The Breitling Watch Source Forums

OK, I stupidly just changed the date on my chronomat evo while the time was at 10.30pm (hadn't been wearing the watch for week). I started to turn the crown and stopped when I felt a small bit of resistance and a tiny almost click. I knew what I'd done straight away and I moved the time to a safe place outisde of 8pm and 3am and readjusted. By moving the time around the dial manually via the crown I checked the change over and on one occasion got a date change at 11.52 (possibly while moving the hands a bit quickly). I tried again there with a more gentle movement of hands and the following happened.

10.47 date starts to change
11.15 next date 1mm visible
11.42 half way between dates
11.59/12 full click change over

Is it likely I have escaped damage or do these things take a while to manifest themselves? Thanks (very worried!! )

To be sure you need to check with the same date that you changed it to in the danger zone. If that is still OK and if the date is still centred in the window then you probably got lucky.

I just checked the date in question- performs as described above changing fully at 11.59pm

As regards the date position in the window, it seems centred although possibly a miniscule amount (maybe the thickness of a minute marker) high sometimes.....maybe thats just the lighting- I hope its ok (puke smilie)

Can't believe I did it....

PS. I was changing the date from 9th to 10th when I realised I was in the danger zone so I checked that change over again- or did you mean 10th to 11th

Is there any risk associated with me winding the hands around manually to check every date changes over correctly?

Sounds to me like you escaped without harm. I have found if I start focusing on something like the position of the date in the window, I tend to find seeming imperfections. Take heart that it is likely JUST as it was before. If the number was half in and half out the window, that would be a different story.

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SHARKMAN

I hope so!!

Maybe the fact the watch was stopped when I went to change the date, together with the fact I didn't actually fully change the date (In fact I think I just started the change and stopped) has saved me!

Do you know is it safe to go through all the dates manually by turning the hands? I'd like to check the full date function at every date

It's perfectly safe as long as you move the hands only clockwise.

Thanks everyone for your help - checked everything- seems like I got away with it!!! PHewww

I have a Montbrillant Datora and I've made a mistake also. It has a 24 hour clock and it was 12 hours back in time. Just got it back from the servicecenter. At 7:15 AM today I changed it from 7:15 PM to 7:15 AM manually. I saw the date and week change, but I don't know if something is wrong or damaged. I didn't feel or heard anything. It's looks oke to me.

I think it would be better to change te time at 4:00 pm when it's at 4:00 am I guess. The watch doesn't have to change the date and week in that period of time.

But is the conslusion that when you manually go clockwise you don't damage anything?

Without a doubt you did nothing wrong. 6 is an ideal time to change. But so long as what you are doing is forwarding the time, you can do it whenever. There is no unsafe zone for forwarding the time - it's only changing the date between 8pm & 3am that is a problem.

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SHARKMAN

And winding time backwards in the same period.

Moving the hands of a watch anti-clockwise is a very bad habit to acquire. It may have no adverse effect on your present watch, but could lead to expensive repairs on a more complicated specimen if you get one later on.

Unfortunately, all watches don't have the same relationship with the direction of the hands and stem. I always turn the stem a very small amount to see which direction the minute hand starts to move. Then I turn it in the proper direction to move the hands forward in a clockwise direction.

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1809 Cosmonaute
1903 Navi
Navi Olympus
Super Avenger

That's exactly what I do. I NEVER turn a watch's hands anti-clockwise. IMO they simply aren't made to run backwards, so why risk doing damage for the sake of a few seconds spent winding it in the correct direction.

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Driver8

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