How do you fix a digital watch?

How do you fix a water-damaged digital watch?

• I have a $10 cheapo Japanese calculator watch ("FUSION" brand). I took it whitewater rafting in my pocket. It got splashed but it was okay (and I've washed my hands with it on, so it's not hypersensitive), but after I got out of the boat once, the watch shut off. Today I opened it and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it, except perhaps that the glue holding down the battery cover seems to be looser. The water has all dried out. How can I fix the watch? I've tried disconnecting and reconnecting the battery (which I know from past experience reboots the watch) but it doesn't turn on. Is it possible the battery shorted out and a new battery is the only thing required? There are no ICs or much of anything on the visible backside of the circuit board. Here are pictures of the front and back of the watch: http://www.mit.edu/~geofft/watch1.jpg http://www.mit.edu/~geofft/watch2.jpg

• Answer:

  Try baking it out for a day by placing in a warm spot, like on top of a computer monitor or in a sunny window. There may be some moisture trapped someplace. Then scrape the battery faces and the battery well contacts with the sharp edge of a small pen knife. If these steps don't work, take the watch and battery down to a Radio Shack. They can test the battery and try a fresh one if it's low. In a rough situation like water rafting, you may have damaged the watch thru physical trauma as well as wetting by it.