16 Jun 2017, 01:00
I used to try to keep all my Pulsars running, but when the count passed 200, I realized the impracticality of doing that (batteries were costing me about $300 a year, even with great majority of them not being actually worn). So, a few years ago, I went through them all, and left the batteries out of all but a handful of them. Quartz crystals and the electronics "age" only when actually under power (or, at least, at a vastly slower rate); at this point I would say, for short-term storage (a year or less), keeping batteries in is OK...beyond that, you're better-off leaving them out. Just be careful and mindful of the fact that these watches are extremely sensitive to static electric charges (this has probably killed as many as leaking batteries); always make sure you are grounded, use a grounding strap, or only do battery changes on high-humidity days (over 70%; static charges can't form under those conditions).