How To Operate Your Pocket Watch

Basic Quartz Pocket Watches

These operate just like standard quartz wrist watches. To set the date (if this is a feature on the watch), pull the crown out to the first detent and turn anti-clockwise. To set the time, pull the crown all the way out (or second detent) and wind clockwise. Push the crown all the way back in to start the movement and begin normal time keeping.

How to Open & Close Hunter-Cased Pocket Watches

A hunter case has a latch which catches on the rim of the front cover and keeps the cover closed. To open the watch, you depress the crown (the winding knob) which is connected through a spring to the latch. To close a hunter-case watch, it's important that you don't "snap" the case-lid shut. Doing this will wear out the spot on the case-rim where the latch engages.

How to Open & Close Double Hunter Pocket Watches

To open a double hunter case, press the button on top of the winder gently to open the front case. Press the button further to open both the front and back cases.
To close a double hunter watch, press the winder, it is important that you don't "snap" the case-lid shut, doing this will wear out the latch.

Mechanical Watches

These pocket watches depend upon the stored energy in the main spring to power the movement and therefore should be wound daily.

To wind the watch turn the crown in the clockwise direction anywhere from 30-40 half turns until it stops. Push the crown back down into the normal operating position. Winding and setting of the time should be done daily. However, do not over wind, as this can damage the spring mechanism.

IMPORTANT

Mechanical pocket watches typically have an accuracy +/- 60 seconds within a 24 hour period. This is due to temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and altitude affecting the movement. For this reason, a mechanical pocket watch should not only be fully wound, but the time should also be reset daily. If the watch is wound only, the time could be off by several minutes within a few days.

Multi-Function Pocket Watches

These pocket watches include many different features and therefore generally come with detailed operating instructions.

Dual Time Instructions

1. Crown at click 1 – Hand winding mode
2. Crown at click 2 – Time setting mode
a) Turn the hands forward to set both home time and dual time synchronously.
b) As the dual time will stay unmoved, turn the home time backward to adjust the time difference between 2 time zones. When the difference is shown correct, continue turning backward until a ‘click’ sound as a signal of confirm. (A ‘click’ will sound slightly at each half round of minute hand backward.)
3. Sun & moon are running synchronously with home time.

Turn forward to set the dual time.
Turn backward to set the home time.
Backward to get the ‘click’ as to confirm.
Forward to adjust the home time again.

Example: To set the home time to 10:08 and dual time to 09:08
Step 1: Turn the hands forward to set the dual time to 09:08
Step 2: Turn the hands backward to set the home time to 10:08
Step 3: Turn backward slowly to get the ‘click’ as to confirm
Step 4: Turn forward to adjust the home time finally