I saw your advise [sic] in the article against using cheap batteries for the X-33. I know Renata is a Swiss brand, should I use them or does it really make a difference?
Thanks, T.”
Honestly: it doesn’t really make that much of a difference.
In fact, although Renata (part of the Swatch group that also owns Omega) cells are OEM for Omega’s X-33 and all Omega quartz watches, depending on who you ask relatively speaking Renata batteries have something of a reputation for leaking.
But very generally, almost any battery of the proper size from any quality name brand (Renata, Maxell, Energizer, Panasonic, etc.) should be more than fine; just avoid the cheapie Chinese generics and such. The $9 battery in your $3600 watch is probably not the wisest place to skimp a dollar or so.
It’s probably at least (if not even more) important than the brand of battery that the battery be fresh. Batteries have a finite shelf life and lose power with time even if not used. Since the CR 2320 size used by the X-33 because of its power-hungry alarm and lcd multifunction display is somewhat uncommon in other watch movements, the cells typically don’t get used in watches as often as many other commonly stocked sizes and may have been sitting in a drawer for years. While awaiting installation they may well have lost a lot of their “juice.” Try to find a battery that has been recently manufactured by looking carefully for date codes, or barring that — choose one with the “Use by:” date furthest in the future you can find.
I used a Renata cell when I changed the battery in my own X-33. But, frankly, this was mostly just because a Renata-branded battery was about the only one I could find in the uncommon CR 2320 size that I could easily locate at a reasonable (<$10) price.
For whatever it’s worth: Renata batteries are fine, but Japanese Maxell batteries were OEM-installed for Patek quartz movements (yes, there is/was really such a thing), so that might tend to indicate a quality alternative from a non-Swatch Group source.
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