5J22 es un Kinetic AUTO-RELAY, que es mucho mejor por tener ese modo de ahorro que le permite una autonomía de hasta 4 años, con lo cual uno puede dejarlo guardado mucho tiempo (si esteba cargado del todo) sin temor a que se dañe la batería. El que se indica en el vídeo es un calibre Kinetic normal, y no tiene ese modo, con lo cual en unos meses si no se mueve la batería se descarga del todo e irremediablemente se degrada perdiendo gran parte de su capacidad de carga y requiriendo un reemplazo de la misma.

[@paulguy8028]

Is there a source of the small screws that retain the capacitor

[@JackMarby]

Thank you for this video. I have a few comments to add. First, thanks for letting me know that the measuring device of just how charged the capacitor is will not be accurate after changing the capacitor. I wondered if there was something wrong with the new capacitor because as you said, it shows only 2/3 full capacity although it is, in fact, fully charged. Secondly, I had exactly the same problem with the screws and with the magnetic screwdriver... I actually did the same thing that you did, using a non-magnetized secondary screwdriver to screw them back in place after using the magnetized one to get them to the spot that they needed to go. Now to the most annoying part of the repair... The new, supposedly exact replacement part came with new orange colored insulator and new top metal retainer... but after replacing it several times, making certain that it was properly placed, etc. it turned out that I had to use the original one because the replacement was just not exactly as it should be to fix in my watch. I wish that I had ordered a new black gasket for the case closure, but couldn't find it on any of the sites that looked exactly like my original one. Thank you again and I hope that my comments will be helpful to others who are changing their own capacitors.

[@JackMarby]

I should add that the whole job took me several hours... mainly due to the fact that one of those tiny screws went flying and my wife and I spent 2 hours plus trying to find it. I took a screw out of my mom's retired Seiko watch, used it, but the watch still wouldn't work... when I took it apart again I lost that replacement screw... oddly, the original screw showed up on my workspace -- that was also when I realized that the new insulator was not exactly correct for my watch and that I had to use the old original one.

[@leojonkers3181]

Great vlog, thank you!

[@stephenward3468]

You need plastic tweezers and peg wood

[@callmebackfriday2]

Thanks for the video.

[@Troglodytemtg]

quick question on your video. are you a watchmaker? if so is it ok to use a magnetic tray on this? i know on the mechanical watches you want to actually demagnetize parts and/or keep them away from magnetic fields. can the gear becoming slightly magnetic affect the watch power generator?

[@americanlegendswatches]

Nope, I'm an engineer, not a watchmaker. That's a good point about avoiding magnetic trays (or anything) around watch parts in general. But since the kinetic movement does not involve a spring, rather the piezoelectric effect of a vibrating quartz crystal, I don't think there's anything to worry about with the use of a magnetic tray, which is a pretty weak magnet anyways. In any event, using the tray while working on my Seiko hasn't had any negative effect.

[@ray31129]

I did this replacement. Watch works great except…..Power reserve button seems very hard to depress and doesn’t do anything now when depressed. Did I possibly leave something out so small? I didn’t see any leftover parts 😅

[@jackw3818]

I know this is late and I know little about this watch. I have one and I believe the hand needs to be around the 12 o'clock mark to do it

[@raz-mt8nw]

I have the same Faithful Seiko Sports 100. I replaced the capacitor, but seems like it's not charging, I may need to have the movement replaced, or at this point have it restored. I contacted Seiko, and they can't restore it. Any good soul out there that can suggest a reliable source, where I can get it fully restore. Thank You...

[@jahahwha]

what are the signs if you already have to upgrade your capacitor? (5M63 model)

[@americanlegendswatches]

When it couldn't keep a charge long enough to last a day on my wrist without stopping. I hadn't really paid attention until then. But one day when I looked down on my wrist and saw it wasn't moving, I knew the capacitor was nearly dead.

[@aidanmaguire8712]

I have one for over 17 years and still going strong with no problem except a broken bracelet which i got fixed for €4.00

[@akhyarrayhka4048]

feels like this is way out of my league of expertise, even if I'm experienced with camera disassembly. my tools are still too big for this kind of work, i really want to fix my father's seiko watch. watch experts are so rare in my place.

[@thatsawesome2060]

Seiko Kinetic or solar asking for opinion

[@armandopinelo4798]

Your video was excellent. I have what appears to be the same Seiko-Kinetic (5M62) watch, though perhaps a slightly newer model: it is almost 12 years old (bought 11/12/2011). I was not able to remove the "rotor screw" (although I had the same situation as you did in terms of accessing the battery). Nonetheless, I was able to replace the capacitor. I just slid out the metal retaining component from under the gear, slid out the insulation, and finally the old capacitor. I then reversed the process; I was able to slide the new capacitor into the space. I slid the pink insulation into place and then the metal retaining component. I had to slide all this under the gear. It was all quite successful and the watch is working fine. Putting in the screws was a challenge and dangerous. The danger of losing the screws was substantial. If I had lost either of the old screws, it would have been a disaster. Even with my 70-year-old eyes and a magnifying glass, I was able to do this; I used a toothpick to hold the screw down while pulling off the screwdriver (the same exact screwdriver that you used - with some residual magnetism). However, let me tell you and anyone else reading this that I would never buy a Seiko watch again. My Seiko watch was originally priced at $475, by Seiko, but I bought it at Sam's Club for $249. The clasp recently broke for reasons that I could not comprehend: the metal completely snapped all the way across. I found a replacement metal watch band a Walmart and was able to cannibalize the clasp and install it on my watch. I have never been able to find a new Seiko clasp for it (nor a new band): Seiko does not make it. All the things I needed to repair my Seiko watch - capacitor, tool to open back, and clasp - cost me about $42. Save yourself the hassle, and buy a Timex for $42 at Walmart, throw it out when it stops working, and buy yourself a new watch. Seiko is not worth it: buying my Seiko watch was foolishness.

[@GrahamHume-j6j]

Can anyone suggest a compatible battery/capacitor for my Seiko A156-5000 searched everywhere Seiko not much help … would be grateful for any suggestions,thanks

[@RC-ox9yx]

This is the battery you need. XR11630W (WSR265H)

[@hansschnieder993]

Thank you very much for the video BUT you should not have changed the orientation of the retainer in the video. I had to rerun the segment a couple of times until I realized you held it in a certain way when you first showed it and it was in a different orientaition when you inserted it.

[@eduardovargasrodriguez8700]

Tengo uno igual y el mio si se mueven las manecillas y luego durante un minuto se vuelve a parar será la pila amigo

[@AntonioHernandez-dp8oe]

Hey thanks for the video! I have my dads seiko kinetic that he gave me and I bought another one exactly like it so that I’d have all the spare parts for it. How would I go about storing the second one since I don’t wear it everyday and I’ve read that a capacitor that’s not used will die sooner. Can I get the battery removed and just leave it ‘off’ until needed. Thanks again for your time in advance!

[@thumperfield614]

Hi Antonio, sadly no, unlike the easily accessible battery in a regular quartz watch, the little capacitor in these watches is not the sort of thing that can be easily removed. However, unlike a battery, I don't think this or any capacitor will die sooner from not being charged. I believe the chemistry just degrades slowly over time. So my suggestion would be to just store your spare watch some where safe, and when you need it will be there. But Seiko is also good about making spare parts available, so having a whole second watch is a bit redundant. Perhaps you could wear that one on special occasions!

[@AndySmith4501]

Solar powered movements still use a capacitor. The main reason kinetic technology isn't used nowadays is because batteries now last a lot longer than they used to

[@ketilwikstrand7847]

Thanx

[@zsoltangyal4495]

Really? You open the spare parts bag right above the open watch? And eyebrow tweezer to put back screws? Also it would help if you put your camera to a fix focus, and not auto.

[@Wick410]

Otherwise great video

[@samiadb8503]

I've done this but the second hand is still skipping.... And advice more than welcome

[@americanlegendswatches]

It sounds like either a) the capacitor is defective or got shorted out, or b) it's not making contact because it's not seated properly. I would try dissassembly and reassembling to make sure all the parts are where they should be. If that doesn't work, then try a new capacitor. Good luck! I hope it works out for you!

[@GrahamHume-j6j]

The capacitors should be either XR11630W of WSR265H but cannot obtain them

[@ccooper8040]

Vaseline in a rubber gasket is not wise. Petroleum will eat away at the rubber.

[@markrainford1219]

Confused here. You talk about shorting out and lithium ion technology, so is it a battery or a capacitor?

[@americanlegendswatches]

It's a capacitor, which can also be shorted out. Regardless, just be sure not to grab either a battery or a capacitor with metal tweezers.

[@alexwatcher4162]

Хорошее видео, чтоб все поняли как НЕ надо делать. Во всяком случае этому человеку. У другого может руки более правильные....

[@luis3411]

solo se ven dedos

[@Ferien7]

Just fyi. The music doesn’t add anything to the video. If anything, it’s annoying

[@sebastianshames9628]

i for one quite enjoyed the whimsical Tavern music

[@JamesJones-z6k]

I have to disagree. The music made your video a pleasure to watch.

[@MiguelBricaBrac]

No issue with cap chem . This system was never able to charge the cap to 100%. The original cap gave out a false reading which is why Seiko phased out the tech. This tech was a stop gap until Seiko perfected the spring drive. However, these watches run fine, so what is you are not getting the 3 to 6 months of power reserve it promised, more than likely it is going to be your daily watch so the watch will always be charging as you move your wrist. Good video, but next time wear gloves. skin oils do affect electronic components and thin metals.

[@limjazzdedragonheryadi1290]

better use rubber gloves