Watch Operating Instructions
I've been a watch guy nearly all my life and I really like mechanical watches. Amazing little machines for the wrist. I've owned mechanical watches for over 2 decades now and it's easy to forget that not everyone understands how a mechanical watch works. So, I'll make an attempt to share some tips and simplify things a bit.
What is an automatic/mechanical movement? Watches equipped with an automatic movement do not use batteries. Rather, they use your normal every day movements to store the energy needed to power the watch. If you lightly shake the watch, you can hear/feel the rotor spinning inside the case. When the rotor spins, it stores the energy in the main spring of the movement. On a full charge, the watch should operate for about 40 hours before you would need to wear it or wind it up to keep it running. The Crown, Winding, Setting the date, and Setting Time Your watch comes with a screw down crown. DO NOT TRY TO "PULL" THE CROWN OUT. Ask me why I all capped that last sentence. It’s really important to understand this. In order to maintain water resistance, the crown needs to be securely screwed down. This includes something as simple as washing your hands and definitely if you plan to swim. It helps to get in the habit of checking the crown each time you strap on your watch to make sure it is properly screwed down. To operate the crown to set the time, simply give the crown a few twists counter-clockwise. Once the crown releases from the threads, you should feel a slight “pop” from the crown spring. This will put the crown in to the first position which is hand winding. You can manually wind up the watch by giving it 20-30 twists in a clockwise direction. If you hold the watch closely to your hear you can hear the gears winding. Setting the Time Gently pull the crown out to the 3rd position. You’ll feel a fairly solid “click” and you’ll know you are in the 3rd position if the seconds hand stops. Once in the 3rd position, you can then twist the crown in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction to set the time. If for any reason, the time setting feels rough, or while in the 3rd position the hands don't move, push the crown back in, then pull it back out to the 3rd position and try again. The important thing to keep in mind here, is if you feel like you're having to force the watch to do what you think it should, it's helpful to step back, push the crown back in, then try again. You shouldn't have to force things. Setting the Date If your watch has a date window, you'll need to learn how to properly set the date. To set the date, unscrew the crown. Once the crown clears the threads you’ll feel it release to the first position, hand winding. Gently pull the crown out to the second position. The "click" is more subtle than the 3rd position. In the second position, twist the crown clockwise to advance the date. If the hands move, then you’re in the 3rd position. Simply push the crown back and gently pull it out to find the 2nd position. A couple of things to keep in mind. First, the date will change at midnight so in order to set the date, you’ll need to determine where midnight is. Unscrew the crown and gently pull it out to the 3rd position for setting the time. Turn the crown counterclockwise and advance time until you go past 12. Once you pass 12, if the date changes, then you’ll know that the watch is at 12am. They don’t recommend setting the time between 10pm and 2am. So just advance the hours past 3am, set the date, then proceed to set the current time and screw back down the crown. Securing the Crown Once you've set the time, you'll want to secure the crown. To close the crown, gently push the crown in, and while maintaining a little inward pressure, twist the crown clockwise until threads catch and then twist until closed. You shouldn't have to force it. So if it feels like you're really having to crank on it, STOP. You don't want to strip the thread on the crown tube. Until you get comfortable with the process, I find this helpful. While applying that inward pressure, twist the crown COUNTERCLOCKWISE until you feel the click once the threads catch up. At that point you know that it's safe to screw the crown down. Last Bit of Advice If you're new to automatic/mechanical watches, jump on Youtube and look up videos on automatic watches. Lots of information out there. Probably a good idea to familiarize yourself with how they work. Lastly, feel free to reach out to me. Happy to answer questions and help you out. |