Watch time sync

Checking your device clock…

Set your watch to --:-- with the seconds hand at 12

SETMYWATCHAUTOMATIC
-- seconds

Tap so you can look away: you get beeps, vibration on Android, and the screen stays on.

How to set a mechanical watch to the second

  1. Stop the seconds hand at 12. Pull the crown out to the time-setting position when the seconds hand reaches 12. On most modern watches this stops the hand (it's called hacking).
  2. Set the hands to the next minute. Move the minute hand a little past the target and back onto it, so the gears take up their slack and the hand sits exactly on the marker.
  3. Push the crown in at zero. When the screen flashes GO, push the crown home. Your watch now starts at the exact second.

Why not just use my phone's clock?

Phones and computers sync their clocks only now and then, and can be off by a second or more. SetMyWatch measures the difference against an accurate server and corrects for it, then counts down using your device's steady internal timer.

What if my watch doesn't hack?

Some older and some current movements don't stop the seconds hand when you pull the crown. Set the minute hand to the target minute while the watch runs, then push the crown in when the seconds hand passes 12 and the countdown hits zero together. You'll be within a second or two.

Need more time?

Set the watch to the minute after the one shown and wait one more round. The countdown always points at the next whole minute.