How to wind and set an automatic watch, and avoid the date danger zone.

Crown positions.

• Screwed down (dive watches): the crown is locked against the case. Unscrew it counter-clockwise until it pops out.
• Position 0 (pushed in): turning the crown hand-winds the watch, if the movement supports it.
• Position 1: quick-set date (and day on some watches).
• Position 2 (pulled fully out): sets the hands. On a hacking movement the seconds hand stops here.

Step by step.

1. If the crown screws down, unscrew it until it releases.
2. In position 0, wind 20 to 30 turns clockwise to start the watch, if it hand-winds. Many movements wind only in one direction; the other turns freely.
3. Check the time is not between 9 pm and 3 am. If it is, first pull to position 2 and move the hands to around 6 o’clock.
4. Pull to position 1 and set the date to the day before today.
5. Pull to position 2 and turn the hands forward until the date changes to today. You are now in the morning hours.
6. Keep going to the correct time, adding 12 hours if it is afternoon. For precision, stop the hands slightly past the minute and push in on the beep of a time signal.
7. Push the crown home and screw it down if it is a screw-down crown. Do not force the threads.

Why the date danger zone exists.

On many mechanical watches, the date-change mechanism starts engaging a few hours before midnight. Using the quick-set while those gears are engaged can strain or break them. The exact window varies by movement, so 9 pm to 3 am is the safe rule unless your manual says otherwise. Quartz watches with a date generally do not have this problem.

Setting a GMT or day-date.

On a day-date, the day is often set by turning the crown in the opposite direction in position 1. On a GMT, one crown position sets the 24-hour hand or the local hour. Check the manual for your exact movement. How GMT watches work.