Methods and precautions for setting the time on a German watch

　　Many people wear German watches, but a significant portion of them are unfamiliar with how to adjust them. Below is a guide on how to set the time on a German watch.

　　How to adjust the time on German watches

　　First, the central crown screws down like a bottle cap in accordance with the counter's waterproof design. To adjust the time, turn it anticlockwise downwards to loosen it, just like opening a flask lid.

　　Next, once loosened, the crown in position 0 can be turned directly upwards to manually wind the mainspring. (For newly purchased German watches or those that have not been worn for a long time, please wind 30 turns when wearing them again to ensure sufficient power; this is not required for daily wear).

　　Then, pull the crown out slightly to position 1; turning it upwards adjusts the day of the week, and turning it downwards adjusts the date.

　　Finally, pull the crown out once more to position 2 to adjust the time.

　　How to adjust the date on a German watch?

　　The crown has two positions. Pulling the German watch crown out to the first position allows you to adjust the date, while pulling it out another notch allows you to set the time. When adjusting the date, it is recommended to set the hour hand to the seven o'clock position first, as this is said to prevent the mechanism from jamming and avoids causing any damage to the movement of the German watch. Afterwards, simply pull the crown out to the first position to adjust the date. To set the time, just pull the crown out one more notch.

　　Method for setting the time on a mechanical watch

　　1. According to the method described in the user guide, pull the crown out to the manual setting position, then adjust the hands clockwise until the date changes to the next day. If the watch has stopped running, it is difficult to determine whether the time shown by the hands is morning or afternoon, but as long as you pay attention when the date changes to the next day, it indicates that the time is midnight 12 o'clock.

　　2. Turn the hour hand at least 6 hours past midnight (i.e., 6 o'clock in the morning) before adjusting the hands. Use the rapid advance mechanism of the date function to adjust the watch to yesterday's date. The date function of the watch operates normally between 8 o'clock in the evening and 3 o'clock in the early morning, and adjusting the hands during this time will damage the performance of the movement. 6 o'clock in the morning is definitely not the date-changing period, and adjusting the hands at this time is most appropriate. After setting the date to yesterday's date, you can proceed with the following steps:

　　3. Push the crown back to the normal position to activate the movement, then pull it out again to the manual setting position, and adjust the second hand to the 12 o'clock position. This procedure allows you to use a time signal to set the watch accurately to the second.

　　4. Now turn the hands clockwise until the date shows today, then adjust the time to about 5 minutes ahead of the actual time. If the current time has passed noon, make sure to turn the hour hand past 12 o'clock. By checking whether the date turns, you can determine whether the time displayed by the watch is around noon. Furthermore, this method allows you to set the time between 12 o'clock 30 minutes at night and 3 o'clock in the early morning without damaging the date mechanism.

　　Precautions for adjusting the time on a German watch

　　Please note before adjusting the time: if your German watch features a screw-down crown, do not pull it out forcibly. Please rotate the locked crown anticlockwise to unscrew it first. After adjusting the time, turn the crown clockwise while pushing it inwards to lock it and prevent water ingress (many customers have reported that the crown on their received German watch cannot be turned or used to adjust the time—please read this instruction carefully).

　　Secondly, note that the danger zone for mechanical movements is between 21:00 and 4:00. Adjusting the day and date during this period is not advisable, as it may damage the movement.

　　Please do not adjust the time anticlockwise between 21:00-3:00, because during this time period the day and date wheels are changing over, and prolonged reverse adjustment will damage internal components. At other times, you can freely adjust clockwise or anticlockwise.