If you just picked up a new Nixon watch, or pulled an old favorite out of a drawer, you might find yourself staring at the wrong time.
Setting an analog watch is one of those skills that feels obvious once you know it, but can understandably be confusing for the uninitiated. The good news is that it takes less than a minute once you know what you are doing.
Here is everything you need to know about setting analog watches.
How to Set the Time on Analog Watches
Start With the Crown
The crown is the small knob located on the side of your watch case, typically at the 3 o'clock position (or at the 9 o'clock position for larger watches like the 51-30 Chrono).
Before you touch it, set your watch down on a soft cloth or flat surface so you have a clean workspace and do not risk scratching the case.
Some crowns simply pull outward with your fingers. Others, found on dive watches and water-resistant models, are screw-down crowns that first need to be unscrewed counterclockwise before they can be pulled out. If your crown does not budge when you try to pull it, give it a few gentle counterclockwise turns first. Once it loosens, it will be ready to pull.
Understand Crown Positions
Most analog watches have two or three crown positions, and knowing which position does what will save you a lot of confusion.
Here is a quick breakdown of common analog watch crown positions:
- Position 0 (fully pushed in): The watch runs normally. This is its default operating position.
- Position 1 (one click out): On watches with a date or day function, this position lets you adjust the date by rotating the crown. On manual-wind mechanical watches, this is typically the winding position.
- Position 2 (fully pulled out): This is the time-setting position. The hands will move as you rotate the crown.
On simpler analog watches without a date complication, there may only be a single pull position. In that case, pulling the crown out once will take you directly to time-setting mode.
How to Set the Time on Analogs: Step by Step
Follow these steps for a clean, accurate time set on any standard analog watch:
- Check your reference time. Before you start turning anything, pull up an accurate time source. Your phone, a smart speaker, or a radio-controlled clock all work well. You want to know the exact time you are aiming for before you pull the crown.
- Pull the crown to the time-setting position. Pull the crown outward to its last position to begin making time adjustments. You will typically feel a light click when it reaches the right stop.
- Rotate the crown to move the hands. Turn the crown clockwise to move the hands forward. It is best practice to always set the time by moving the hands forward rather than backward, as reversing the hands on some movements, particularly mechanical ones, can stress the gears over time.
- Account for AM vs. PM. This is only important if your watch has a day and/or date window, as the date will only change when the hands pass midnight. For a PM time, you will need to advance the hands through a full 12-hour cycle past midnight before landing on your target time.
- Sync to the second. If you want to be precise, hold the crown in the pulled-out position at roughly 30 seconds past the minute (or whatever offset you need), then push it back in the moment your reference clock hits that same second. Many quartz movements will pause the second hand when the crown is out, which makes this easier.
- Push the crown back in. Once you are done setting the time, push the crown all the way back in and the time is set. If you have a screw-down crown, now is the time to screw it back down clockwise until snug. Do not overtighten.
Setting the Date (If Your Watch Has One)
If your Nixon analog has a date or day/date window, set the date before you finalize the time. Here's how:
- Pull the crown to the date position and set it to one day before today's date.
- Then advance the hands past midnight so the date ticks forward to the correct day. This step matters because it locks in the proper AM/PM orientation, which keeps the date from rolling over at the wrong time.
- Once the date is correct, continue rotating the hands forward to your current time and push the crown in.
One important caution: never adjust the date by rotating the crown while the watch hands are between roughly 9 PM and 3 AM. During this window, the date-change mechanism in most mechanical and automatic watches is actively engaged. Forcing a date change during this period can damage the gears.
If you are in that window, advance the hands out of it first, then make your date adjustment. Pointing both hands down to the 6 o'clock position is a safe move when making adjustments to the day/date window on a watch.
Common Time Setting Mistakes to Avoid
- Turning the hands backward: Always advance the time clockwise. Running hands counterclockwise is the single most common way to stress a mechanical movement.
- Forgetting to push the crown back in: Leaving the crown pulled out can stop the watch or, on water-resistant models, void the water protection.
- Adjusting the date in the danger zone: As mentioned above, avoid changing the date when the hands are near midnight, especially on a mechanical watch.
- Forcing a screw-down crown: If your crown is not pulling out easily, unscrew it first. Forcing it will strip the threads and compromise water resistance.
- Setting PM time without completing the full cycle: If you set a watch with a day and/or date window to 7:00 without confirming whether it is AM or PM, your date will could over at the wrong moment.
Find the Right Nixon for You
Once you have the basics dialed in, setting your watch takes seconds.
Whether you are rocking a classic Nixon Time Teller, a rugged Nixon Ripley, or a more feature-rich model with a day/date complication, the fundamentals are the same.
For more information, we also have a dedicated watch instructions page where you can find model-specific guidance for setting the time, date, and chronograph on any watch in the lineup. It is a useful bookmark for whenever you pick up something new.
