# HOW TO USE THE CROWN TO WIND & SET TIME CORRECTLY... A quick guide...



## Riker (Mar 31, 2007)

G'day all.......

Recently & in the past a number of you have had some questions regarding winding & time setting of Steinhart watches. Specifically many questions have been asked about winding, which direction, how often, when to stop, date setting, crown positions etc.

Here is a very quick guide on each movement currently used in the Steinhart collection & how to use the crown to facilitate proper function of your manual or automatic movement Steinhart. This guide can also be used for other branded watches using these movements. Another reminder, do not set the time or date on automatic watches with date & GMT inbetween 9pm-3am (21.00-03.00).

Please note, the position of the crown follows exactly as it does in the specs & operating instructions provided with each Steinhart watch. There is no position '0'..

* Position '1' is normal position against the case.
* Position '2' is pulling the crown out once.
* Position '3' is pulling the crown out twice. (auto movement only)

*ETA 6497/6498 Manual wind movement.*

_* Position '1'_ (against the case) is the normal position for the crown & is the winding position. Wind the crown clockwise (toward the top of watch), you will hear a continuous tick-tick-tick sound. Wind it until you feel enough resistance that makes the crown stop. Once it reaches this stop it is fully wound. Do not try & force it to wind further.
_* Position '2'_ is for adjusting the time. Move the crown clockwise or anti-clockwise to adjust time. The second hand does not stop. Push crown back to position '1' when done.

*ETA 2824-2 Automatic wind movement.*

_* Position '1'_ (against the case) is the normal position for the crown & the winding position if wound manually. Winding the watch this way, clockwise, you will hear a 'sshh' sound which is the correct winding sound for an auto. On an auto movement a clutch is in place in the movement that stops any overwinding. Winding it 40-50 turns manually should be enough. Remember being an auto movement everytime you move the watch it is winding itself which is the best option for winding the movement.
_* Position '2'_ is for date changing. Not all 2824-2 models have a date function so it is only useable if a date is present on your watch.
_* Position '3'_ is for adjusting the time. Move the crown clockwise or anti-clockwise to adjust the time. The second hand stops but doesn't hack to 12 on some models. Push crown back in to position '1' when done.

*ETA 2893-2 Automatic wind GMT movement.*

_* Position '1'_ (against the case) is the normal position for the crown & the winding position if wound manually. Winding the watch this way, clockwise, you will hear a 'sshh' sound which is the correct winding sound for an auto. On an auto movement a clutch is in place in the movement that stops any overwinding. Winding it 40-50 turns manually should be enough. Remember being an auto movement everytime you move the watch it is winding itself which is the best option for winding the movement.
_* Position '2'_ is for date changing. Turning the crown clockwise changes the date, anti-clockwise the GMT hand.
_* Position '3'_ is for adjusting the time. Move the crown clockwise or anti-clockwise to adjust the time. The second hand stops but doesn't hack to 12. Push crown back in to position '1' when done.

*VALJOUX 7750 Chrongraph Automatic movement.*

_* Position '1'_ (against the case) is the normal position for the crown & the winding position if wound manually. Winding the watch this way, clockwise, you will hear a 'sshh' sound which is the correct winding sound for an auto. On an auto movement a clutch is in place in the movement that stops any overwinding. Winding it 40-50 turns manually should be enough. Remember being an auto movement everytime you move the watch it is winding itself which is the best option for winding the movement.
_* Position '2'_ is for date changing. Note, position '3' also changes the date everytime you wind the hands through a 24hr cycle.
_* Position '3'_ is for adjusting the time. Move the crown clockwise or anti-clockwise to adjust the time. The second hand will automatically hack. (reset to 12). Push crown back in to position '1' when done.

If your watch crown does any more than as written above (which is very rare) then contact Steinhart to discuss.

Any questions or further advice, just ask............................:-!


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## Crow (Dec 14, 2008)

Thanks Riker :-!

I think it should be a sticky thread...


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## NCsmky (Dec 26, 2009)

Crow said:


> Thanks Riker :-!
> 
> I think I should be a sticky thread...


+1. Great information, thanks!


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## Tony A.H (Aug 2, 2009)

Kudos to you.
thank you James |>


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## SydneyDan (Mar 23, 2006)

Great thread, James.
But you left out some very important information :rodekaart

Under no circumstances between the hours of 8pm and 3am should you ever change the date on a 2824-2, a 2893-2 and a Valjoux 7750. This could possibly strip or damage the date wheel track. So always make sure your automatic watch is not within these hours if you're going to use the 2nd setting on the crown to change the date.
The first step when you go to set and wind your Auto watch should be to pull the crown out to position 3, and GO PAST MIDNIGHT so you know if it is AM or PM before you attempt to set the date. If the date clicks over you know it is midnight, etc. If not, then you're safe to change the date.

Most importantly: Enjoy your watches!


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## downer (Mar 1, 2009)

SydneyDan said:


> Great thread, James.
> But you left out some very important information :rodekaart
> 
> Under no circumstances between the hours of 8pm and 3am should you ever change the date on a 2824-2, a 2893-2 and a Valjoux 7750. This could possibly strip or damage the date wheel track. So always make sure your automatic watch is not within these hours if you're going to use the 2nd setting on the crown to change the date.
> ...


The important information was not missed out....;-)



Riker said:


> Another reminder, do not set the time or date on automatic watches with date & GMT inbetween 9pm-3am (21.00-03.00).


But, it is so vital, it is worth saying again. :-!


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## solowatch (Mar 17, 2008)

Riker said:


> *ETA 2893-2 Automatic wind GMT movement.*
> 
> _* Position '1'_ (against the case) is the normal position for the crown & the winding position if wound manually. Winding the watch this way, clockwise, you will hear a 'sshh' sound which is the correct winding sound for an auto. On an auto movement a clutch is in place in the movement that stops any overwinding. Winding it 40-50 turns manually should be enough. Remember being an auto movement everytime you move the watch it is winding itself which is the best option for winding the movement.
> _* Position '2'_ is for date changing. *Turning the crown clockwise changes the date, anti-clockwise the GMT hand.*
> _* Position '3'_ is for adjusting the time. Move the crown clockwise or anti-clockwise to adjust the time. The second hand stops but doesn't hack to 12. Push crown back in to position '1' when done.


On my Aviation GMT (2893-2) it is the opposite, turning counter-clockwise changes the date, clockwise changes the GMT.


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## kris (Feb 12, 2006)

Hi Riker,

Solowatch is correct, counterclock wise sets the date and clockwise sets GMT. My explanation was the other way round. Had to figure out without the watch


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## Riker (Mar 31, 2007)

OK, seems we have a quorum on this one...;-)

Thanks for the correction guys. This is exactly the reason I started this thread so everyone can look at it for info but also that all can participate so the correct info is available for all to use....:-!



solowatch said:


> On my Aviation GMT (2893-2) it is the opposite, turning counter-clockwise changes the date, clockwise changes the GMT.





kris said:


> Hi Riker,
> 
> Solowatch is correct, counterclock wise sets the date and clockwise sets GMT. My explanation was the other way round. Had to figure out without the watch


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## wtma (Jul 26, 2014)

Sorry for the bump, but this is a very useful post and should be made sticky.
Thanks Riker!


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## Fan freddy (Jun 26, 2017)

Riker said:


> G'day all.......
> 
> Recently & in the past a number of you have had some questions regarding winding & time setting of Steinhart watches. Specifically many questions have been asked about winding, which direction, how often, when to stop, date setting, crown positions etc.
> 
> ...


This thread is good information for beginners like me. 
May I know whether watch need to winding Everyday since I'm not wearing it daily. Yesterday wind 30 half turn possibly equal to 15 full turn. The watch stop movement. Today trying 40 half turn. Can someone guide me how to Ensure winding movement in a day so that I can winding again.


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## Watchfreek (Sep 20, 2012)

*Re: HOW TO USE THE CROWN TO WIND &amp;amp; SET TIME CORRECTLY... A quick guide...*



Fan freddy said:


> This thread is good information for beginners like me.
> May I know whether watch need to winding Everyday since I'm not wearing it daily. Yesterday wind 30 half turn possibly equal to 15 full turn. The watch stop movement. Today trying 40 half turn. Can someone guide me how to Ensure winding movement in a day so that I can winding again.


In most ETA movements, between 30-40 turns will fully "charge" a FULLY unwound movement and depending on the movement, last 40-50 hours. (so you'll need to give it less turns if you are winding it before the mainspring has fully unwound - see last paragraph for a guide on when to stop).

Each "turn" means the movement of the crown caused by the natural movement of turning it with your thumb and index finger while holding the case still (i.e. not a full 360°) - this is usually approx. a half turn (180°) on the crown.

You won't usually overwind an ETA movement because there is a clutch preventing it but it is a good habit to stop winding when you hear the clutch engage - there should be a distinct clicking sound when you continue to wind the crown after it is fully wound - that is the sound of the clutch.


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

Yes only Superman or Batman can overwind an automatic watch 

Sent from my LG-H630 using Tapatalk


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## Riker (Mar 31, 2007)

Old thread revival.... Awesome...

Hope all members that have never read it get something out of it.


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## Watchfreek (Sep 20, 2012)

Thanks for taking the time to write it James 👍


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## sticky (Apr 5, 2013)

Just because I've worn a watch since I was 4 I assume that everyone knows how to set a watch. WRONG. Thanks for posting this.


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## britishbass (Mar 4, 2019)

And WHICH DIRECTION to turn crown to adjust date on an ETA 2824-2? 
Upwards ( clockwise ) or "Downwards (counter clockwise??)


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

britishbass said:


> And WHICH DIRECTION to turn crown to adjust date on an ETA 2824-2?
> Upwards ( clockwise ) or "Downwards (counter clockwise??)


This excellent video has more than just date changing, it covers everything you should know about the date mechanism.


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## GMT-man (Dec 1, 2017)

One more thing about setting the time with mechanical watches not everyone is familiar with: If you want to set the time to XX:yy (with the second hand hacked to 0) first go about 15 minutes past the desired time, then TURN BACK to the exact time. This is because there is always some slack in the drive train and going against the time removes this slack and tightens the mechanism causing the minute hand to start moving right away when the watch is started.

Sometimes you can see the hands move a bit when you start to turn the crown even if the crown returns back and so does the hands also when you let go, this is because the whole caliber is moving slightly and then returns to the rest position. This makes the time adjustment a bit more difficult but one gets used to it and different watches behave differently in this respect.


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