jamie weiss
Until relatively recently, the history and evolution of wristwatches was all about telling the time more conveniently. First, the watch went from the shelf into my pocket. We figured out how to wrap our keys without using a key, and we wrapped our keys from our pockets to our wrists. To save you the trouble of winding your watch every day, we have devised an automatic winding method. Then came quartz watches, which further reduced daily hassles, improved accuracy, and made them more affordable. Solar watches are the next step. A watch that eliminates the hassle of regular battery replacements and is instead powered by the sun, a renewable source of life.
I love mechanical watches, but from a purely practical standpoint, it’s hard to argue with the practicality and performance of solar-powered watches. But you may not have given much thought to how solar watches actually work. Here we will briefly explain how these electromechanical wonders work and answer some frequently asked questions about solar watches.
How do solar powered watches work?
If you’re looking for an explanation of how solar cells and photovoltaic effects work, that’s a little above my pay grade. Simply put, solar cells convert light into electrical energy. Traditionally, solar watches utilized multiple solar cells in the case or dial. Modern solar watches more elegantly hide small solar panels behind the dial (sometimes the solar panel is the dial). This is a technology pioneered by Citizen with its first Eco-Drive. 1996 watch.
Solar watches typically store energy in a rechargeable battery and automatically provide power when there is no sunlight, such as at night, when covered by clothing, or when stored. Also, it may be obvious, but all solar watches are quartz watches.
Modern solar watches are very efficient. Most watches only require relatively small amounts of direct sunlight exposure and do not require continuous exposure to sunlight. As a general rule of thumb (every solar works differently), 3-5 hours of direct sunlight is enough to charge your solar watch for 6 months. Once fully charged, most solar watches can be used for several years without additional charging. Many products have power-saving modes that turn off the display or stop the hands from moving if the watch detects persistent low-light conditions.
Typically, solar watch faces are transparent or translucent, or have an opening that allows the solar cells/panels to be exposed. For example, the Cartier Tank Must Solarbeat exposes the solar cells through the numbers on the dial, an elegant solution that makes the Solarbeat almost indistinguishable from a regular tank. Another novel, modern approach can be seen in Citizen’s luxury solar watch, The Citizen, which is partially made of thin translucent Japanese paper (often used in Japanese shoji screens) to cover the solar cells. It has a dial.
History of solar watches
Although solar cells became commercially available in the 1950s, they remained prohibitively expensive for most consumers. As early as 1952, Patek Philippe was experimenting with solar-powered watches and exhibited them at the Basel Fair. But it wasn’t until the 1970s, when integrated circuit technology advanced enough to make quartz watches (leading to the so-called “quartz crisis”) and small solar cells became affordable enough to be used in small consumer electronics. We are introducing the world’s first full-fledged solar-powered watch, the Synchroner 2100.
Announced in 1972, Developed by a self-taught American engineer Roger W. Riehl, Synchronar 2100It cost about $500 ($3,770 in today’s money), was 40.8mm in diameter, had a sealed coffin-shaped case, a digital LED display, and a perpetual calendar that tracked and powered dates until 2100. By two prominent solar arrays at the top of the watch. Although technically superior, its high price puts it firmly in the realm of luxury watches, and when it hit the market in 1975, its unwieldy sci-fi design made it difficult to sell.
Another formative solar watch was the Uranus Solar LED, also released in 1975. It featured a much more traditional design than the synchronizer, placing the solar cell on the dial of the watch itself, and this became the common format for most solar watches. from now on. A year later, in 1976, Citizen, now the leader in the solar watch market, released the Crystron Solar Cell, the world’s first photovoltaic analog watch and perhaps the world’s first practical solar watch. Other watch manufacturers that contributed to the early development and popularization of solar watches include Casio, Junghans, and Seiko.
Do I need to replace the battery of my solar watch?
Although solar watches typically have a much longer lifespan than your average quartz watch, eventually you will need to replace your solar watch battery (despite marketing to the contrary). On average, solar watches require a new battery every 10 years, but some watches last even longer. For example, Cartier claims that the Tank Mast Solarbeat’s battery lasts “at least” 16 years without battery replacement (for comparison, Cartier’s high-autonomy quartz movement lasts 8 years). TAG Heuer offers a 10-year warranty on Solargraph model watches and a 15-year warranty on the battery. There is also plenty of anecdotal evidence that Casio solar watches can last over 20 years without a new battery. This means that the battery of a solar watch will last a long time.
Replacing the battery of a solar watch is also relatively easy. However, solar watches cannot use standard alkaline button batteries like regular quartz watches. These batteries are not designed to be rechargeable, so solar watches require their own rechargeable batteries, so keep this in mind if you want to replace the batteries yourself. It’s also worth mentioning that many people pass off solar watches as broken, just needing new batteries or charging. If you find a solar clock that has been sitting idle for years, put it in direct sunlight for a few days. You may be surprised at what comes back to life.
Can a solar watch be charged with artificial light?
Yes, solar watches do not require direct sunlight to charge, so even if you live in a cloudy place or a country with harsh winters, that doesn’t mean you can’t own a solar watch. Indoor lights and lamps will also charge your solar watch, but at a much slower rate. As mentioned earlier, modern solar clocks don’t require as much exposure to direct sunlight to keep running for days on end.
Are solar watches environmentally friendly?
How does it compare to a regular quartz watch? absolutely. Solar watches are often described or marketed as being “green” or “sustainable” because their battery life is so long that they are kinder to the planet than your average quartz watch. there is. But overall, solar watches are less environmentally friendly and sustainable than mechanical watches, as the batteries eventually need to be replaced. Mechanical watches, on the other hand, can last for decades or even centuries (if properly maintained).
