« How to Set the Time and Date on Your New Watch »
For some it's the easiest task in the world, for others it has already caused considerable damage: setting a mechanical watch. We show you how to adjust the date and time using common winding crowns so you can get a manual-wind or automatic watch running perfectly and avoid costly mistakes. Complex models with a moon phase, perpetual calendar, or GMT function in particular require careful handling.
Quickset Date: How Does the Crown of an Automatic Watch Work?
Whether you want to set a Tissot, Longines, or Breitling: if the timepiece has a quickset date (e.g., in the widely used ETA 2824 caliber), the crown typically has three positions. When the instruction manual refers to position 1, it means the crown pushed all the way in. Note: many dive watches have a screw-down crown that must first be unscrewed to reach the first position. On all manual-wind and most automatic watches, position 1 is used to wind the movement by turning the crown. To set the date on a mechanical watch, you need to pull the crown out to position 2. If you now turn the crown, the date advances by one day with each click; if the watch has a day-date complication, turning in the opposite direction usually advances the day of the week. To set the time on a wristwatch with a quickset date, pull the crown out once more to position 3.
If you want to set certain models such as an Omega fitted with the caliber 8500, you won't find a quickset date. In the case of the 8500, position 2 is occupied by an independently adjustable hour hand, while the exact time is set in the third position. Various other solutions are possible.
Setting the Date: The Cardinal Sin to Avoid
Somewhere in the world it happens every day: a proud owner wants to set his mechanical watch and, within seconds, causes damage running into three or four figures. How can that happen? By manually changing the date at the wrong time. Between 21:00 and 03:00, most date complications are in a changeover mode during which the timepiece gradually moves on to the next day. To limit wear on the movement, manufacturers give their calibers some leeway during this period. When setting a mechanical watch within this time window (the "date change zone"), you'll feel resistance when turning the crown. Continuing to turn is fatal, as it can damage gears and cause significant damage to the inner workings of the masterpiece. Our tip for 100 percent safety: only change the date when the hour hand is in the lower half of the dial.
Setting the time forward, on the other hand, is harmless and can be done at any time. Turning the time backward during the date change zone, however, should be avoided to protect the movement. If the watch has no hacking seconds, such as the popular Seiko 5 or other Seiko models, you'll encounter slight resistance when setting the time backward, which can safely be overcome outside the date change zone.
Instructions: Setting the Time in Four Steps
To set a mechanical watch with a quickset date perfectly, four steps are required:
1.) Winding. Most manufacturers recommend 30 to 40 clockwise turns of the crown to fully power the timepiece. While automatic movements give no noticeable sign of being fully wound, manual-wind watches will offer resistance. Once you feel it, stop turning the crown.
2.) Pull the crown out to position 2 and turn it until yesterday's date appears. Wait for the seconds hand to complete one full rotation.
3.) Pull the crown out to position 3 and advance the time past midnight to reach the current date. Then keep turning the hands to the desired time, distinguishing between a.m. and p.m.; the latter requires passing 12 o'clock a second time.
4.) Push the crown back into its original position (position 1) and, if applicable, screw it down to restore the watch's water resistance.
Moon Phases and Perpetual Calendars: Special Considerations
When setting a mechanical watch with additional complications, you need to take particular care. A popular classic is the moon phase, whose mechanism makes the movement more complex and therefore more sensitive to incorrect handling. There are two possible variants: while some watches allow the moon phase to be adjusted via the crown, with the date function linked directly to the correct position of our natural satellite, others rely on a separate pusher for adjustment. Here, one press corresponds to one additional day in the lunar cycle. The best way to set it correctly: first find out the date of the last full moon (e.g., from an online lunar calendar), then press the pusher 20 times if today's date is 20 days after the last full moon.
The same date change zone rules apply to perpetual calendars as to conventional timepieces. In addition, keep in mind that because the perpetual calendar is mechanically programmed, the date must never be set backward. This demanding complication works, so to speak, in one direction only. If the watch stops, each individual day typically has to be readjusted manually, which is why a watch winder is a sensible tool for perpetual calendars.
Two Time Zones: Setting a GMT Watch
To set a mechanical watch with a second time zone, local time and reference time must be adjusted separately. Reference time refers to the second time zone to be set, while local time relates to your current location. Typically, changing the reference time also moves the hour hand automatically, which is why the reference time is set before the local time. The usual procedure is as follows:
1.) Pull the crown out to position 3, align the bezel in its standard position (triangle at 12 o'clock), and set the reference time using the crown. The hour is read via the crown, while the minutes are read on the dial as usual.
2.) Move the crown to position 2 and set the local time by moving the hour hand (which jumps in one-hour increments) to the desired time. Because the date is linked to local time, it changes within the critical window of that local time (usually 21:00 to 03:00).
