Watchlords

Greetings
Two days ago, I noticed that one of my quartz work watches battery had died. So while I was in town, I stopped by a local pawnshop and had the battery changed. I noticed yesterday the date was off so I changed it and when I got up this morning, I noticed the date had not changed again so my question is could the guy who changed the battery have damaged the watch so the date won’t change or is it just a coincidence that it broke after him changing the battery.
Your thoughts would be appreciated, gentlemen

My WAG would be that when the pawnshop "technician" reset the time and the date after replacing the battery, said person may have gone the 'wrong way' and broke something. Maybe the watch was about to change date and setting it screwed it up.

It was likely set incorrectly. Mechanical movements, the 7750 for example, can be touchy as to the time displayed when resetting the date - quartz not so much.

As a test, you can advance the time past twelve and see if the date changes - twice if the date doesn't change the first time around. If the date changes, set as follows. If not, something is screwed up, although I don't see how a battery change would cause a mechanical / gear issue.

If the watch has a quickset date, set the date one day prior to the current day. Advance the hands past twelve until the date changes to the current day. If it is morning set the current time. If it is afternoon, advance the hands past 12 again and set the current time. The date should then change at midnight.

If your watch doesn't have a quick change date, advance the hands past twelve until the calendar reaches one day prior to the current date and then set as above.

He broke it. Burn down his house.

“Ever since you put on that leather band it’s been gaining 2 minutes an hour…”

Honestly, he likely did club fist it by trying to set the date while the hands registered 11:30pm… maybe he thought it was a.m.

Really, though, shouldn’t even the crappiest movements be able to take such light abuse?

It’s not 100% that he did, though. Sometimes things happen.

Certain Austin-Healeys had known issues with weak axle shafts. They would be fine fine fine, then out of the blue, broken. Believed to be a metallurgy quality issue.

One fine day shortly after the turn of the century I’m at the mechanics to pick up my car. The guy before me had his Healey in for an oil change and valve adjustment. Mechanic backs the car out of the shop, opens the bonnet and they discuss what he did. They closed it, and they go inside for him to pay.

The dude goes to leave. Starts up, throws it in reverse… car won’t move. Puts it in first, engine running well & smooth… car won’t move.

Turns out the axle shaft had given up the ghost.

But had I not been a third party observer, I’m not sure I would have believed the story about an oil change that resulted in a mechanic installing axle shafts. Like I’m supposed to believe it was NOT a conman rip off? You know that’s not where the oil filter is, right?

My take: it may have broken on its own - but if it didn’t, then shame on the designer for such a fragile execution of a date feature for a watch movement.

Don’t burn down the guys house… you know, unless you’re doing it just for fun.