Legal
Cookies and storage
Last updated: 17 October 2026
Set Your Watch UK does not set cookies. However, it uses browser storage to remember your preferences, save information you enter into its tools and support offline access. We also offer optional visit statistics through Vercel Web Analytics.
This page explains what may be stored on your device, why it is used, how long it remains there and what choices you have.
Cookies, browser storage and the law
The UK's Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) cover more than traditional cookies. Depending on how they are used, technologies such as Local Storage, Cache Storage and scripts that read information from your device may also fall within the rules.
Not using cookies does not automatically mean a website is exempt from PECR.
The rules generally require consent before storing information on, or accessing information from, a user's device unless an applicable exception applies. Relevant ICO guidance distinguishes between technologies that are strictly necessary to provide a service requested by the user and other uses of device storage.
Our assessment considers the purpose of each storage item:
- Essential functionality: information needed to provide a feature you have chosen to use, such as saving your watch collection.
- Display preferences: information used to remember choices such as your theme or homepage watch face.
- Visit statistics: information used to understand how visitors use the website and which pages are useful.
Where applicable, we provide information about these uses and a simple, free way to object. Our assessment is based on the website's intended functionality; it is not an independent certification or a guarantee of legal compliance.
What may be stored on your device
The following table describes the browser storage used by the current implementation. Storage is created or updated when the relevant feature is used, or when the browser runs the service worker.
Cookies: none are intentionally set by Set Your Watch UK.
| Name | Type | Purpose | When it is created or updated | How long it remains |
|---|---|---|---|---|
syw-my-watches | Local Storage | Stores your watch collection, accuracy readings, maintenance records and reminders. | When you add or update information in My Watches. | Until you delete the information or clear the site's data. |
syw-theme | Local Storage | Remembers your Day or Night theme preference. | When you change the theme. | Until you clear the preference or the site's data. |
syw-face | Local Storage | Remembers your chosen homepage watch face. | When you select a watch face. | Until you clear the preference or the site's data. |
syw-world-clock | Local Storage | Stores your World Clock cities, layout, map setting and 12/24-hour format. Some settings are also used by the Time Converter and Digital face. | When you change a relevant setting. | Until you clear the preference or the site's data. |
syw-wallpaper-cities | Local Storage | Remembers the cities you choose to show on the live wallpaper. | When you add or remove a city on the live wallpaper. | Until you clear the preference or the site's data. |
syw-analytics-optout | Local Storage | Remembers that you have opted out of visit statistics. | When you switch off visit statistics. | Until you opt back in or clear the site's data. |
__va_attribution | Local Storage, associated with Vercel Web Analytics | An item that Vercel's analytics script may check when recording page views. The site's current configuration is not intended to use Vercel's user-identification feature, so this item should not normally be created by the site. | Depends on the analytics script and its configuration. | Depends on the script's behaviour and your browser's storage settings. |
syw-static-v1 and syw-pages-v1 | Cache Storage, managed by the service worker | Stores site files, icons, the offline page and copies of pages to support offline access and the installed web app. The implementation is intended to cache up to 40 pages. | When you visit the site in a browser that supports service workers. | Until the cache is updated, the site's data is cleared or the browser removes it. |
Local Storage and Cache Storage are held in your browser. Their contents are not automatically transmitted to us simply because they are stored on your device. Analytics and other network requests are explained separately below.
Offline caching
The service worker stores selected pages and files to help Set Your Watch UK work when you are offline. This storage supports the website's offline and installable-app features.
The ICO's guidance does not specifically resolve every question about service-worker caching. We assess this storage according to its purpose, the information it contains and how it is used. You can remove it by clearing the site's data in your browser.
Managing your display preferences
Set Your Watch UK can remember your theme, homepage watch face and World Clock settings so that your preferred display is available on future visits.
If you do not want these preferences remembered, use the button below.
This removes your saved theme, homepage watch face, World Clock settings and live wallpaper cities from this browser. It does not delete your watch collection, accuracy readings or maintenance records.
If you change these settings again, the website may save them again.
Visit statistics: Vercel Web Analytics
We use Vercel Web Analytics, provided by Vercel Inc., which also hosts the website. It helps us understand which pages are visited and how the site is used.
Analytics is optional, and you can switch it off using the control below.
What happens in your browser
When visit statistics are enabled, a Vercel script runs on the website. The current implementation is intended not to set analytics cookies. The script may check the __va_attribution item described above.
Information sent to Vercel
When a page view is recorded, information may include the page address, route, referring site, time of the request and script version. Vercel may also derive approximate location, browser, operating system and device information from the request.
Vercel describes its analytics processing, including its approach to request information and visit identification, in its own documentation. The precise information processed depends on the service and its configuration.
We use the resulting statistics to understand overall website usage. The information available to us depends on the service and our configuration.
Further information is available in:
Your choice
When you opt out, the website is intended to prevent the analytics script from loading in that browser, so it should not send further analytics requests from that browser while the opt-out remains in effect.
Where supported and detected by the website, a Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal is also intended to disable analytics.
Your preference is stored in your browser. If you clear the site's data or use a different browser or device, you may need to set your preference again.
For more information about personal data and how it is handled, see our Privacy Policy.
Third-party code and services
The website is designed to minimise third-party code running directly in your browser.
- Analytics: Vercel Web Analytics may run in your browser while visit statistics are enabled.
- Advertising and embedded content: The website does not intentionally include advertising widgets, social media widgets, embedded videos or embedded maps.
- Fonts and images: The site's fonts, images and watch illustrations are intended to be served from the website itself.
- Time and weather: Live time and weather information is intended to be retrieved through our server. Our server contacts the National Physical Laboratory and Open-Meteo, while your browser communicates with Set Your Watch UK for this information.
- External links: If you visit another website through one of our links, such as a manufacturer's watch manual, that website's own privacy and cookie practices apply.
These descriptions reflect the intended implementation and may change if the website's features or service providers change.
Removing stored information
You can remove stored information in several ways.
Delete individual watch records
Visit My Watches to manage or delete individual watches, accuracy readings and maintenance records. Export a backup first if you want to keep a copy.
Forget display preferences
Use the Forget my display preferences button above to remove your saved theme, homepage watch face and World Clock settings without deleting your watch collection.
Clear all site data
To remove the website's stored information, including Local Storage and the offline cache, use your browser's settings to clear the data for Set Your Watch UK. The exact steps depend on your browser.
If you have installed Set Your Watch UK as an app, uninstalling it may not remove all website data in every browser. Check your browser's site-data settings if you want to remove stored information completely.
Clearing site data may delete saved watches, accuracy readings, maintenance records, display preferences and offline files. Export anything you want to keep before doing so.
Changes to this page
We may update this page when the website's features, storage practices or service providers change. The date at the top indicates when this page was last updated.
If you have a question or spot an error, please visit our Contact page to email Hamza.