# Anyone familiar with the Ronda 715 movement ? Question about battery.



## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

I were told that the Ronda 715.1 uses the 371 (SR920SW) battery which measures 9.5 x 2.1mm and has a capacity of 38mAh.

I wonder whether the slightly higher 395 (SR927SW) will fit this movement, the 395's dimension is 9.5 x 2.6mm, the reason for which I want the 395 is because it has a higher capacity of 57mAh and if it fits the watch should run for another 1.5 year before the next battery change.

I have an old quartz watch with a Miyota movement and it can take either the 371 or 395 (the metal clip takes care of the battery height), but this is the first time I own a watch with a Ronda movement so I'd better ask.

Thanks for any information.


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## xzqt (Jan 26, 2013)

The 927 is slightly thick for the Ronda 715 to grip properly.
Also the back case may not screw properly too.

Suggest you stick to 920.


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

I found an interesting information about the movement & battery, it seems that the bigger battery can be used in this movement :

Ronda 715

- Standard battery : http://kronometric.org/info/R715_395_battery_dwgs.pdf

- High capacity battery : http://kronometric.org/info/R715_399_battery_dwgs.pdf

Apparently it's the same movement, right ?


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## dacattoo (Jan 9, 2011)

lvt said:


> I found an interesting information about the movement & battery, it seems that the bigger battery can be used in this movement :
> 
> Ronda 715
> 
> ...


Silver oxide watch batteries are 1.55 volts and differ only in physical size. Any cell that fits will work. The problem is will it fit properly in the movement and also fit with the case back installed. Some movements and watches have tight tolerances and one must be very careful. Some battery manufactures have produced low drain and high drain cells for years until it was discovered high drain actually worked fine in both situations. Today you will see some called 'multi-drain' and have both the low and high drain cell numbers listed. For example the Energizer 370 and 371 is now sold as 371/370 replacing the low with the high drain model. 
.


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## BenchGuy (Sep 23, 2012)

lvt said:


> I were told that the Ronda 715.1 uses the 371 (SR920SW) battery which measures 9.5 x 2.1mm and has a capacity of 38mAh.
> 
> I wonder whether the slightly higher 395 (SR927SW) will fit this movement, the 395's dimension is 9.5 x 2.6mm, the reason for which I want the 395 is because it has a higher capacity of 57mAh and if it fits the watch should run for another 1.5 year before the next battery change.
> 
> ...


0.5mm can be a hugh dimension in watchmaking. Short answer...if it will fit in the casing and stay in the movement, it will work. That said...I'd stick to the battery for which the movement was designed. Regards, BG


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## 6498ghoul (Feb 1, 2012)

Cautionary tale - had a friend bring me his old TAG that had "never been right" since the local guy did the last battery change. It would keep stopping for a few minutes a day, though there was no low battery skip. Long story short - after swapping for a new 955.412 movement I had it running fine on the battery that the other guy had just installed. Then I looked on my bench and found part 4412, the battery "spacer" that had been in place when I got the watch. After installation, did not work. Finally came to realize that the movement docs spec either the 2.10-mm or 2,60-mm cell, and the taller of the two had been installed by the last guy. With the extra height and the spacer it would lock up the movement. Not sure if that was the reason that the dial feet had been sheared off, but I suspect it might have had something to do with it.

Do what fits.


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

Thanks for your replies !

Well yesterday the friction ball that I ordered a while ago has arrived (I almost forgot about it), so I decided to open the watch to see what is inside, and I found a good thing and a weird thing.

The good thing is that the watch has the Swiss made Ronda 715 movement with gold finish and 5 jewels, not the cheaper "made from Swiss-part" 715 movement like I saw in some watches.

It's a good thing because this version of the movement has the EOL feature so I will skip the battery thing for now as it will tell me when to replace the battery (I pobably will use the smaller as suggested when the time comes).









The weird thing is that while the caseback of my watch has a serial number that starts by 0911xxxxxx, by Victorinox standard it means that the watch was made in 2009/11 (that's why I wanted to replace the battery), but on the inside of the caseback there is an inked mark that make me puzzled, the label says VP XX 13 (the XX are a set of two number, usually it's for the month but I can't read it normally due to the ink quality, but the last two number (for the year - 2013) is very clear, so I think my watch came from a batch made from NOS parts. I think it might explain why there are recently a lot of VSA watches that make their appearance on eBay and for a heavily discounted price while those models have officially disappeared from VSA's online inventory.









Sorry for a bad quality pic as it was taken at night time.


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## dacattoo (Jan 9, 2011)

I see plenty of Swiss Army that say case made in China on the inside.


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

dacattoo said:


> I see plenty of Swiss Army that say case made in China on the inside.


I know that, that's why I bought Victorinox brand, not Swiss Army.


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## dacattoo (Jan 9, 2011)

Victorinix and Wenger are the official Swiss Army Watches. They also are the same company. Story has it one was knighted the official Swiss army and the other complained. In typical Swiss fashion it was decided for half the year one would be official and the the other half of the year the other would be official. At some point they merged and became one company.


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

dacattoo said:


> Victorinix and Wenger are the official Swiss Army Watches. They also are the same company. Story has it one was knighted the official Swiss army and the other complained. In typical Swiss fashion it was decided for half the year one would be official and the the other half of the year the other would be official. At some point they merged and became one company.


It's just about the watches, the "China case" stories have been reported before on some Swiss Army watches, none of them has Victorinox label.


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## dacattoo (Jan 9, 2011)

*Maybe, maybe not, read on Victorinox lovers,

Victorinox shipment held up at customs in Basel*

August 5, 2009 by Sean Ecker
**New Swiss Army knife © 2009 Photopress AG Victorinox​*Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch)* - Swiss customs officials near Basel 3 August seized boxes with 558 kg of imported goods for Victorinox, one of Switzerland's two Swiss Army knife manufacturers. Acting on a judicial complaint filed eight months ago by Thomas Minder, the boss of mouthwash maker Trybol, the customs at Muttenz, canton Basel State, held 116 boxes of bags, locks, and umbrellas made in China and Taiwan with the Victorinox logo.
Victorinox markets a number of goods that have nothing to do with pocket knives, including perfume. Production of many of these products are outsourced abroad. The pocket knives are all produced in Switzerland.
Minder, a politician and shareholder activist, best known for his popular initiative to limit executive pay in Switzerland, lodged the complaint for "violation of Swiss law governing trademarks and emblems" and unfair competition. GenevaLunch spoke to Mark Schweizer, a patent lawyer in Zurich, who explained that the law protects the use of the Swiss national emblem from commercial use, although this is currently widely disregarded.
Minder claims that Victorinox profits from the use of the symbol to sell products that are not Swiss. Victorinox has said that while its trademark is similar to the Swiss national emblem, a white cross on a red background, it is protected in 150 countries around the world.
The Swiss parliament will consider legislation later this year that will re-set the percentage of the value-added of a product that must be created in Switzerland for it to be labeled "Swiss made." This is currently 50 percent, notes Schweizer.


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## xzqt (Jan 26, 2013)

dacattoo said:


> *Maybe, maybe not, read on Victorinox lovers,
> 
> Victorinox shipment held up at customs in Basel*
> 
> ...


So much for Swiss Made !


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

I found another evidence about the watch being made in 2013, the printed manual says "Printed in Switzerland 01.13" on the last page, that explains the stamp on the caseback.

Now I understand why I sometimes saw a bit of vibration on the hour and minute hands for a couple of days before they become smooth, apparently the watches are sent to the sellers with the crown pulled out to save the battery so the movement didn't break-in yet and the oil may have not been evenly distributed.

It seems that at Victorinox they have a lot of stock to empty.


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## pithy (Aug 22, 2010)

lvt said:


> · · · - - - · · · · · · - - - · · · · · · - - - · · · so the movement didn't break-in yet and the oil may have not been evenly distributed. · · · - - - · · · · · · - - - · · · · · · - - - · · ·


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## dacattoo (Jan 9, 2011)

This just in! Photographic evidence Victorinox uses Chinese made cases. It would appear they have been since '04.


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

dacattoo said:


> This just in! Photographic evidence Victorinox uses Chinese made cases. It would appear they have been since '04.
> 
> View attachment 1307984
> View attachment 1307983
> View attachment 1307982


It's interesting, I was unable to find such photo before, so I guess that it depends on your luck.

I remember some old threads about Tissot and Hamilton having the casebacks made in China.


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