How to Adjust the Calendar on a German Watch?

　　Many beginners do not know how to adjust the time, especially on mechanical watches with complex functions where the day and date are displayed together. So how should we operate them? Today, let's explore some watch knowledge regarding adjusting the calendar on German watches!

　　How a German Watch Calendar Works

　　Power is transmitted from the hour wheel, and through the speed change of the calendar intermediate wheel, the calendar driving wheel rotates once every 24 hours. There is a pin (or a spring-like component) on the calendar driving wheel used to push the teeth of the calendar disc. The calendar disc has 31 teeth and characters, and the calendar jumper pawl fits into the teeth of the calendar disc, acting as a positioning mechanism under the pressure of the jumper spring. If the calendar jump is a slow-climbing or quick-jumping type, the calendar driving wheel and the calendar disc will move slowly and gradually during the transition (starting from 8 o'clock in the evening and ending at 12 o'clock). If it is an instantaneous jump type, there will also be a cam under the calendar driving wheel, along with a large lever and a spring. When the cam is compressed and suddenly released by the large lever, it instantly advances the calendar disc by one tooth (character).

　　German Watch Calendar Types

　　The calendar function is perhaps the simplest complication on a watch, and it comes in many types, the most common being the window-type calendar. Window calendars also have many variations. For example, in terms of the speed of changing the calendar digits, there are three types: (1) instantaneous jump, (2) quick jump, and (3) slow climb. The calendar window is most commonly opened at the 3 o'clock position on the dial, though other positions exist and vary. A more unusual style is the so-called "big date" calendar, which displays the tens and units digits of the date on two separate discs. This allows the digits to be made relatively large without needing a magnifying cyclops on the watch crystal. Watches with a calendar function are not complex in structure. The main parts of the calendar mechanism include: the calendar disc, calendar driving wheel, calendar intermediate wheel, calendar jumper pawl, calendar jumper spring, quick-set calendar wheel, calendar cover plate, and screws.

　　How to adjust the calendar on German watches

　　We know that within a 24-hour day, a watch's calendar mechanism only jumps once. However, the hour hand rotates twice. In the first scenario, the watch will change the calendar at 12 o'clock midday. Correcting this is very simple: you only need to turn the hour hand clockwise by one full rotation. If the second scenario occurs, there are two methods to correct it. Usually, modern watches with a calendar (including day-date) function have 3 positions for the crown. When the crown is pushed fully in, also known as the "normal position", rotating the crown at this time only winds the watch. When the crown is pulled fully out, the hands can be adjusted forwards or backwards. Between the "normal position" and the fully pulled-out hand-setting position, there is another position, which is used for quick calendar adjustment. You need to slowly and carefully set the crown to this position, then rotate the crown to accurately correct the calendar disc.

　　How to adjust the time on German watches

　　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.