Watch guides
Plain-language explainers for the functions on your watch. Each one takes a few minutes, and several include a dial you can play with.
Setting
Get your watch running and set correctly.
- Setting2 min read
Winding a stopped watch
Before you set anything, give the movement enough energy to keep good time.
Read guide - Setting3 min read
Setting the time to the second
Use hacking seconds and this clock to get your watch accurate to within a second.
Read guide - Setting3 min read
Setting the date safely
Avoid the “danger zone”, get AM/PM right, and handle short months.
Read guide
Complications
What the extra hands and windows do.
- Complications3 min read
How a moon phase complication works
A disc with two moons, a 59-tooth wheel, and how to set it in a minute.
Read guide - Complications3 min read
How a GMT watch works
A fourth hand, a 24-hour scale, and how to read two or three time zones at once.
Read guide - Complications3 min read
Office GMT vs traveler GMT
Which hand jumps independently — and why it matters for how you use the watch.
Read guide
Bezels
How to use the rotating ring around the dial.
- Bezels2 min read
How a timing (dive) bezel works
Track elapsed minutes at a glance — and why it only turns one way.
Read guide - Bezels2 min read
How a 12-hour bezel works
A poor man’s GMT, an hours timer, and a countdown — all in one ring.
Read guide - Bezels2 min read
How a tachymeter works
Turn a chronograph into a speedometer with one simple formula.
Read guide