AirPods Connection to Apple Watch degraded quality

My AirPods (latest version) have always connected just fine to my apple watch. Now, however, they connect just fine but after about 5-10 seconds the audio quality degrades and gets very jumpy. My AirPods work fine with my iPhone and MacBook - so it's not the AirPods. And my apple watch works fine with my other ear bud speakers - JBL. Does anyone know a fix for this. My watch is 5 years old and the battery doesn't hold a charge the way it used to but this problem happens even when the battery has good charge on it. Any suggestions? Thanks very much.