Key Takeaways
- This article is about a Tom Miller wristwatch where the owner could not find the “included battery” and did not know how to reach it.
- The paperwork looked heavy and official, full of safety icons and compliance marks, yet it did not make the battery feel easy to find.
- The simplest answer fit best: the battery was most likely already inside the watch, not packed as a separate item.
- A small orange plastic spacer near the crown area often stops a watch during shipping, and removing it can let the watch start.
Story & Details
In December 2025, a Tom Miller wristwatch arrived with the kind of paperwork that can feel like a small book. Page after page, many languages, many warnings, many symbols. The message sounded clear at first: the battery was included. The reality felt different. No loose battery appeared anywhere, and the way in seemed hidden.
The printed marks told their own story. The CE mark showed up again and again, a sign used in the European Economic Area to show products meet certain rules. The crossed-out wheeled bin symbol appeared too, pointing to separate collection and recycling under WEEE rules. It all looked careful. It all looked official. Yet none of it answered the most human question: where is the battery?
Then the watch itself brought the clarity the papers did not. The back carried the Tom Miller name, a stainless steel caseback note, a “splash proof” claim, and identifying lines like a batch number and a model string. The caseback design did not show an outside door or small hatch. That matters. Many watches with quartz movements hide the battery inside the case, behind the back cover. “Included” often means “already installed.”
On the front, one small detail stood out: an orange plastic piece near the crown area. This kind of spacer is common in shipping. It can keep the crown from sitting fully in place. When the crown is not fully seated, many watches will not run. In other words, the watch can look “dead” while the battery is actually there, waiting.
The overall picture became calm and simple. The battery was not missing. The watch was most likely paused on purpose. The paperwork, the icons, and the careful markings all pointed to a modern product meant to travel across borders. The watch face pointed to a modern shipping habit: stop the movement, protect the parts, and start it only when it reaches the wrist.
A short note on origin also helped set expectations. The packaging and documentation indicated the product was made in China (Asia), while many of the markings and disposal symbols matched European requirements. The photos of the materials also showed a Galaxy A15 watermark, a small sign of how the details were captured and checked with care.
A tiny Dutch mini-lesson
Dutch can be practical in daily life in the Netherlands (Europe), especially for simple requests and replies.
One useful phrase is: Ik heb een vraag.
Word-by-word: Ik = I, heb = have, een = a, vraag = question.
Register and use: neutral, polite, good for shops and service desks.
Another helpful phrase is: Kunt u mij helpen?
Word-by-word: Kunt = can, u = you, mij = me, helpen = help.
Register and use: polite and common, slightly formal because of u, good with strangers.
Conclusions
By mid-December 2025, the mystery had a gentle ending. The “missing battery” was most likely not missing at all. It was simply living where watch batteries usually live: inside the case, behind the back. The orange shipping spacer near the crown area offered an even softer explanation: the watch was paused on purpose, waiting for ordinary life to begin.
Selected References
[1] European Commission — CE marking overview — https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/goods/ce-marking_en
[2] Your Europe (European Union) — WEEE label meaning — https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/product-requirements/labels-markings/weee-label/index_en.htm
[3] iFixit — Watch Battery Replacement guide — https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Watch%2BBattery%2BReplacement/57748
[4] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (United States, North America) — Public information page for a button cell and coin battery requirements webinar — https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/Public-Calendar/2024-01-25-150000/Breaking-Down-Reese%E2%80%99s-Law-Webinar-An-Overview-of-Button-Cell-and-Coin-Battery-Requirements
[5] U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (United States, North America) — YouTube video: “CPSC Webinar: Breaking Down Reese’s Law” — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV7TUcBedjI
Appendix
Batch number: A production identifier printed on a product, used to group items made in the same run.
Caseback: The back cover of a watch case, removed to reach the movement and battery in many watches.
CE marking: A conformity mark used in the European Economic Area, showing a product meets relevant safety, health, and environmental requirements.
Crown: The side knob used to set the time, and sometimes the date; it may have more than one position.
Crossed-out wheeled bin symbol: A recycling mark linked to separate collection rules for certain products, often associated with WEEE.
Galaxy A15: A smartphone model name that appeared as a watermark on the captured materials.
Gasket: A thin sealing ring that helps resist water entry where a watch case closes.
Made in China: An origin statement indicating manufacture in China (Asia).
Model string: A printed code that identifies a product version, often useful for service and parts matching.
Press-fit caseback: A watch back cover that snaps on by pressure rather than using screws or threads.
Reese’s Law: A U.S. law connected to safety requirements for button cell and coin batteries in consumer products in the United States (North America).
Splash proof: A common durability phrase that suggests limited water resistance rather than full waterproof use.
Tom Miller: The brand name printed on the watch caseback in the described product.
WEEE: Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, a term linked to collection and recycling rules in the European Union.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 