After buying your first mechanical watch, it’s normal to ask, ‘How do I set my wristwatch correctly?’ While that may seem obvious to many, no one is born with an innate knowledge of watches – not even watchmakers and collectors.
In the beginning, there was the rotor…
Mechanical watches can be split into two basic groups: manual and automatic. Both store their energy in a spring, which has to be wound.
A quick shake is usually all it takes to get an automatic watch going. After that, the spring is usually wound enough to power the hands on the front. Automatic watches come with a distinct benefit: They wind themselves. As long as you’re wearing your automatic watch, it will never run out of steam. Many automatic watches can also be wound by hand using the crown. You don’t have to shake these watches to get them restarted if their hands stop moving.
On the other hand, manual watches have to be regularly wound by hand. To do so, simply turn the crown clockwise until you start to feel some resistance. Be sure to stop winding at this point; otherwise, you might damage the movement.
The length of any power reserve varies from watch to watch. Power reserve indicators are particularly practical on manual watches since they let you know when it’s time to wind your watch.
Central Control: The Crown
The crown is the main control element of most wristwatches. You can use it to do almost anything: from winding the spring to setting the time and date. Winding usually takes place in the standard (or first) position. This is when the crown is up against the case. Make sure to unscrew the screw-down crown on diving watches and many other sports watches before trying to wind the spring. All you have to do is turn the crown counterclockwise until the crown pops out. Once everything is set, don’t forget to screw the crown back down into place. This is the only way to guarantee your watch remains water resistant.
Setting the Date
You can set the date on wristwatches with a quickset date function by gently pulling the crown out into the second position and giving it a turn. If your mechanical watch also includes a day display, this can usually be set in the second crown position as well. For watches with the common automatic ETA caliber 2836-2, turn the crown clockwise to set the date and counterclockwise to set the day.
Keep in mind: The quickset date function should never be used between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM on many mechanical watches, as this can damage the movement. Consult your watch’s user manual for the exact timeframe.
Tip: One common issue is the date automatically changing at 12:00 noon instead of 12:00 midnight. You can avoid this by winding the watch and then adjusting the hands until the date moves forward. Now you can use the quickset function to set the correct date.
Setting the Time
Both the time and date are set in the second crown position on watches lacking a quickset date function. If your watch has this convenient function, you have to carefully pull the crown out into the third position before setting the time. Now you can move the hands forward or backward to your desired time.
Watches with a stop-seconds mechanism are especially practical. The second hand stops as soon as you pull the crown out, allowing you to set the time to the exact second.
Special Information for Watches with Calendars and Moon Phase Displays
Mechanical watches with calendars and/or moon phase displays require special care. Their inner mechanisms are often so complex and sensitive that a single instance of improper operation can have costly consequences. Therefore, you should read your timepiece’s user manual thoroughly before setting it for the first time. It will explain in detail how to correctly set the date, day, and month displays. This often requires a small tool used to operate the pusher integrated into the case. Always proceed carefully and slowly. Be sure to only ever set the display forward, never backward.
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