In your hand, you are holding one of Ludwig Oechslin’s ingenious, extremely easy to set astronomical watches. Try it! Except for one detail: You must not set the date between 8pm and 2am as this may damage the movement, otherwise there’s nothing you can do wrong.
We are happy to guide you through the setting on the phone and to explain it to you in detail. Normally, this should take about 5 minutes.
Step 1 – Wind your watch
To assure that your automatic watch has enough power reserve when starting, first wind the watch. To do that, unscrew the crown by turning it counterclockwise until the spring pushes it into position 0. Then turn the crown clockwise, and complete about 50 full turns. The watch is now fully wound and has a power reserve of 50 hours. If you wear your watch regularly during the day, the movement of your wrist will keep your watch wound.
Step 2 – Set the moon phase
Pull the crown out to position 2 (which sets the hands, and thus turns the sun and the moon).
Turn the hands clockwise or counterclockwise until the moon is set to either full moon (sun and moon directly opposite each other) or new moon (the moon is directly below the sun). You can check here to see if the current date is closer to the last full moon or the last new moon (you can choose whichever is faster to reach).
Push the crown into position 1 and set the date to the date of the last full or new moon, depending on which one you chose.
Pull the crown back out into position 2 and turn the hands clockwise until the date and thus the moon phase match the current date.
The moon phase is now correctly set.
Step 3 – Set solar noon
Check here to look up the true noon (the sun’s zenith) for your location.
Turn the hands and the sun until the latter is at the 6 o’clock marker and thus directly in front of the button. Now hold the button down with your left thumb and simultaneously set the hands to the time of true noon. Release the button.
Set the hands to the current time.
Step 4 – Set the date.
Push the crown into position 1 and turn, clockwise or counterclockwise, until the middle sections of the two side wings are exactly horizontal. You have now reached the equinox which falls either between March 19 to 20 or between September 22 to 24.
If you are setting your watch in spring or summer, the relevant equinox is in March. Therefore, turn the crown so that the wings move downwards. Keep an eye on the date and turn through the months that lie between March and the current date (for example: July – 4 months).
Now set the current date.
If you are setting your watch in autumn or winter, the relevant equinox is in September. Therefore, turn the crown so that the wings move upwards. Keep an eye on the date and turn through the months that separate September from the current date (for example: November – 2 months).
Now set the current date.
Screw-in the crown clockwise, tightening it gently, as too much force can damage the thread, especially if the case is made of sterling silver 925.
Just as a final reminder not to adjust the date between 8pm and 2am as this may damage the movement.