I guess that it depends on the movement, you might get luckier with newer movements which resist better to this type of sabotage [emoji9]

 

You can sometimes get away with it without damage. Some movements are more tolerant than others. I've heard Valjoux 775x movements have effectively no tolerance and setting the date at the wrong time is pretty much guaranteed to break them the first time.

 

You can sometimes get away with it without damage. Some movements are more tolerant than others. I've heard Valjoux 775x movements have effectively
no tolerance and setting the date at the wrong time is pretty much guaranteed to break them the first time.

Yep, I dodged a bullet a number of years back.

Thought the watch was going to need a service, but it "recovered" from my screw-up.

Don't recall which watch, just recall the moment of realizing what I had just done.

 

Great question. I am curious as well.

As for my own experience, I forgot about the general rule of setting the date and proceeded to set the date on one of my watches. I felt resistance to changing the date and "backed off". I then moved the hands to the acceptable range and then set the date. I recall keeping an eye on the watch for some time and didn't see anything obvious. That was about 2 years ago and I completely forgot which watch it was.

 

I've done the same thing...felt some resistance and got very confused, but didn't force it, then finally realized what the problem was. Watch seems none the worse for wear.

 

Yep. I actually broke my first automatic/ mechanical watch by doing that. It was a new Vostok Amphibia. Sucked at the time but at least I'm glad I learned my lesson right away.

 

Interesting, had no idea. Thanks for the heads up...

 

Not first-hand experience, but the last time I was at one of my jewelers/watch-repair shops in D.C., the other customer in there at the time was having his Rolex serviced after having problems, and the jeweler had to explain to him that he should not have quick-set the date between 9pm and 3am. The customer had damaged the movement.

 

I always set the hands to 6pm and then roll the date over till the day before, then spin the hands around until the date flips.

 

I try to use this method but now and then forget and have been lucky so for.

 

I think I did break my Planet Ocean this way. It was a veering near service anyway but yes I think I broke something.

 

Interesting YouTube video by Mark at LIW explains the process. Around 16 min is where he goes into the reasoning of why not to adjust the date during certain hours.
Click here for video

 

Ive been lucky... a few times lol. Knock on wood

 

Hmmm you think it's an urban myth? Could be brother

 

Never knew that wow

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Thankfully, my brother who worked as a watch salesman for years had told me about this issue so many times that before I ever got an automatic watch, I knew never to do this. Otherwise, I would have most certainly ruined a watch or two.

 

Yes. I broke the ability of the watch to hand wind. It would still operate and rotor-wind though. No other ill effects. Now I always, always, always "set at six" no matter the movement.

 

I did it a few times a long time ago when I didn't understand (and of course as a man I don't RTFM), and I didn't notice any damage.

Now the first thing I do when I pick one up to wear that's wound itself down fully is crank the movement forward until the date rolls over, so I know I'm in the "a.m." Then I start winding. Then I set the time. Then I set the date.

Generally hate date windows anyway and try to buy time-only watches as much as possible, for this and other reasons.

 

Fortunately, I have never.

 

Seems like there's still many people who have no idea what this discussion is about and the importance of setting the date only after 4am.
I'm amongst the lucky few who didn't kill my watch by trying to set the date between 9pm to 4am.
I've come close, on occasions where an overseas purchase has arrived and the watch had run out of charge.... 😃

 

I've always wondered if setting the date at the wrong time really "broke" anything or if it just wasn't a good idea because it "might" damage something or the other. I guess I won't really know since experimenting with something like that is not a good idea.

 

Thanks for the info guys.. Never heard about this info before. It's also my first time to own an automatic watch. Since some of the watches I've had were quartz and manual-wind mechanical..

 

Right now it's 9 pm somewhere...

 

For the longest time I thought you couldn't make any adjustments while the watch was in the date change period. I would sometimes be hours into my workday before I thought it was safe to set the right time and date. Lol I feel like and idiot now.

 

Hehe funny but if you don't know you don't know. ?

Fortunately I have never done it. Probably because I never bother to set the date on any of my mechanical watches

You heathen, my OCD would torture me.

 

When I got my very first “expensive“ watch it was instilled upon me by the sales rep how to correctly set the date and I have never strayed from that procedure

1. Fully wind

2. Pull crown to time setting position.

3. Set time forward until date changes and keep going and stop at 12 noon.

4.Set date to one day behind current date.

5. Go back to time set position and run forward until date changes to current date and stop at current time.

At first I thought what a BS process but then he explained what damage can occur so I have done it this way for a long time

 

When I got my very first "expensive" watch it was instilled upon me by the sales rep how to correctly set the date and I have never strayed from that procedure

1. Fully wind

2. Pull crown to time setting position.

3. Set time forward until date changes and keep going and stop at 12 noon.

4.Set date to one day behind current date.

5. Go back to time set position and run forward until date changes to current date and stop at current time.

At first I thought what a BS process but then he explained what damage can occur so I have done it this way for a long time

Steps 2-5 I'm on board with, but what role does winding play? I don't wind my watches....just shake, set, and go.

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Fortunately I have never done it. Probably because I never bother to set the date on any of my mechanical watches

 

I'm going to add this to my list of reasons why I don't like having a date on my watch

 

I'm going to add this to my list of reasons why I don't like having a date on my watch

hahaha XD

 

Never have tried it. I check a watch I am going to wear in the AM and make any necessary changes.

 

I no longer use the winder. I get up, grab a watch, set the time, give it a shake or two and move on. I don't even set the date anymore.