The clocks are changing. Your watch won't change itself.
The clocks go back an hour at 2am on Sunday 25th October. Your phone, laptop and car will probably sort themselves out. Your analogue watch won’t.
If you wear a quartz watch, this might be one of only two times a year you touch the crown. Once in spring, and again in autumn. It’s a small job, but it’s also when a lot of avoidable damage happens. So before you start pulling and twisting, here are a few simple and perhaps not so obvious rules.
Three rules for changing the time on your watch
1. Take it off first. Don’t change the time while it’s on your wrist. The awkward angle puts unnecessary stress on the stem, the thin rod that connects the crown to the movement. Bend it enough and it will snap.
2. Unscrew before you pull. If you have a screw-down crown, as on most diver’s watches, unscrew it first. Forcing it straight out will damage the crown, the tube and the threads. Once you’ve set the time, push the crown back in and screw it down again. If you don’t, your watch is no longer water resistant.
3. If it won’t budge, don’t force it. If the crown doesn’t pull out easily, stop. Something may be jammed, and forcing it will do far more damage than leaving it alone.
How to change the time on a quartz watch
- Take the watch off and lay it on a soft, flat surface.
- If the crown screws down, turn it anticlockwise until it springs free.
- Gently pull the crown out to the time-setting position. On a watch without a date, that’s the first click. On a watch with a date, it’s usually the second click, as the first one sets the date.
- Turn the crown to move the hands. When the clocks go back, you only need to move the hour hand back one hour. When they go forward in spring, move it on one hour.
- Push the crown back in fully. If it’s a screw-down crown, push it in and turn it clockwise until it’s snug. There’s no need to overtighten it.
What about automatic and mechanical watches?
The same three rules apply. There’s one extra thing to watch out for if your watch shows the date.
On most mechanical watches, the date mechanism starts to engage in the hours around midnight, roughly between 9pm and 3am. Changing the date, or winding the hands back and forth through that window, can damage the date wheel. If you’re only moving the time back or forward an hour, do it during the day and you’ll avoid the problem altogether.
Signs you may have damaged the crown or stem
- The crown spins but the hands don’t move.
- The crown feels loose or wobbly.
- It won’t push back in, or won’t screw down.
- It pulls out further than it should, or comes out in your hand.
- Fogging or moisture appears under the glass after setting the time.
If you notice any of these, stop using the crown and get it looked at. A replacement stem or crown is a fairly simple repair if it’s caught early. Carrying on can damage the movement, or let water in.
Already been a bit of a silly sausage?
If the crown has already come off in your hand, don’t worry. It happens more often than you’d think, and it’s usually very fixable. You know where we are: www.fixmywatch.co.uk
Frequently asked questions
Do the clocks go forward or back in October?
Back. In the UK, the clocks go back one hour on the last Sunday in October, and forward one hour on the last Sunday in March. Spring forward, fall back.
Can I change the time on my watch while wearing it?
You can, but we wouldn’t. Turning the crown at an angle puts stress on the stem, and that’s one of the most common ways stems get bent or snapped. Take it off first.
Is it bad to turn the hands backwards?
On most quartz and modern mechanical watches, turning the hands backwards is fine. The thing to avoid is winding back and forth through the date change window late at night.
Why won’t my watch crown pull out?
It may be a screw-down crown that needs unscrewing first. If it isn’t, and it still won’t move with gentle pressure, something may be jammed. Don’t force it. Bring it to us and we’ll take a look.
