I wore my CURREN watch for about a year, and the battery died. The second hand stood still. I actually wore it a couple of times, knowing that the battery had died, and that made me question why I was wearing the watch in the first place. I took the watch to a watch battery kiosk at the mall and asked for a battery replacement quote. I had a little sticker shock: $15. Yikes. It was $15 US to change out the battery. Well, this led me into a rabbit hole, but I think I made it through, and I wanted to share my tools and tips for CURREN watches. I hope this helps you maintain your CURREN watch collection, too.

The Facts

Some CURREN watch models use a snap off watch back cover and typically require a SR920SW button cell watch battery. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out anything about the watch. I didn’t find any YouTube videos and no clues in the comments. I didn’t want to think of the watches as disposable. I wanted to keep wearing them and keep them doing their time.

Update: Since I posted this article, people have been publishing resources about how to manage the watch. I based it on one of the CURREN model lines and there are other models like the CURREN M8273 that has an EpsonAL33A movement and uses an SR626SW cell.

The Tools

Okay. This is the part that you are not going to like. You do need some special tools. You might be able to figure out alternatives but you run the risk of damaging the front of the watch or mangling the watch in the process. The tools needed cost less than $20 US. And, don’t get lulled into buying a kit with 200 pieces. You don’t need all of the tools unless you are going to repair many different brands.

Here’s what you need to repair CURREN watches:

• Snap Off Cover Pry Tool
• Watch Press Tool
• SR920SW Watch Batteries

The Process

Remove the Snap Off Back Cover

Start by looking for a small lip on the back cover. It is subtle, but there is a small lip. This is where you use the pry tool. I tried a small screwdriver and ended up scratching the back cover. Align the pry tool with the lip and lift the cover. If you have it lined up correctly, the back cover will snap off pretty easily.

Replace the Battery

Remove that dead battery and replace it with a fresh SR920SW button cell watch battery. You have to remove the plastic insert that holds the battery down and allows the buttons from the outside of the watch to make contact with the internal electronics. I expect to get a year or so out of the batteries.

Align Plastic Button Insert

A bonus CURREN watch repair trick is to make sure that the plastic insert is properly aligned. On all six of my watches, the plastic insert was just off a little bit. This causes the buttons on the case to not make good contact with the internal buttons. Once I got it aligned, the extra functions of the watches like the chronograph started working reliably.

Replace the Snap Off Back Cover

Okay, now it’s time for the hard part of the process. You got to properly close a snap off watch cover using a watch cover press tool. The press tool has a mould for the front of the watch and the back of the watch so that you can provide even pressure to close the watch cover. This is also necessary so that you don’t crack the glass on top of the watch. Before I broke down and bought the press tool, I convinced myself that I could do it by hand. I really tried to close the cover but no matter how hard I squeezed or how I changed up my technique, I could not close the back cover. I got the press tool from Amazon at 17:32 today and I had a sealed watch at 17:33. I changed the batteries on all six of my watches and my 5-year-old son helped with a few of them. The watch press works perfectly and effortlessly.

For CURREN watches, use the 50mm mould on the bottom of the press and the 46mm mould on the top of the press. Place the watch in the middle with the glass side fitted into the 50mm mould on the bottom. Squeeze slowly. If it didn’t close the cover, try again, and make sure that the cover is aligned properly.

Hmm. I spent about $20 repairing a $30 watch, but I repaired six. I could have spent $15 at the mall to fix one watch. I hope that this helps you.

Over the last few weeks, the battery holds a charge for 10-15 minutes. I found myself pouring over new phones, visiting the local shops, and reading about the G1 and the new Blackberry touch. I was willing to switch carriers since my phone was as good as dead. I had it in my mind that I was going to get a new phone. I was looking for a reason and the battery dying was the proverbial straw.

After forgetting about the battery condition for a day or two, I came back to my senses and searched eBay for a new battery. I found a vendor from NYC that had non-OEM batteries for my make and model. I am sure they were stolen, refurbed, or a fire hazard, but the battery was $6 with free shipping. I got the battery last week in a plain white envelope (now the free shipping makes sense). I popped the “hot” battery in and it held a charge for 3 full days. Three days is more than 15 minutes, so my concerns about possibly feeding the black market all of a sudden went away. I left positive feedback and my desire for a new phone also vanished.

I am not sure what the moral of the story is, but I am sure there is a life lesson here. Maybe there are many solutions to problems in life, maybe I should save my money instead of buying new stuff, etc. Regardless, a new cell phone is pretty sweet.