Watch Battery Chart
The 1.5 V cells watches and small instruments take: 27 silver oxide and 21 alkaline, sorted by size. In the same size, silver oxide is the better cell in a watch, and the SW or W on the end of a code is the drain it is built for, not a different battery.
Showing 48 of 48 cells.
| Typical mAh | Also sold as | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LR1120 | alkaline | 1.5 | 11.6 | 2.1 | 40–42 | 191, AG8, LR1121, LR55 |
| LR1130 | alkaline | 1.5 | 11.6 | 3.1 | 44–68 | 189, AG10, L1131, LR1131, LR54 |
| LR41 | alkaline | 1.5 | 7.9 | 3.6 | 25–32 | 192, AG3, LR736 |
| LR416 | alkaline | 1.5 | 4.8 | 1.6 | 8 | |
| LR43 | alkaline | 1.5 | 11.6 | 4.2 | 80 | 186, AG12, L1142, LR1142 |
| LR44 | alkaline | 1.5 | 11.6 | 5.4 | 110–150 | 157, A76, AG13, AG76, D76A, GP76A, GPA76, L1154, L1154F, LR1154, LR154, PX76A |
| LR45 | alkaline | 1.5 | 9.5 | 3.6 | 48 | 194, AG9, LR936 |
| LR48 | alkaline | 1.5 | 7.9 | 5.4 | 52 | 193, AG5, L750, LR754 |
| LR516 | alkaline | 1.5 | 5.8 | 1.6 | 11 | LR62 |
| LR52 | alkaline | 1.5 | 15.8 | 11.1 | 335 | |
| LR521 | alkaline | 1.5 | 5.8 | 2.1 | 10 | AG0, LR63 |
| LR527 | alkaline | 1.5 | 5.8 | 2.7 | 12 | LR64 |
| LR621 | alkaline | 1.5 | 6.8 | 2.1 | 13 | 164, AG1, LR60 |
| LR626 | alkaline | 1.5 | 6.8 | 2.6 | 12–18 | 177, AG4, LR66 |
| LR721 | alkaline | 1.5 | 7.9 | 2.1 | 18–25 | 162, AG11, LR58 |
| LR726 | alkaline | 1.5 | 7.9 | 2.6 | 26 | 196, AG2, LR59 |
| LR731 | alkaline | 1.5 | 7.9 | 3.1 | 36 | |
| LR916 | alkaline | 1.5 | 9.5 | 1.6 | 26 | LR68 |
| LR920 | alkaline | 1.5 | 9.5 | 2.1 | 30 | 171, AG6, LR69, LR921 |
| LR927 | alkaline | 1.5 | 9.5 | 2.6 | 46 | 195, AG7, LR57, LR926 |
| LR932 | alkaline | 1.5 | 9.3 | 3.2 | 40 | |
| SR1116SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 11.6 | 1.65 | 47 | 365, 366 |
| SR1120SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 11.6 | 2.1 | 50 | SG8, 381, 391, SR55, SR1121 |
| SR1126 | silver oxide | 1.55 | 11.6 | 2.6 | SR56 | |
| SR1130SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 11.6 | 3.1 | 60–80 | SG10, 387, 389, 390, SR54, SR1131 |
| SR41 | silver oxide | 1.55 | 7.9 | 3.6 | 45 | SG3, 384, 392, SR736 |
| SR416SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 4.8 | 1.6 | 8 | 337 |
| SR42 | silver oxide | 1.55 | 11.6 | 3.6 | 105 | 242, 344, 350, 387S, SR1136 |
| SR43 | silver oxide | 1.55 | 11.6 | 4.2 | 130 | SG12, 301, 386, SR1142 |
| SR44 | silver oxide | 1.55 | 11.6 | 5.4 | 160–175 | SG13, S76, EPX76, 303, 357, SR1154 |
| SR45 | silver oxide | 1.55 | 9.5 | 3.6 | 79–82 | SG9, 394, 380, SR936 |
| SR512 | silver oxide | 1.55 | 5.8 | 1.2 | 6 | 335, SR512SW |
| SR516SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 5.8 | 1.6 | 10.5 | 317, SR62 |
| SR521SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 5.8 | 2.1 | 16 | SG0, 379, SR63 |
| SR527SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 5.8 | 2.7 | 21 | 319, SR64 |
| SR616SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 6.8 | 1.65 | 14.5 | 321, SR65 |
| SR621SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 6.8 | 2.1 | 19 | SG1, 364, SR60 |
| SR626SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 6.8 | 2.6 | 24–27 | SG4, 376, 377, SR66 |
| SR712SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 7.9 | 1.2 | 9.5 | 346 |
| SR714SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 7.9 | 1.4 | 15 | 341 |
| SR716SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 7.9 | 1.65 | 23 | 315, SR67 |
| SR721SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 7.9 | 2.1 | 23–24 | SG11, 361, 362, SR58 |
| SR726SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 7.9 | 2.6 | 32 | SG2, 396, 397, SR59 |
| SR731SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 7.9 | 3.1 | 37 | 24, 329 |
| SR754SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 7.9 | 5.4 | 80 | SG5, 309, 393, SR48 |
| SR916SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 9.5 | 1.6 | 29 | 373, SR68 |
| SR920SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 9.5 | 2 | 35–40 | SG6, 370, V370, 371, V371, SR69, SR921 |
| SR927SW | silver oxide | 1.55 | 9.5 | 2.7 | 53–55 | SG7, 395, 399, SR927W, SR57 |
Capacities are typical values, not a guarantee. Sizes are the measured case dimensions: in a four-digit code the first two digits are the diameter in whole millimetres, rounded down, and the last two are the height in tenths of a millimetre.
Silver oxide against alkaline
These two chemistries share their case sizes, which is why they share this chart. 17 of the silver cells here have an alkaline cell of exactly the same diameter and height, so in those sizes you have a real choice, and in a watch the answer is nearly always silver oxide.
The reason is the discharge curve. A silver-oxide cell holds close to its 1.55 V until it is nearly spent, then drops quickly. An alkaline cell starts at 1.5 V and falls steadily the whole way down. A quartz movement keeps time off a regulated supply, but as the cell sags the movement loses the margin it needs, so a watch on an alkaline cell tends to run badly before it stops. The same logic applies to anything that measures: calipers, glucose meters, thermometers, scales.
Alkaline is not useless. In a toy, a keyring light, a cheap kitchen timer or a laser pointer, the voltage sag does not matter and the cell costs a fraction as much. Each cell page states the verdict for its own size in both directions.
SW and W: the drain suffix
A silver-oxide watch cell is wound for the job it has to do, and manufacturers mark which: SW for a low-drain cell, for a movement that just ticks, and W for a high-drain cell, for a watch that also has to light a backlight, sound an alarm or drive a chronograph. Renata, Maxell and Energizer all number them this way. 14 of the cells here carry both numbers for one case size, which is why SR626SW and 377 name the same battery.
Neither will damage anything. Both are 1.55 V and the same size, so either will fit and run the watch. The matched one simply lasts longer, and the mismatch shows up first in a watch that is asked for bursts of current.
Reading the codes
The IEC code tells you the chemistry and the size: S for silver oxide, L for alkaline, R for round, then the size. SR626 is 6.8 mm across and 2.6 mm thick, and LR626 is the alkaline cell of the same size.
Alongside those are the three-digit Energizer and Renata numbers, the AG series on unbranded alkaline cells, and a tail of older camera numbers. They all appear in the table above, so whichever is printed on your old cell, searching it will find the right row.
Before you change one
Work over a tray or a cloth, not a sink. Note which way up the old cell sits before you lift it out: in most watches the positive face is up, but not all. Handle the new cell by the edge, because a fingerprint across the face adds resistance. Opening the case breaks the seal, so treat the watch as no longer water-resistant until the gasket has been checked or the watch pressure-tested.
Questions people ask
- What battery does my watch take?
- The number is printed on the old cell, and usually on the caseback or in the manual as well. If the cell is bare, measure it: the diameter across the face and the height through the thickness identify it exactly.
- Should I buy silver oxide or alkaline for a watch?
- Silver oxide. It holds its voltage almost flat until the end, where an alkaline cell sags as it drains, and a sagging cell makes a quartz movement lose time before it stops. 17 of the silver cells here have an alkaline cell of exactly the same size, so the choice is real.
- What do SW and W mean on a watch battery?
- They are the drain the cell is built for, not the size: manufacturers mark low-drain cells SW and high-drain cells W. 14 cells in this chart are sold under both numbers for the same case. Either will fit and run the watch; the matched one lasts longer.
- Why does my watch battery have a three-digit number?
- Energizer and Renata number silver-oxide cells with three digits, such as 357, 364 and 377. The digits say nothing about the size, which is why the same cell also carries an IEC code like SR44 or SR621SW.
- Can I put a 3 V coin cell in a watch?
- Only if the watch asks for one. A 1.5 V movement given 3 V can be damaged, and a cell of the wrong diameter will not sit in the holder. Match the code, or measure.