I thought I had a dead watch! This video saved me, I set the watch on a LED flashlight for a few minutes and it's back on! I had even tried putting it in a window before and it didn't work. Thank you!!!!
I have a different type of Casio watch, but leaving it in the cupboard for a couple of years, I was sure it wouldn't start again. I've left it near a LED lamp as you suggested and in a few hours it just resurrected! Thank you for sharing this tip!
Thank you for this video. I had mine out on the window sill all day yesterday and nothing. I have a similar light to yours and put it under there for 1.5 hours and it sprang willingly back to life. Much appreciated.
Thank you for this. I have a GW-810BD that i put in a drawer years ago as I thought it was broken. Found it again today and after following your advice it is working again.
Thank you so much.. I got a watch from a good friend's girlfriend after he passed away. Thought it was broken. Put it under my solor light after trying it on the window for a day without any results. And it started working immediately.. Thank you so much.
Just bought the exact same watch brand new on clearance for $25 at Wally World. Pretty happy about that. First watch purchase in decades. First G Shock also. Cool watch!
Love this watch, bought my chrome version in 2010, still going strong with little use the 10 year battery is chugging right along. Love how this watch goes to sleep to save power.
Thanks for the good video. My newly purchased Edifice EDQ1000 Tough Solar needed FOUR DAYS on the window sill to get past the "low charge" message. You need to be patient.
LOL this just happened to me a few minutes ago. I immediately ordered a replacement and put the watch near my brightest lamp. I might as well try to revive it. After about 20 minutes I look over to the watch, screen blank. 30 minutes i look over and the numbers finally show themselves! I cancelled my replacement order. Not sure how long it will take to charge up to "High". I assume it will need a long charge after that deep sleep. I really enjoy this watch so I will hunt for the rest of em.
Great and informative video! I got a GW-7900-1ER that has been sitting in my drawer as I've been wearing other watches for a long time. Took it out today, and found that the charge had run out. While I was watching this video I set it under a LED light, and got it to the CHG-state. Sadly, it's quite cloudy outside so I guess it will take a couple of hours before the charge gets to a higher level.
Glad I stumbled on this, tried all kinds of button presses. Daylight. Kitchen light. Nothing would work. Fairly new watch too. Two hours under LED torch and it is back working. Thank you.
@@Zain792 Hello. My old paw1300t has the battery indicator in h high but when i try to switch the light on the R recovery indicator blink on the display. You know why? Thanks in advance.
Thanks for you help, I had an Edifice that was sat in the draw for a while waiting to be repaired (2 years i know its a long time) I used a fairly strong headtorch and after about 15 mins it started up again I thought i'd comment incase anyone was in a similar position as myself. Thank again you've saved me £££.
This model was the very first G-shock I ever owned. It was a gift for my sister and I wore it for abt 6 years before I realized hey, there are other models
I recently got a Ti Square and the watch was dead out of the box, I kept it under a room fluorescent light for about 10 hours and nothing happened. After seeing this video, I decided to use my iPhone's torch (led flashlight) on full intensity about 2 inch away from the watch face and within an hour the watch started working. I guess keeping the watch in bright sun would've worked as well but the sun here in middle east during summer is something else and might damage the watch due to extreme heat. So, this was very helpful. Thank you :).
Thanks. I got a G-shock as a present many years ago and it has sat unused in the original box in a cupboard for years. Thought I had to replace the battery, but seems like it has revived to the minimum 'level 4' battery state with 15 mins under a desk lamp. Guess I'll leave outside for a bit to get it fully juiced up. Well I ordered a new battery for it already - I'll keep that as a spare incase the original doesn't hold up.
I bought a Bering solar recently and was amazed when it started to tick at 2 second increments as soon as I unboxed it, took around 4 hours in a dimly lt room in the evening to change to running normally with one secong increments showing it had a bit of charge in it's Li ion battery. The instructions say it will need 24 hours in full sunlight to reach maximum charge so I've booked a holiday in Gran Canaria just to make sure
Thank you so much for this video . This is exactly what just happened to me. I received a GWF 1000SR 4JF from eBay and it was in the box for a while . Im about to put it in the direct Sunlight now and hope for the best. Thank you again Ill update after its been in direct sunlight for a while .
I have the blue Casio 3405 in this video, great watch but I haven’t been out much during the day lately so it hasn’t gotten sunlight recent and has been constantly dead, when I first got the watch I worked outside and the battery was always on “high”. I didn’t know it was a capacitor and not a battery. Good information, nice video!
Good stuff! My square tough solar has been blinking low lately. I thought one decent exposure to sun for a few hours should bring it back for a very long time? Also I don’t know why just because it was face down in the dark for a few days it should go all the way down to low. I thought these watches last for even up to two years on a single charge? I’m going to try to get it back up to high level and see how long it lasts. If you have any suggestions or you think it’s cause for concern please let me know. Thanks 🙏
you probably dont care at all but does anybody know of a tool to get back into an instagram account?? I stupidly lost my account password. I would love any assistance you can give me!
They should put solar watches in clear plastic packaging, so they get at least some light while stored as stock. They’d still be in the dark when shipped, but it’d be far better for the watches.
I keep my pro trek and my Dw5610 tough solar in the window for a full day and they can and sometimes do stay in a drawer for 6 months with shutting down. Great video, thank you for sharing.
Thanks for this. I was about to send my Casio Sport tough solar to a dealer. I put a bright flashlight on it an immediately it came to life. I have it charging now. Great video!
Thank you very much ..my rang man just came out of the box totally blank it’s dark outside so I’m using a led 💡 .Thank you very much... it’s my second solar powered watch.. The first one came out of the box fully charged...
Thanks for a great video. I have the same model G shock watch, about 10 years old now, wonderful watch. Recently it has gone blank in the winter season, needing south window time to recharge. I guess it’s new battery / capacitor time.
Definitely time consuming to revive depleted batteries under such circumstances, as it takes very long time to progress from one power level to the other. Especially at medium level, depending on available light intensity, it may take a full day or to just to reach high level... Meanwhile subjecting the watch under prolonged direct sunlight or other similar outdoor condition is detrimental to the watch chassis as UV ray exposure will accelerate aging/degradation on the resin and other plastic parts in the long run, besides building up heat on the module under charging... IMO for quicker revival of depleted batteries a compact, high power photo/video LED light panel may help. Just let the timepieces concerned rest on the panel for ~45-60 minutes and set the panel's intensity to 45-55% (you don't want the LED panel to become too warm during its own discharge). Repeat the process for a few nights and hopefully the power will be restored to high (or near full). Do also note that under such charging conditions there will be false power level indications, so when the battery indicator reads high, do not remove the watch but let it sit a bit longer.
Thanks Greg your the go to guy I watch for casio watches was in panic mode with the purchase of my gw2310 totally died when received watched your input on said watch saved a return thanks buddy
Thank you very much! I’ve got mine charging right now on my pellet smoker outside. I will set a timer on my iPhone for 2 hours from now and recheck the watch to see what it’s doing.
Thank you, but the battery on my Tough Solar Casio doesn't want to fully charge. I was thinking of taking it off and give it a reverse charge of the same voltage it is designed to receive. This will most probably revive it. Regards.
I got the grey one from walmart...the circle thingies for the time is vertical on the left...i started to watch this juat now to see the opening of the back door...i wanna see how to open it...i am surprised you are saying its a cap...witch i belive it.
2hours of charging for 6 months is very nice. But i dont recomment to do it this way. Solar watches are made for slowcharging over time. Just wear it. Normal light will keep it filled up. Sure if it is dead you need a deep charge. But for normal use. Just wear it. 2hour=6monthes. 5min of sun per day is more then enough to keep it going for ever. Little bit longer if only inside light. But it plenty enough.
Hi. I got another tips. Im using the iphone torchlight..keep doing it about 2min and your gshock tough solar should charge. My watch dead almost a year.
Dude thank you so much, I got my Seiko Solar Chronograph working again using this method after years of being in a box. A new battery (capacitor) was going to cost me 60 + bucks TY TY :) Not even ten minutes :)
I have a G-Shock, different model mine has dial hands, and it quit last night with the hands at midnight. But it hasn't been in a lot of sun lately mostly just artificial light in the house. So I set it out in a sunny area of the house we will see if it comes back to life tomorrow! I will report back. I have another solar watch that i hardly wear (it's fancy) which continues to work but I always leave that one where it gets at least an hour of sun a day. It is still ticking.
@@BaltimoreAndOhioRR Ya sorry I forgot. After a good day in the sun it started working again. Now I keep it where it gets some sun when I am not using it and it seems to be back to normal, even setting the time automatically.
@@Nonplused cool. Now that I've gone out wearing a light jacket a few days, mine is dead at the end of the day. A couple hours under light revives it, but it dies by the next night. I guess i need to leave it in the sun for about a week and start over.
@@BaltimoreAndOhioRR Ya I think they will last a week or more from a full charge but to get a full charge takes more than a couple of hours a day. They aren't meant to be worn under clothes.
You've got some great content for a great watch brand! I enjoy and have learned a great deal from your videos, and thinking about getting a couple of watches seen in your collection. I've seen a review or two similarly that said something about a battery being dead or not working, one guy said he had 2-3 of these expensive batteries changed out (don't remember the exact situation / content, and possibly other brand of watch?), glad I didn't fall to the immediate panic before seeing your video.
*_Man I can't believe that you managed to get a calibrated reception @ _**_13:00_**_ in the afternoon. I wouldn't even assay such a thing, ere sunset, living nigh a military base. No way!!_*
I wanted to get my gshock for antrip tomorrow and found it to be dead. Thanks for the informative video. Its woken up now bit none of the button can work so i propped ot next to a loght source and see what happens in a hour or 2. But the way my watch its the gx-561jr orange. Cheers.
At about 1:18 into the video you say that "people" have told you that the watch uses a capacitor rather than a battery to store the charge being generated by the solar cell. I don't know where these people are getting their info or why you believe them. All the info that Casio provides indicates that it is a battery - specifically a CTL1616 Rechargeable Watch Battery. There are other TH-cam videos about how to replace it, although that should not normally be necessary.
You are absolutely correct. However, I have my Casio Protek now for 16 years (was one of the first...). All functions are still working fine except for the compass which draws a lot of current and drives the watch into "R" mode for a few minutes, even when it shows fully charged. So I think the shelf life of this cell has expired. I bought a new one and will exchange it.
Huh i thought it was a capacitor too. I don't know if the box/leaflet told me that, but probably didn't, or more likely it was the somewhat misguided watch seller at the store where i bought it, who probably heard it from someone else again. But CTL1616 type is evidently a lithium cobalt oxide type rechargeable battery, around 18mAh. Thanks! I think my battery may need end up needing replacement soon. The watch is 7 years old and was used during all this time and doesn't maintain "high" charge and no longer has the reserve it used to have. But all functions otherwise are usable. I'd like to keep its remarkably high level of waterproofing though, so i don't know.
BTW it really is a rechargeable chrome titanium lithium cell (CTL 1616) that indeed has battery charge/discharge characteristics. Its by far not a capacitor! I don't know why people use this utterly wrong terminology that constitutes false information.
You are wrong. Even Panasonic itself states that it is a capacitor. And guess what, the most capacitors also contain lithium, but this doesn’t mean that it is a lithium-ion battery.
The Panasonic datasheet calls it a battery. Also, the charge specification (constant voltage) and discharge characteristic curves indicate that it is a battery. It is absolutely not a capacitor.
@@robertolaggo9141 got a source on that? Panasonic makes it, and they call it a battery. It has battery like charge/ discharge characteristics. What is your argument for it being a capacitor?
According to the Casio manual, it clearly states to leave the watch under direct sunlight on the dash of a vehicle for a full 72 hours of direct sunlight if watch has been fully discharged, and 96 hours with cloudy day.
I have this very same watch in the black bezel version. Recently I got a different used solar G-shock, it arrived half charged so I put it outside on the window sill, but after several hours it remained half charged. The next day I left it outside all day and was starting to worry as it was still not fully charged at night. So I left it out and was relieved to finally see it on full charge the next morning. Every watch is different so just be aware that mine took about 2 full days outside in the sun and that was just going from half to full charge. Also I did feel it was pretty hot when I took it in so if that's a concern then it may be better to charge indoors under a light.
I sold the watch but it was fine after fully charging it. When I do charge my other watches I'll be putting them by the window as leaving them in the sun makes the watch hot
I literally just opened the exact same watch fresh from the post. No power... no problem just follow your handy video and feed it some photonic energy. (t+20 and nothing yet) One issue though, the watch is on the last hole on my wrist. My absolute favourite g-shock had a Casio version of a NATO band with a plastic spring buckle. got wet... Do they make a NATO style band for the smaller watches like this one? Also the Blue version you have is very sharp but seems to be out of production. lame. Thanks for the video!
I haven’t seen any watch band alternatives for the GW-M500 so I’m not sure what you can do beyond the stock Casio band. I am told that Walmart ran clearance prices on the chrome-style version of this one so it may, indeed, be discontinued by now. I hope they do a refresh on the module (like the “U” versions of the solar-atomic squares). I guess I’ll have to wait and see.
I don't see why you didn't read the user manual for the atomic time. It says clearly that you first have to do a manual connection before it can automatically.
I have a similar Casio solar watch that is 9 years old and is still dead after 10 minutes under an artificial light like yours…. Will continue charging and hope it wakens eventually…..
My 30th anniversary frogman i having similar issue. There is just a blinking something at the bottom, but no other display whatsoever. Trying that LED trick now. Please pray for me.
I have the same watch just black and I left it in my window I don’t think it is enough light I might have to wear it outside but g shock have some great ass watchs
Dang, watched many videos on this channel but now i saw a missed huge missed opportunity what made me comment @ 01:19: If there is a working watch, why you put a third one there??? (little lol from my side :) )
I hope that you'll get your radio tower back up again, otherwise you'll have to use the app. for receiving the signal. I don't get why the big brands like Seiko, Citizen and Casio don't make more of a statement about this. I'am lucky to have great reception in the Netherlands.
A few months ago there was a rumor that the WWVB radio station would be shut down at the start of 2019. But that was never officially announced and, in fact, it never happened. WWVB is still working and all of my radio controlled clocks and watches are receiving atomic time just as well as ever.
Sir as I lived in southeast Asia, we don't have radio tower to calibrate the time. Would you recommend the app you are using to receive the signal. Please note I am a Android user.
oddly short charging times.... all my watches take hrs upon hrs... and I think that my old version of Rangeman from empty to full takes 72hrs in sunlight.m
That has been my experience as well. My last new solar got to M pretty quickly but took many hours to reach full capacity. Once there, it has stayed with sporadic use.
Thank you for posting this. I just noticed this morning that my Rangeman (3-4 years old) was completely dead. Thanks to lockdowns it hasn't been outside in a long while. I shined my flashlight on it for about 5 mins and it woke up. I started to worry though when I left it in a sunny window for a couple of hours and it's still at medium. I guess I'll just keep sticking it in the window for a few days until it is fully charged.
Sadly different experience. After 10 years my one went first totally empty. I was charging 2 times on direct sunlight, went up to full charge,but after few hours it was dead again and again. Now I have ordered a new battery.... It's just a lítium battery. Which doesn't like full discharge at all. If it's new, maybe will work after a good charge. But an old 10 years old, like mine just died.
I tried charging my tough solar gst series inside the car where sun burst hot suddenly all lcd becomes black and after it gets cold it comes back to normal and fully charge. True gshocks are made tough hot cold vibration magnets.
ok cool. Just bought G-shock solar watch (Gw6900). It flashing "CHG" and no indication of battery(even LOW is blank). it displays time but none of buttons are working. I guess it is time to buy a new rechargeable battery..
I just ordered a Casio WVQ11O, brand new, but in his box from 2006. Do you think that I've to change his battery (Panasonic CTL2015), or a good solar recharge will be enough to wake up the watch?
Darn.. I thought this was going to save my GW-530a.. I followed these processes as well as other online help sections but with a brand new (proper Panasonic lithium battery) my watch is not resetting itself and my buttons don’t do anything after the back is installed. Before the back is reinstalled-the buttons offer some response-and the backlight works.. but within seconds of installing the back cover and while screwing it on-the watch makes an audible “beep” and I can’t make any inputs.. any guidance?
Put my mudmaster in the dark for 30 days it hasn't worked since. Leave it in sunlight for a week or so and it goes dead again five minutes after walking in the house
Hmm...I've got a secondhand G-MS that is blinking the tiny C, and the hands are at 12. I put it in the sun for a good hour or so, and still just a blinking C. Any thoughts?
@@salvadorterrazas2153 never found a solution hey, the best I’ve found is put mine on a windowsill for like a week ahahah It seems to be okay now. Still drains stupid fast though
I've left my eco drives out in the garden some times, some modern glazing with protection even restricts the usable light,my daughter's new bedroom has 2019 glazing and she is adamant that her calculator goes flat quicker despite the new room recieving more sunlight hours and that if she places it outside on the sill it charges quicker,worth remembering.
Got a Casio Ràngeman 9400, completely dead , left it out 12 hours ,bright sunlight ,oñly got to low battery mode, same again next day ,only reached med battery mode , one press of the light button and it's flashing low again . Devastated
Good day sir,i bought a second hand touch solar from Japan surplus,seller tell me that in Japan they remove the battery before shipping,im from Philippines,and when i bought it,i replaced it a mew CTL1616 battery,but ofter,it did not charges,now its been 3day,still i connot use all button, please help, Gshock GW 2310fb, negative display, thank you sir
I have exactly the same watch as yours which i bought for more than a decade now. I decided to buy this watch expecting that it wud last longer. When the rechargeable battery cycle ends, i made it replaced by authorized gshock store; it was just last year.. However, now it begins to discharge to very low from a high battery indicator and the time always set to 12am.. And everytime this happens, which happens almost every week, i always do the manual reset...now i could feel something is wrong with my watch and i am losing hope with its normal functionality.
I bought a Seiko solar watch for about $400 and it stopped working after about 2 years. I tried recharging it with a bright LED light and it quit working after a few hours. I put it in a drawer and went back to my 30-year-old Bulova which keeps time almost perfectly as long as I change the battery every few years. I finally took my Seiko back to a watchmaker and they CHANGED the batter for $100. The watch once again stopped working after a few days. So now I'm taking it back to the watchmaker and they're going to properly charge the battery. It's probably because my Seiko watch was sitting in a dark drawer for a couple of years and lost its charge. It took me all this time to figure out the problem. The people who sell these watches should advise the buyer how to properly charge the battery (capacitor) or charge it themselves, even if the buyer has to come back to pick it up. By the time my watch stopped working the warranty had expired.
I think you should claim to your watchmaker (and may be also Seiko/Panasonic) and also try to understand your watch better. Either your watchmaker inserted a strongly damaged rechargable battery or he made a mistake and damaged the new battery while inserting it (or you have not charged the new battery for several hours in direct sunlight). 2 years is a much too low life time for a Panasonic rechargable battery (I would expect on overage 5 to 10 years, some people report even 15 years). Lithium rechargable batteries have to be kept above a minimum voltage, so they must be recharged from time to time to avoid damage, eventually destruction. To keep solar watches with rechargable batteries longer time in a dark drawer is therefore a no go (must be avoided). I guess the battery will survive a few months in a dark drawer, but latest after 1 year the battery is dead (can either not be recharged any more or keeps it charge for much too low time).
@@GoodTimekeeper Arizona and it’s set scl. Az is a little tricky. since we don’t follow dls. I can’t temper the last time the watch ever received a signal. At the same time sometimes the hours minutes reset too the oddest times. For now I’m manually settting the time. Thank you!!
All right. The best setting for this watch in Arizona is the “DEN” Time Zone and also the DST setting is Off. When it’s set to “SCL” that’s Santiago, Chile and the watch will never try to receive atomic time because the designers decided that Santiago is too far away from an atomic time radio station anyway. But if it’s set to Denver it should try to set itself every night at midnight.
@@GoodTimekeeper OK, so overnight it reset itself four hours back. So it should’ve been 6 AM but was set for 2 AM. It is set for Den. Thoughts? The minutes were still about one minute off which is how I set it.Thank you
Hi Greg, I have a question for you: is it possible to adopt this same process to revive a CASIO GW-1400DE that does not keep solar charge? If not, is it possible to change its battery, and which one I have to look for? Thanks
Do you know how somebody would determine if their solar battery should be replaced? Mine technically works, but the highest charge state that it will consistently stay at is medium. It will still update every night and everything that I use on it still works, but when I try to charge it to high, either with my super bright flashlight or from leaving it in the sunlight for a couple of hours, generally within 24 hours it will drop back down from high to medium. I don't know if I'm just not charging it long enough.
@@Dan-vt1qt yeah I just left it on the windowsill and it eventually sorted itself out and maintained high charge like normal. It just took a lot longer to fully charge than I thought it needed.
I thought I had a dead watch! This video saved me, I set the watch on a LED flashlight for a few minutes and it's back on! I had even tried putting it in a window before and it didn't work.
Thank you!!!!
I have a different type of Casio watch, but leaving it in the cupboard for a couple of years, I was sure it wouldn't start again. I've left it near a LED lamp as you suggested and in a few hours it just resurrected!
Thank you for sharing this tip!
Thank you for this video. I had mine out on the window sill all day yesterday and nothing. I have a similar light to yours and put it under there for 1.5 hours and it sprang willingly back to life. Much appreciated.
Thank you for this. I have a GW-810BD that i put in a drawer years ago as I thought it was broken. Found it again today and after following your advice it is working again.
Thank you so much.. I got a watch from a good friend's girlfriend after he passed away. Thought it was broken. Put it under my solor light after trying it on the window for a day without any results. And it started working immediately.. Thank you so much.
Just bought the exact same watch brand new on clearance for $25 at Wally World. Pretty happy about that. First watch purchase in decades. First G Shock also. Cool watch!
Wow what a deal. Paid 75 in 2010 for mine & it's still going strong.
@@craigstern2902 I'd say at $75 you're still doing good. I keep checking for more deals like that, but haven't seen one that good yet.
Love this watch, bought my chrome version in 2010, still going strong with little use the 10 year battery is chugging right along. Love how this watch goes to sleep to save power.
Thanks for the good video. My newly purchased Edifice EDQ1000 Tough Solar needed FOUR DAYS on the window sill to get past the "low charge" message. You need to be patient.
This was a really cool video. I now know how to approach this situation if any of my g-shocks loses power and goes blank. Thank you 😃👍
LOL this just happened to me a few minutes ago. I immediately ordered a replacement and put the watch near my brightest lamp. I might as well try to revive it. After about 20 minutes I look over to the watch, screen blank. 30 minutes i look over and the numbers finally show themselves! I cancelled my replacement order. Not sure how long it will take to charge up to "High". I assume it will need a long charge after that deep sleep. I really enjoy this watch so I will hunt for the rest of em.
Great info. I didn't even know my watch was solared powered. I thought I needed a new battery. The watch was a gift. Lol. Thanks
Great and informative video! I got a GW-7900-1ER that has been sitting in my drawer as I've been wearing other watches for a long time. Took it out today, and found that the charge had run out. While I was watching this video I set it under a LED light, and got it to the CHG-state. Sadly, it's quite cloudy outside so I guess it will take a couple of hours before the charge gets to a higher level.
My carbon fiber gshock just came turned off and I was freaking out thank you for this video
Glad I stumbled on this, tried all kinds of button presses. Daylight. Kitchen light. Nothing would work. Fairly new watch too. Two hours under LED torch and it is back working. Thank you.
3 years in my chest of drawers though watch was dead. put it into the ceiing light for 5 mins its working again! woohoo!
don't keep your solar watches in the dark it will damage the battery it happened to me .
Can someone tell me what the H and
The PS means? I'm really confused
@@wasimodoone1 ps = power saver H= high M=medium l=low
@@Zain792 thx mate
@@Zain792 Hello. My old paw1300t has the battery indicator in h high but when i try to switch the light on the R recovery indicator blink on the display. You know why? Thanks in advance.
Thanks for you help, I had an Edifice that was sat in the draw for a while waiting to be repaired (2 years i know its a long time) I used a fairly strong headtorch and after about 15 mins it started up again I thought i'd comment incase anyone was in a similar position as myself. Thank again you've saved me £££.
This model was the very first G-shock I ever owned. It was a gift for my sister and I wore it for abt 6 years before I realized hey, there are other models
Thank you for this. Mine went dead after sitting in a drawer forever and when the time came up the buttons don't work. This makes sense now.
Thanks for the heads up. I just ordered one of those in all black and it’s my first atomic watch.
I recently got a Ti Square and the watch was dead out of the box, I kept it under a room fluorescent light for about 10 hours and nothing happened. After seeing this video, I decided to use my iPhone's torch (led flashlight) on full intensity about 2 inch away from the watch face and within an hour the watch started working. I guess keeping the watch in bright sun would've worked as well but the sun here in middle east during summer is something else and might damage the watch due to extreme heat. So, this was very helpful. Thank you :).
Thanks.
I got a G-shock as a present many years ago and it has sat unused in the original box in a cupboard for years.
Thought I had to replace the battery, but seems like it has revived to the minimum 'level 4' battery state with 15 mins under a desk lamp.
Guess I'll leave outside for a bit to get it fully juiced up.
Well I ordered a new battery for it already - I'll keep that as a spare incase the original doesn't hold up.
Just got mine brand spanking new, placed it near an led light buld and there you go! Started working! Thanks! 😀
I bought a Bering solar recently and was amazed when it started to tick at 2 second increments as soon as I unboxed it, took around 4 hours in a dimly lt room in the evening to change to running normally with one secong increments showing it had a bit of charge in it's Li ion battery. The instructions say it will need 24 hours in full sunlight to reach maximum charge so I've booked a holiday in Gran Canaria just to make sure
Thank you so much for this video . This is exactly what just happened to me. I received a GWF 1000SR 4JF from eBay and it was in the box for a while . Im about to put it in the direct Sunlight now and hope for the best. Thank you again Ill update after its been in direct sunlight for a while .
I have the blue Casio 3405 in this video, great watch but I haven’t been out much during the day lately so it hasn’t gotten sunlight recent and has been constantly dead, when I first got the watch I worked outside and the battery was always on “high”. I didn’t know it was a capacitor and not a battery. Good information, nice video!
Good stuff!
My square tough solar has been blinking low lately. I thought one decent exposure to sun for a few hours should bring it back for a very long time? Also I don’t know why just because it was face down in the dark for a few days it should go all the way down to low. I thought these watches last for even up to two years on a single charge?
I’m going to try to get it back up to high level and see how long it lasts.
If you have any suggestions or you think it’s cause for concern please let me know. Thanks 🙏
You really produce some really nice videos.
you probably dont care at all but does anybody know of a tool to get back into an instagram account??
I stupidly lost my account password. I would love any assistance you can give me!
@Eric Jaxtyn Instablaster :)
Great taste I also went with the metallic blue model.
I just bought a GWM530A-1CR and it was completely dead. Thanks for the heads up!
They should put solar watches in clear plastic packaging, so they get at least some light while stored as stock. They’d still be in the dark when shipped, but it’d be far better for the watches.
I keep my pro trek and my Dw5610 tough solar in the window for a full day and they can and sometimes do stay in a drawer for 6 months with shutting down. Great video, thank you for sharing.
Thanks for this. I was about to send my Casio Sport tough solar to a dealer. I put a bright flashlight on it an immediately it came to life. I have it charging now. Great video!
Thank you very much ..my rang man just came out of the box totally blank it’s dark outside so I’m using a led 💡 .Thank you very much... it’s my second solar powered watch.. The first one came out of the box fully charged...
Thanks for a great video. I have the same model G shock watch, about 10 years old now, wonderful watch. Recently it has gone blank in the winter season, needing south window time to recharge. I guess it’s new battery / capacitor time.
Thanks Dave , pro trek up and running again.
Definitely time consuming to revive depleted batteries under such circumstances, as it takes very long time to progress from one power level to the other. Especially at medium level, depending on available light intensity, it may take a full day or to just to reach high level...
Meanwhile subjecting the watch under prolonged direct sunlight or other similar outdoor condition is detrimental to the watch chassis as UV ray exposure will accelerate aging/degradation on the resin and other plastic parts in the long run, besides building up heat on the module under charging...
IMO for quicker revival of depleted batteries a compact, high power photo/video LED light panel may help. Just let the timepieces concerned rest on the panel for ~45-60 minutes and set the panel's intensity to 45-55% (you don't want the LED panel to become too warm during its own discharge). Repeat the process for a few nights and hopefully the power will be restored to high (or near full). Do also note that under such charging conditions there will be false power level indications, so when the battery indicator reads high, do not remove the watch but let it sit a bit longer.
What a great channel! I like your relaxing style. 👍🏽👍🏽
Thanks Greg your the go to guy I watch for casio watches was in panic mode with the purchase of my gw2310 totally died when received watched your input on said watch saved a return thanks buddy
Thank you so much! Was worried my watch was broken, haha
Thank you very much! I’ve got mine charging right now on my pellet smoker outside. I will set a timer on my iPhone for 2 hours from now and recheck the watch to see what it’s doing.
Casio solar can’t be beat by anyone period
Thanks 😂 for valuable information 👍 I was able to finally charge & set my solar/atomic GW-700BDJ ⌚️
Thank you, but the battery on my Tough Solar Casio doesn't want to fully charge.
I was thinking of taking it off and give it a reverse charge of the same voltage it is designed to receive.
This will most probably revive it.
Regards.
Very informative. Thanks. Think they’ll ever make a blacked out version with a negative display for the gwm500/530? That would be pretty cool!
Thank you. Followed your advice and I have my watch back working as well as it did. I'm so pleased.
I got the grey one from walmart...the circle thingies for the time is vertical on the left...i started to watch this juat now to see the opening of the back door...i wanna see how to open it...i am surprised you are saying its a cap...witch i belive it.
2hours of charging for 6 months is very nice. But i dont recomment to do it this way. Solar watches are made for slowcharging over time. Just wear it. Normal light will keep it filled up. Sure if it is dead you need a deep charge. But for normal use. Just wear it. 2hour=6monthes. 5min of sun per day is more then enough to keep it going for ever. Little bit longer if only inside light. But it plenty enough.
What if it is a second watch and not worn normally for work etc
@@mall231 well. If you wear it often or let its storage place be in the light it could be oke.
Hi. I got another tips. Im using the iphone torchlight..keep doing it about 2min and your gshock tough solar should charge. My watch dead almost a year.
Dude thank you so much, I got my Seiko Solar Chronograph working again using this method after years of being in a box. A new battery (capacitor) was going to cost me 60 + bucks TY TY :)
Not even ten minutes :)
I have a G-Shock, different model mine has dial hands, and it quit last night with the hands at midnight. But it hasn't been in a lot of sun lately mostly just artificial light in the house. So I set it out in a sunny area of the house we will see if it comes back to life tomorrow! I will report back. I have another solar watch that i hardly wear (it's fancy) which continues to work but I always leave that one where it gets at least an hour of sun a day. It is still ticking.
Any report?
@@BaltimoreAndOhioRR Ya sorry I forgot. After a good day in the sun it started working again. Now I keep it where it gets some sun when I am not using it and it seems to be back to normal, even setting the time automatically.
@@Nonplused cool. Now that I've gone out wearing a light jacket a few days, mine is dead at the end of the day. A couple hours under light revives it, but it dies by the next night. I guess i need to leave it in the sun for about a week and start over.
@@BaltimoreAndOhioRR Ya I think they will last a week or more from a full charge but to get a full charge takes more than a couple of hours a day. They aren't meant to be worn under clothes.
Thanks so much for this. I bought a used watch and received it in a non functional state, but this video helped me out!
You've got some great content for a great watch brand! I enjoy and have learned a great deal from your videos, and thinking about getting a couple of watches seen in your collection.
I've seen a review or two similarly that said something about a battery being dead or not working, one guy said he had 2-3 of these expensive batteries changed out (don't remember the exact situation / content, and possibly other brand of watch?), glad I didn't fall to the immediate panic before seeing your video.
*_Man I can't believe that you managed to get a calibrated reception @ _**_13:00_**_ in the afternoon. I wouldn't even assay such a thing, ere sunset, living nigh a military base. No way!!_*
Eudtg Laery 13:00 in the afternoon is redundant
I wanted to get my gshock for antrip tomorrow and found it to be dead. Thanks for the informative video. Its woken up now bit none of the button can work so i propped ot next to a loght source and see what happens in a hour or 2. But the way my watch its the gx-561jr orange. Cheers.
At about 1:18 into the video you say that "people" have told you that the watch uses a capacitor rather than a battery to store the charge being generated by the solar cell. I don't know where these people are getting their info or why you believe them. All the info that Casio provides indicates that it is a battery - specifically a CTL1616 Rechargeable Watch Battery. There are other TH-cam videos about how to replace it, although that should not normally be necessary.
You are absolutely correct. However, I have my Casio Protek now for 16 years (was one of the first...). All functions are still working fine except for the compass which draws a lot of current and drives the watch into "R" mode for a few minutes, even when it shows fully charged. So I think the shelf life of this cell has expired. I bought a new one and will exchange it.
Huh i thought it was a capacitor too. I don't know if the box/leaflet told me that, but probably didn't, or more likely it was the somewhat misguided watch seller at the store where i bought it, who probably heard it from someone else again.
But CTL1616 type is evidently a lithium cobalt oxide type rechargeable battery, around 18mAh. Thanks!
I think my battery may need end up needing replacement soon. The watch is 7 years old and was used during all this time and doesn't maintain "high" charge and no longer has the reserve it used to have. But all functions otherwise are usable. I'd like to keep its remarkably high level of waterproofing though, so i don't know.
BTW it really is a rechargeable chrome titanium lithium cell (CTL 1616) that indeed has battery charge/discharge characteristics. Its by far not a capacitor! I don't know why people use this utterly wrong terminology that constitutes false information.
We can all sleep soundly now that we know the truth! 🙏🙏
You are wrong. Even Panasonic itself states that it is a capacitor.
And guess what, the most capacitors also contain lithium, but this doesn’t mean that it is a lithium-ion battery.
The Panasonic datasheet calls it a battery. Also, the charge specification (constant voltage) and discharge characteristic curves indicate that it is a battery. It is absolutely not a capacitor.
No, it’s capacitor
@@robertolaggo9141 got a source on that? Panasonic makes it, and they call it a battery. It has battery like charge/ discharge characteristics. What is your argument for it being a capacitor?
Woo Hoo. Just revived my Pro Trek 3258. Thank you very much.
Thanks for the video as my baby g touch solar literally died too cause of lockdowns and not being about to go out for the a daily charge
Great review
Just saved me a trip to he watch shop, will give this a go....
Great info. I have one coming soon, so now I'm prepared.
According to the Casio manual, it clearly states to leave the watch under direct sunlight on the dash of a vehicle for a full 72 hours of direct sunlight if watch has been fully discharged, and 96 hours with cloudy day.
I have this very same watch in the black bezel version. Recently I got a different used solar G-shock, it arrived half charged so I put it outside on the window sill, but after several hours it remained half charged.
The next day I left it outside all day and was starting to worry as it was still not fully charged at night. So I left it out and was relieved to finally see it on full charge the next morning.
Every watch is different so just be aware that mine took about 2 full days outside in the sun and that was just going from half to full charge. Also I did feel it was pretty hot when I took it in so if that's a concern then it may be better to charge indoors under a light.
I sold the watch but it was fine after fully charging it. When I do charge my other watches I'll be putting them by the window as leaving them in the sun makes the watch hot
Thank you so much, I almost want to throw it out before I found your video
I literally just opened the exact same watch fresh from the post.
No power... no problem just follow your handy video and feed it some photonic energy. (t+20 and nothing yet)
One issue though, the watch is on the last hole on my wrist.
My absolute favourite g-shock had a Casio version of a NATO band with a plastic spring buckle. got wet...
Do they make a NATO style band for the smaller watches like this one?
Also the Blue version you have is very sharp but seems to be out of production. lame.
Thanks for the video!
I haven’t seen any watch band alternatives for the GW-M500 so I’m not sure what you can do beyond the stock Casio band. I am told that Walmart ran clearance prices on the chrome-style version of this one so it may, indeed, be discontinued by now. I hope they do a refresh on the module (like the “U” versions of the solar-atomic squares). I guess I’ll have to wait and see.
I don't see why you didn't read the user manual for the atomic time. It says clearly that you first have to do a manual connection before it can automatically.
Informative, interesting and well thought out presentation. Thank you!
I have a similar Casio solar watch that is 9 years old and is still dead after 10 minutes under an artificial light like yours…. Will continue charging and hope it wakens eventually…..
Just checked again after 40 minutes and it’s awake! Thanks for this video!
Can this work even though the watch has been dead for years?
My 30th anniversary frogman i having similar issue. There is just a blinking something at the bottom, but no other display whatsoever. Trying that LED trick now. Please pray for me.
I have the same watch just black and I left it in my window I don’t think it is enough light I might have to wear it outside but g shock have some great ass watchs
Dang, watched many videos on this channel but now i saw a missed huge missed opportunity what made me comment @ 01:19: If there is a working watch, why you put a third one there??? (little lol from my side :) )
I hope that you'll get your radio tower back up again, otherwise you'll have to use the app. for receiving the signal. I don't get why the big brands like Seiko, Citizen and Casio don't make more of a statement about this. I'am lucky to have great reception in the Netherlands.
A few months ago there was a rumor that the WWVB radio station would be shut down at the start of 2019. But that was never officially announced and, in fact, it never happened. WWVB is still working and all of my radio controlled clocks and watches are receiving atomic time just as well as ever.
Sir as I lived in southeast Asia, we don't have radio tower to calibrate the time. Would you recommend the app you are using to receive the signal. Please note I am a Android user.
+Imran Mahmud that app works for only Bluetooth enabled watches I believe.
oddly short charging times.... all my watches take hrs upon hrs...
and I think that my old version of Rangeman from empty to full takes 72hrs in sunlight.m
That has been my experience as well. My last new solar got to M pretty quickly but took many hours to reach full capacity. Once there, it has stayed with sporadic use.
My old Rangeman was on medium when I got it, but one or two hours in the sun topped it up without issue.
Thank you for posting this. I just noticed this morning that my Rangeman (3-4 years old) was completely dead. Thanks to lockdowns it hasn't been outside in a long while. I shined my flashlight on it for about 5 mins and it woke up. I started to worry though when I left it in a sunny window for a couple of hours and it's still at medium. I guess I'll just keep sticking it in the window for a few days until it is fully charged.
Sadly different experience. After 10 years my one went first totally empty. I was charging 2 times on direct sunlight, went up to full charge,but after few hours it was dead again and again. Now I have ordered a new battery.... It's just a lítium battery. Which doesn't like full discharge at all. If it's new, maybe will work after a good charge. But an old 10 years old, like mine just died.
I tried charging my tough solar gst series inside the car where sun burst hot suddenly all lcd becomes black and after it gets cold it comes back to normal and fully charge. True gshocks are made tough hot cold vibration magnets.
ok cool. Just bought G-shock solar watch (Gw6900). It flashing "CHG" and no indication of battery(even LOW is blank). it displays time but none of buttons are working. I guess it is time to buy a new rechargeable battery..
same here, not try to see how long it takes for mine to recover..:)
Such a great channel…thanks for this
I just ordered a Casio WVQ11O, brand new, but in his box from 2006. Do you think that I've to change his battery (Panasonic CTL2015), or a good solar recharge will be enough to wake up the watch?
Just got the same watch but in silver
Mine charges like that to full and in about 2 or 3 hours would drain off again; same model; is it the battery need to be replaced?
Darn.. I thought this was going to save my GW-530a.. I followed these processes as well as other online help sections but with a brand new (proper Panasonic lithium battery) my watch is not resetting itself and my buttons don’t do anything after the back is installed. Before the back is reinstalled-the buttons offer some response-and the backlight works.. but within seconds of installing the back cover and while screwing it on-the watch makes an audible “beep” and I can’t make any inputs.. any guidance?
Put my mudmaster in the dark for 30 days it hasn't worked since. Leave it in sunlight for a week or so and it goes dead again five minutes after walking in the house
Hmm...I've got a secondhand G-MS that is blinking the tiny C, and the hands are at 12. I put it in the sun for a good hour or so, and still just a blinking C. Any thoughts?
I’ve got the g shock full metal, and it just goes to low so quick, it charges fast but it’s annoying l how fast it drops
Did you find a solution for it?! I’m experiencing the same problem
@@salvadorterrazas2153 never found a solution hey, the best I’ve found is put mine on a windowsill for like a week ahahah
It seems to be okay now. Still drains stupid fast though
Same here. If I wear a long sleeve shirt, it dies by bedtime.
I've left my eco drives out in the garden some times, some modern glazing with protection even restricts the usable light,my daughter's new bedroom has 2019 glazing and she is adamant that her calculator goes flat quicker despite the new room recieving more sunlight hours and that if she places it outside on the sill it charges quicker,worth remembering.
Got a Casio Ràngeman 9400, completely dead , left it out 12 hours ,bright sunlight ,oñly got to low battery mode, same again next day ,only reached med battery mode , one press of the light button and it's flashing low again . Devastated
Good day sir,i bought a second hand touch solar from Japan surplus,seller tell me that in Japan they remove the battery before shipping,im from Philippines,and when i bought it,i replaced it a mew CTL1616 battery,but ofter,it did not charges,now its been 3day,still i connot use all button, please help, Gshock GW 2310fb, negative display, thank you sir
QUESTION : does it require an LED bulb that has very high wattage, 10 watts above??
thanks! simple and to the point. got my s1100 up and going.
I have exactly the same watch as yours which i bought for more than a decade now. I decided to buy this watch expecting that it wud last longer. When the rechargeable battery cycle ends, i made it replaced by authorized gshock store; it was just last year.. However, now it begins to discharge to very low from a high battery indicator and the time always set to 12am.. And everytime this happens, which happens almost every week, i always do the manual reset...now i could feel something is wrong with my watch and i am losing hope with its normal functionality.
My friend, there's a possibility that the wrong type of battery was put in your watch.
I bought a Seiko solar watch for about $400 and it stopped working after about 2 years. I tried recharging it with a bright LED light and it quit working after a few hours. I put it in a drawer and went back to my 30-year-old Bulova which keeps time almost perfectly as long as I change the battery every few years. I finally took my Seiko back to a watchmaker and they CHANGED the batter for $100. The watch once again stopped working after a few days. So now I'm taking it back to the watchmaker and they're going to properly charge the battery. It's probably because my Seiko watch was sitting in a dark drawer for a couple of years and lost its charge. It took me all this time to figure out the problem. The people who sell these watches should advise the buyer how to properly charge the battery (capacitor) or charge it themselves, even if the buyer has to come back to pick it up. By the time my watch stopped working the warranty had expired.
I think you should claim to your watchmaker (and may be also Seiko/Panasonic) and also try to understand your watch better.
Either your watchmaker inserted a strongly damaged rechargable battery or he made a mistake and damaged the new battery while inserting it (or you have not charged the new battery for several hours in direct sunlight).
2 years is a much too low life time for a Panasonic rechargable battery (I would expect on overage 5 to 10 years, some people report even 15 years). Lithium rechargable batteries have to be kept above a minimum voltage, so they must be recharged from time to time to avoid damage, eventually destruction. To keep solar watches with rechargable batteries longer time in a dark drawer is therefore a no go (must be avoided). I guess the battery will survive a few months in a dark drawer, but latest after 1 year the battery is dead (can either not be recharged any more or keeps it charge for much too low time).
Very very helpful! Thank you so much!!
I have the exact same watch but different color and it never goes to full charge. It stays only at medium.
Great video.
For the life of me I can’t get my watch to receive atomic time. Any ideas? Keep having set it manually.
I always start with the basics. What is your location and what’s the local time zone setting on the watch?
@@GoodTimekeeper Arizona and it’s set scl. Az is a little tricky. since we don’t follow dls. I can’t temper the last time the watch ever received a signal. At the same time sometimes the hours minutes reset too the oddest times. For now I’m manually settting the time. Thank you!!
All right. The best setting for this watch in Arizona is the “DEN” Time Zone and also the DST setting is Off. When it’s set to “SCL” that’s Santiago, Chile and the watch will never try to receive atomic time because the designers decided that Santiago is too far away from an atomic time radio station anyway. But if it’s set to Denver it should try to set itself every night at midnight.
@@GoodTimekeeper oh geez. 🤦♂️. Ok, all set, den and dls is now off. 👍
@@GoodTimekeeper OK, so overnight it reset itself four hours back. So it should’ve been 6 AM but was set for 2 AM. It is set for Den. Thoughts? The minutes were still about one minute off which is how I set it.Thank you
Hi Greg, I have a question for you: is it possible to adopt this same process to revive a CASIO GW-1400DE that does not keep solar charge? If not, is it possible to change its battery, and which one I have to look for? Thanks
If it's not a tough solar watch then putting it in light or sun won't do anything
Do you know how somebody would determine if their solar battery should be replaced? Mine technically works, but the highest charge state that it will consistently stay at is medium. It will still update every night and everything that I use on it still works, but when I try to charge it to high, either with my super bright flashlight or from leaving it in the sunlight for a couple of hours, generally within 24 hours it will drop back down from high to medium. I don't know if I'm just not charging it long enough.
Mine is low all the time, did you change your batt?
@@Dan-vt1qt yeah I just left it on the windowsill and it eventually sorted itself out and maintained high charge like normal. It just took a lot longer to fully charge than I thought it needed.
@@nobody2021 thankk you i will try that.
Nice video 😃
Just about to do the same with a PRG250, myself!