I Repaired 4 Old Watches Myself for Less Than $17

They had been sitting in my dresser drawer for years. Four watches — one from my son, two from my wife, and one very special one I almost forgot I still owned. I knew they just needed new batteries. But somehow, “just take them to a watch store” never made it to the top of my list.

One afternoon I finally picked them up and thought: why am I assuming I can’t do this myself?

Fix It or Replace It

That question is at the heart of minimalism for me. Not owning less for the sake of it — but actually caring for what you already have. These watches still worked. The bands were fine. The faces were clean. All they needed was a battery and five minutes of attention.

Buying a new watch when a perfectly good one sits in your drawer is the kind of quiet waste that adds up over a lifetime. I wasn’t going to do it.

What I Ordered

First I picked up a watch battery replacement tool kit on Amazon. It came with everything — a case opener, spring bar tool, tweezers, and a magnifying loupe. That kit alone changed everything. Having the right tool makes you feel like you actually know what you are doing.

For three of the watches I ordered a 10-piece battery pack, code 364, for $7.99. It arrived the next day. Less than eight dollars for ten batteries — that is less than a single battery replacement at a watch counter at the mall.

The fourth watch needed a special battery I could not find locally. I tracked it down through Amazon from an overseas supplier. It took about two weeks to arrive. But I was not in a rush — and that watch was worth waiting for.

To find the right battery for your watch, take a clear photo of the back with your smartphone and ask ChatGPT or another AI tool to identify it, or simply open the back and read the battery code number directly.

Opening the Back

I was nervous the first time I popped open the back cover. I expected something complicated — tiny springs, gears, mechanisms I would never understand. What I found instead was surprisingly simple. A small battery sitting in a clean little slot. That is it.

I replaced it, snapped the cover back on, and the watch started ticking immediately. Each one took maybe three to five minutes. Any ordinary watch is straightforward enough for anyone to do at home. I wish someone had told me that years ago.

The Wedding Watch

The one I was most careful with was my wedding gift watch. Over 40 years old. It had been sitting quietly in that drawer for a long time and I honestly was not sure it would come back to life.

When the special battery arrived from overseas two weeks later I took my time. Opened the back carefully, swapped the battery, closed it up — and it started ticking. Forty years old and still keeping time.

I sat there for a moment just looking at it. Some things are worth the wait.

I Sent Photos to My Kids

After I got all four running I took photos of them laid out on the table — all ticking, all working — and sent them to my kids. They were surprised. Everyone had assumed these watches were just gone, or that fixing them meant a trip to a jeweller. Nobody expected me to do it myself at the kitchen table on a Saturday afternoon.

That reaction made me smile. There is something quietly satisfying about surprising people — and yourself — with what you are capable of when you have the right tools.

The Bigger Lesson

There is one more bonus I did not expect. I check my phone maybe half as much as I used to. A watch on your wrist gives you the time in one second — no unlocking, no notifications pulling you in, no disappearing into a screen. I spent years feeling like my smartphone was running me instead of the other way around. Putting a watch back on my wrist was a small step away from that. Simple, quiet, and mine.

Good tools make hard things easy. Minimalism is not just about clearing out clutter — it is also about not adding new things when the old ones still have life in them. Four watches. Less than $17 in batteries. One afternoon. All four back on the wrist.

That is a win I will take.

Want to Try This Yourself?

• Search Amazon for a watch battery replacement tool kit — expect to pay $10 to $20 for a decent one
• Open the back of your watch and look for the battery code printed inside (common ones: 364, 377, 371)
• Order the exact battery code — a 10-piece pack is usually under $10, or you can try a local drugstore; they carry some batteries for wristwatches.
• If your watch is vintage or unusual, you may need to source the battery overseas — worth the wait
• Take your time, use the right tools, and do not force anything
• Most ordinary watches are simpler inside than you would expect

The store is not always the answer. Sometimes the answer is already in your drawer.