A Little Time Adjustment on My Rolex
Alright, so the other day I noticed my Rolex was a bit off. Not by much, just a few minutes, but you know how it is. Once you see it, you gotta fix it. It’s one of those things. I’ve done this a handful of times now, so I figured I’d walk through how I usually handle it. It’s not brain surgery, but you still want to be a bit careful, you know?
First things first, I always make sure my hands are clean and I’m sitting somewhere comfortable, not rushing. You don’t want to be fumbling around with it.
Step 1: Unscrewing the Crown
So, the crown – that’s the little knob on the side – it’s usually screwed down tight. That’s what keeps the water out, so it’s pretty important. I just grip it gently between my thumb and forefinger and start turning it counter-clockwise, or towards me if the watch is facing up. You’ll feel it loosen up and then sort of ‘pop’ out a tiny bit. Don’t force it, it should unscrew smoothly.
Step 2: Pulling the Crown to the Time-Setting Position
Once it’s unscrewed, you need to pull it out. For my model, and I think for most Rolexes, you pull it out to the last position to adjust the hour and minute hands. Some watches have different positions for the date, but for just the time, it’s usually all the way out. You’ll feel a little click. If your watch has a date and you pull it to the first click, that’ll likely change the date, so make sure you pull it out far enough for the time. The second hand usually stops when you pull it to the time-setting position, which is handy.
Step 3: Setting the Time
Now, with the crown pulled out, I just turn it. Turning it one way moves the hands forward, the other way backward. I usually like to move the hands forward to the correct time. I’ll set it a minute or so ahead, then wait for the actual time to catch up. When my phone or another accurate clock hits the exact second (like 00 seconds), I push the crown back in. Seems to get it pretty spot on.
Step 4: Screwing the Crown Back Down
This is super important. Once the time is set, you gotta push the crown all the way back in, towards the case. Make sure it’s fully in. Then, while gently pushing it in, start turning it clockwise – away from you. You need to feel it catch the threads. Don’t force it, or you might cross-thread it, and that’s bad news. Just turn it until it’s snug. Not crazy tight, just firm enough so you know it’s sealed. You’ll feel it stop turning.
And that’s pretty much it. Takes a minute or two. It always feels a bit satisfying to get it perfectly synced up again. Just remember to be gentle and always screw that crown back down properly. That’s the key to keeping it happy and water-resistant.
- Make sure hands are clean.
- Unscrew crown carefully (counter-clockwise).
- Pull crown out to the correct position (usually furthest for time).
- Turn crown to set time (I prefer going forwards).
- Push crown back in fully.
- Screw crown down gently but firmly (clockwise).
Done and dusted. Back to ticking perfectly. Hope this helps anyone who was a bit hesitant to do it themselves!
