The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I am new to Automatics....I travel for work, whats the best way to set time and date, can I move the time back or should I only go forward, is it the same for the date? any help is appreciated.

The key thing is to avoid the 'danger zone' of 8pm to 3am. During this time the date change mechanism is partially engaged with the main watch movement, and if you use the quick set date function (that moves the date without impacting the time) then you can damage the movement. There is also a slight risk if you wind the hands backwards during this period.

The safest way to set the time is to ensure that before and after the adjustment the time is outside of the 8pm and 3am window. For changing the date the best time is to do it in the morning (though after 3am) to ensure that the date doesn't get 12 hours out of synch - i.e. changes at noon.

If you are changing the date in the afternoon the best way is to set it to the day before and then wind the hands forward through midnight until you reach the right time - that way you can be sure that your am and pm are correct.

Thanks for the info...I appreciate it. So can I set the time and date backward or should I only go forward, for example when I leave Europe can I just set the time back so I don't have to worry about the date.

You can go back, but not between an indicated time of 8pm and 3am.

Just to be clear....I can set the time or date back as long as its not in the time from 10pm to 3am.
Thanks again, I appreciate your knowledge.

I actually said 8pm and 3am.

10pm is probably OK, but Breitling says 8 and 3 because it gives you a safety net.

Also, make sure that you don't put it into the window by winding ti back - i.e. if you put it back 5 hours at 7am you will end up at 2am which is in the 'danger' time, better to wait until (say) 9am, then the 5 hours get you to 4am - no problems.

welcome aboard. definitely by all means possible avoid the

Danger Zone of 8pm to 3am to change teh date.
Do not move the hands backwards during this time either!

I went to Italy this summer and also had this concern...but figured it out. I waited till the next day and advanced the time.

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Quick question. How slight is the chance of damaging the movement if you move the hands backwards during the danger zone? i messed around with the tpd on my winder a few days ago and realized my datora was dead. i set the date, while watching a movie, and by mistake went ahead by 15 minutes. so i moved the hands back 15 minutes. then i realized what i did. i'm super paranoid now. is there a certain amount of movement? is there a way for me to know if i damaged my watch? i hope my baby is ok.

15 minutes could be enough to break it, but it could be fine. Easiest thing to do to test it is to advance the date through a full month and make sure that it changes consistently and the hand moves to the correct date fully (i.e. not stuck slightly off the date).

Easiest way to check if everything is alright is to manually wind the watch forward an entire month. If all days change at the same time, I'd say you were fine this time. If you suspect any trouble, wind another month and see if it stays the same.

Edit: Roff beat me to it.