A polar watch charger is worth replacing rather than working around, because Polar’s connectors sit flush against the case and a worn lead tends to charge intermittently rather than failing outright.
That intermittent stage is the one that catches people. The watch shows a charging symbol, then quietly stops, and the battery is flat the next morning. If you have to wiggle the lead to start a charge, the contacts have worn and a new polar charging cable will fix it.
Polar has used both a magnetic contact and a USB plug moulded into the strap across the range, so check which your watch has before ordering a polar watch charger. The strap-mounted type has no separate lead at all, which surprises people replacing an older model.
