How to Set an Automatic Watch

To set an automatic watch: wind the crown about 20–30 turns to start it, set the date first, then pull the crown all the way out to set the time — and avoid changing the date between about 9 PM and 3 AM.If you’ve just been given an automatic and it arrived stopped, that’s normal — here’s exactly what to do.

Step by step

1. Wind it to wake it up.With the crown pushed in, turn it clockwise about 20–30 times. The watch will start ticking. (An automatic keeps itself wound after this from the motion of your wrist.)
2. Set the date.Gently pull the crown out to the middle position and turn it until yesterday’s date shows, then advance to today when you set the time past midnight — or simply set today’s date directly if there’s only one date position.
3. Set the time. Pull the crown all the way out (the seconds hand usually stops, which lets you set it precisely). Turn to the correct time; push past 12 into the morning if you need the date to flip to today.
4. Push the crown back in.If it’s a screw-down crown, press gently and screw it clockwise until snug — this keeps the water resistance intact.

The one thing to avoid

Don’t change the date between roughly 9 PM and 3 AM. During those hours the movement is already engaging the date change, and forcing it manually can damage the mechanism. If you’re setting the watch at night, move the time to a daytime hour first, set the date, then set the correct time.

Keeping it running

An automatic winds from wrist motion, so wearing it daily keeps it going. If it sits unworn for a day or two it’ll stop — just wind and reset it as above. For everything else a new owner should know, see our watch care basics, and for what “automatic” even means, our movements guide.