Upgrade Your Kinetic Watch to Lithium Ion!

[@jamesfriedman1878]

Excellent video with exceedingly clear commentary and a few unusual but extremely helpful tips: use of a toothpick and folded piece of paper to deliver the tiniest screws to their respective positions during battery support reinstall. This for me was the hardest step. Most definitely use a white towel under your work as others have commented! I dropped the first screw at least 3 or 4 times while holding it with a carbon tweezers. It would fall onto the towel silently, and there would be a teeny black speck somewhere on the towel that lo and behold would be the screw. I decided to use the folded paper technique and voila! Since the screws have exceedingly short stems and wide heads they are top heavy but using the toothpick and folded paper in concert to coax a screw in position the stem will fall into its hole. Once there, I used the folded paper to stabilize screw while using toothpick as a mini screw driver to help screw engage it’s threads initially before switching to a mini screwdriver. Got it all back together following directions exactly as you described. Watch works like a charm again with a renewed 1 month of reserve capacity (as indicated by a 20” sweep of second hand upon button press). I’ve learned the hard way that it’s very important to keep the kinetic watch battery charged by wearing or at least shaking it daily. Kudos again on your superb video.

[@TS-qp6xv]

So the replacement battery/capacitor arrived in the mail this week. I sat down last night and did the swap. Your camera work was great for showing the parts and the process but doesn’t really reveal just how tiny those screws are. Nearly lost 1 about 3 different times. On one occasion the screw had fallen into the little glass dish I was using to keep track of them. Still could not see it- they are that small. Anyway after some fiddling I managed to get the job completed. I thank you very much for the video. Nice clear and accurate instructions. I’m happy with my new to me kinetic watch.

[@jimwyer4257]

I’ve just bought a few old kinetics on eBay and to get ahead of the curve I ordered some replacement “capacitors” at the same time. My heart sank when I read the title of your video, realising I might have thrown away £40 on old technology. Then I read a comment stating pretty much the same thing, but that further investigation showed that the Panasonic MT-920 li-ion battery was at the core of what he received. I hurriedly checked my purchase listing and it is indeed MT-920 powered 😰phew. A bullet dodged. Check an official Panasonic page. The MT-920 is officially li-ion, NOT a capacitor. I think all replacement kits use this battery now, but don’t quote me on that. Thanks for the video. Good work, buy some tweezers 😊

[@littlejackalo5326]

None of them ever really were "capacitors." They were always batteries, and they were always lithium ion. Even the factory original Maxell TC920S were lithium ion batteries. There's not really much difference between a cap and a battery anyways. So I think it was just semantics, and prone just called them capacitors.

[@JohnDoe-bn4gh]

I converted mine to quartz using a standard coin cell battery. Of course I had to remove the counterweight rotor and transfer gear. It ran for 3 years no problem. Pressing on the power reserve button constantly showed full power! This conversion was the best thing I ever did.

[@HeartofTexasArmory]

Very cool! Would love to see a video or some more information on how you did that.

[@kdparabic7394]

how did you do

[@georgeplungis5283]

I think it is a good idea to work over white fluffy towel. If you drop a small screw it won’t bounce out of sight & you can’t find it ever! This is great video, not shaky & sharp as can be. I changed a capacitor in my Seiko dive watch & did it right but it still won’t charge I love the way this watch looks but don’e like kinetic watch movements. Be warned this is a tricky thing to change I think that why it cost so much to have it sent out & repaired for you. I’ve had real good luck with the solar movements. If you do something wrong the roater won’t swing freely. Also the screws might stick to a screw driver if the screw diver has become magnetized. I had to work my smallest screw driver with some wet dry black sand paper to thin out the blade The slot in the screws are very narrow.

[@dodgydruid]

Just finished my 5M42 lithium upgrade, first go and very nearly queered it by losing one of the little screws then the rotor screw went for a day out and lucky in both counts they were found easily... seriously cannot underestimate the frustration factor this can give, disassembly is suspiciously deceptive goes like a breeze, then once the cell is in its fun fun fun time as you battle insulator, cover, screws and need 4 hands to hold it all in place lol

[@georgeplungis5283]

I used to own a very powerful horseshoe magnet that came out of a piece of Navy gear. If I drop something & I’m lucky ifI pass the magnet over the spot where I think it might be & the missing thing your looking for will jump up on the magnet. It will actually make a noise when this happens! I once found something while working on a car & it fell in the grass Without my magnet I never would have found it.

[@jlr8356]

It is a best practice to use gloves or ruber on fingers to avoid finger prints / grease dirt on the watch surfaces. Also use rodico to lift such a delicate components.

[@robertbailey8003]

I did this modification about 10 or 12 years ago. I left the watch unused for quite a while and when I came to use it, it wouldn't take a charge. So, if you want the 10-15 years of life the gentleman suggests you must keep that battery cycled.

[@dodgydruid]

Now just about to start on my 5th upgrade thanks to your video, picked up an ultra rare Antonio Banderas 5M42 Pulsar which seems able to hold just one bar of charge. Loving the other ones as you only have to wear for a day and its fully charged for months, thank you again :D UK folks, don't buy the kits off ebay, buy them from Cousins, £20 on ebay... £8 on Cousins even with a couple quid postage is still way cheaper and Cousins buy direct from Seiko so guaranteed decent part too.

[@dazza1976]

Do you have a link to the specific one for 5M43 movement? Looked on the Cousins UK site but not clear which one to order.

[@sigee32]

I have searched Cousins and cannot find it. Please could you share a link. Thanks

[@pokie6087]

Good video, although I'd recommend investing in good quality carbon tweezers rather than using fingers and thumbs

[@georgeplungis5283]

The 2 small screws are very very small & easy to lose & very difficult to put back in place. It is helpful to have a strong magnet to find a screw if you loose one. If you work over a white towel then if you drop a screw it will not bounce all over the place to where you can’t find it. The watch will not work if you leave out a screw & good luck getting a replacement screw. Make sure your screw driver is thin enough to fit inside the 2 very small screws, if it is a little to thick use wet & dry fine sandpaper to thin out the blade. The Mylar gasket if you bend it a little it can fly out of your fingers & will be difficult to find, a magnet will be no help in finding it. Good luck if this is you first attempt.

[@jimbobxcityguy5338]

Thanks. Great clear and well said. Doing my 22 yr old Divers soon.

[@TS-qp6xv]

Great video. Very interesting. But alas I don’t see it listed in your watch maintenance playlist.

[@SKYHAWK0115]

Where exactly did you get your seiko lithium ion battery ? All I see on Amazon is the original OEM seiko batteries. I have the seiko 5M42a kinetic watch. Thanks Billy, Albq. N.M. 3 / 20 / 2023

[@jolladevices]

Hallo a question: I am preparing to do this on a 1997Arctura which is NOS but lazy. All the batteries on ebay "seiko" are now Lithium? What will be the expected duration?

[@islandterror5198]

Nice tutorial video . It can play on it's own now.... lol 😁. 👍🤶🥂

[@xenonram]

According to that p/n 3023 5MY, that's the original Seiko capacitor battery, not a lithium ion upgrade.

[@rupertadriscoll4599]

Can i ask you i have kinetic 3m22-0040 it stop working. Where can i order the capacitor for this model . Please help me.

[@mikev3245]

this was great - thanks!

[@HeartofTexasArmory]

Thank you!

[@JMNTN]

Is there no danger of over- charging/discharging the lithium ion battery since the circuitry was designed for a capacitor which doesn't have these problems?

[@hiroshinishida2712]

After replacement, mine holds only two days. Did I get a bad battery?

[@HeartofTexasArmory]

Sounds like it

[@adstx1949]

Where do you purchase the lithium ion batteries? Do you offer this service?

[@greghollingsworth1321]

I did this upgrade and my watch still doesn’t hold a charge. Any thoughts.

[@markchua5954]

Good tutorial. Nice watch. What's the model of the watch

[@yapkh8]

Hi thank you for the great video .where can i buy the capacitor 5M43 lithium ion. i am from Malaysia .i have kinetic seiko 5bar . thank you

[@watchhobbie6002]

Gotta get ya some tweezers my friend makes life a lot easier.

[@HeartofTexasArmory]

Definitely!

[@robertomaas2600]

Plastic Tweezers. And be carefull with the coils.

[@greghollingsworth1321]

Upgrading my seiko watch following your video and yep lost the two screws holding down the battery. Do you know where can find replacements?

[@R1Willem]

Thanks, I’ll do mine next week!

[@mrmavstang]

Overall, a very informative and useful video. My only criticism would be to not repeat yourself and to keep it concise. A little bit too much introduction. I am very eager to see your actual procedure. Not a bunch of talking!

[@742East3rd]

What date or year were the Lithium capacitors installed on the Kinetics? I have a 5M63 purchased in 2011.

[@sigee32]

A year late but around 2000 was when they replaced the capacitor with a lithium cell, so your 2011 is definately lithium powered.

[@marcdaniels9079]

Hi thanks for this. All was going well until.....yes I lost one of the screws that yu said are easy to lose....literally searched for an hour ! And idea where I can get a replacement.

[@darrensmith6999]

Nice one thank you (:

[@WrightsW5]

Does the old battery have a number on it so you can buy the correct replacement?

[@ccooper8040]

You need to look at the movement # on the caseback then google that # Seiko and you will find your battery.

[@xenonram]

From what I can tell, the past he used (Seiko p/n 3023 5MY) is just the factory replacement for the same capacitor that came in the watch originally. It doesn't look like a lithium ion battery conversion.

[@fishfuxors]

Just dropped a new capacitor in my 5J32-0AP0. Not swapping it for that.

[@jamilabbas6384]

Thanks for the video! Does this work with the 9T82 movements - what is the compatible battery product # Cheers!

[@jonb3311]

What lubricant do you use on the gasket?

[@HeartofTexasArmory]

You can use any type of silicone grease that is made specifically for gaskets. Or you can just use any old silicone grease, so long as you can verify that it is 100% silicone grease.

[@theflyingsandalrc]

This looks like it's worth teying

[@mergatroid2009]

I ordered the 30235my but the package I received (30235MY)says its a Seiko Capacitor, not the lithium battery I expected. What gives?

[@mergatroid2009]

Solved: The description is misleading as it is a Panasonic MT920 Lithium Ion Battery.

[@imghaniff]

Would you have the part number for the battery used on the 5M85 movement?

[@lesterhuang5803]

Will the arm's kinetic energy still charge up the lithium ion?

[@HeartofTexasArmory]

Yes it does!

[@gregorywalker4997]

wow, i'd sure try to avoid ANYTHING touching and possibly scratching those copper coils--might be game over. i have a newer diver kinetic that was stored far too long, but patient back and forth where i could feel the rotor moving brought it slowly back to life. it still loses power, but i can recharge pretty quickly moving it back and forth--as long as i can feel rotor movement. if i'm sedentary, it doesn't help to wear. thanks--good to know--i may purchase the part from amazon.

[@littlejackalo5326]

If the rotor froze, regardless of how long it was stored, it either had water ingress or the people person who serviced it had used the wrong lube. It should not have froze otherwise, regardless of how long it was stored.

[@raypereida]

I have ave kinetic V198 and can't seem to find the cross reference for the capacitor part 3023 24D. Any help appreciated. Thanks

[@weirdokiddo7221]

How long will this battery last?

[@Nick-bc5cv]

Any tell me what size screwdrivers required to complete this task. Thanks

[@xenonram]

The one he said in the video

[@flymoracer]

Really not a good idea to go poking around with your fingers in there. The oils from your skin will corrode the metal parts over time. Much better to use a set of precision tweezers, metal ones for manipulating parts, and some non-conductive ones for handling batteries. Also need to be very careful to stay away from those coils you can see. The slightest nick to one of those and they are knackered.

[@josephstratti52]

stop!don’t drag anything across the coil as he did here,the best way to damage it!Use tweezers to get the rotor and its gear of clear of the other parts.Use finger cotes to protect the movement as all good watch techs do.

[@christiani3454]

I have a Seiko 7l22-0ad0 movement. Just replaced the capacitor and it is still bad at holding a charge. I'm trying to find the lithium equivalent, but can't find any! How did you find the equivalent for your watch?

[@robertomaas2600]

Google watch capacitor for seiko kinetic

[@christiani3454]

@@robertomaas2600 I tried that, nothing comes up

[@xenonram]

The movement is the first 4 characters; 7I22. The second four, 0AD0, is the model. Try with just 7I22. I don't see that as a Seiko movement, so make sure you're not mixing up an I vs 1. Look at the case back under magnification to see better.