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AndrewD provides a practical guide to changing the battery in a Bulova Accutron Spaceview 214, addressing the common challenge of replacing the discontinued 1.35V mercury cell. The author offers clear instructions and essential tips for using modern 1.55V silver oxide batteries, ensuring collectors can maintain their iconic tuning fork watches.
The Accutron Spaceview 214 originally used a #387 1.35V mercury cell but this was discontinued due to the dangers of mercury. The replacement battery is a 387S 1.55V silver oxide battery. The 387S is actually a 394 but with an additional plastic spacer to prevent shorting in the case. You can easily remove the plastic spacer if necessary and slip it over a 394 if that is all that is available.
Some movements need to be adjusted to run accurately on the additional 0.2V from the 1.55V silver oxide battery. After installing the new battery it may be necessary to give the watch a slight jolt to get the tuning fork vibrating.
Make sure the battery is correctly seated in the battery compartment before screwing on the cover.
Hello AndrewD, The accucell has a circuit coupled to the power cell that drops the voltage to 1.35 , back to the original mercury battery output. The accucell usually last about 6 months compared to 1 year. But, safer for the coils and circuit blocks delicate wires that were not designed to handle 1.55 volts. Kind regards Anthony
.... is a good recommendation, Anthony. Availability may be an issue, but it does reduce the voltage to the 1.35V target (range: 1.32 - 1.41 V) of the original circuit. Some watches will run fast with the 1.55V 387S battery, but if they are running accurately it is unclear from, what I have read, what the risks are to the coil. The movement can also be modified to reduce the voltage from the 387S battery. The cost of the Accucell is a little higher, but if you have easy access to it, why not for
..Especially as an engineer Thankyou for sharing Best Hans
I will revisit the SpaceView with some more pictures. Plus it is probably time for an Accutron photo-thread again. I agree that the engineering in the movement is phenomenal, particularly considering it was developed in the late 1950's. An emphatic way of marking the transistor age as well as the transition from the purely mechanical timepieces that were ubiquitous until that time. Andrew
and I still do. GEO
... most and has a retro cool vibe that I like. Still very enjoyable to wear, accurate, the hum is a talking point and it wears larger than its 34mm due to the open architecture. I will be wearing it more in our summer. Regards Andrew
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