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Solar powered watch

A solar powered watch is a watch that is powered entirely or partly by a solar panel.

In the 1990s, Citizen developed such a watch, called the Eco-Drive. They have developed the technology such that solar powered watches are now a major part of their range of watches. Several other watch manufacturers offer similar watches or are developing such technology.

Typically, sunlight and artificial light are absorbed by a solar panel behind the crystal. The dial is either on a layer above or actually on the solar panel. This solar panel converts the light into electrical energy to power the watch. The watch will usually store energy in a battery to power itself during the night or when covered such as by a person's sleeve. Citizen's watches use lithium-ion rechargeable batteries to store sufficient energy to power the watch for six months of darkness. However, this figure assmes that the watch enters a power-saving mode during which the seconds hand stops until the watch is re-exposed to light.

Last updated: 05-27-2005 23:08:52
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