Guide 6
Watch functions & complications
What common watch features are for, and how to use them. Not every watch has these — and the way you operate them depends on the model.
Before you start
- Check which of these features your watch actually has — the manual or the dial markings will tell you.
- Each section explains what a feature is for first, then how it is generally used.
- Setting and adjusting these features differs by movement; the manual takes priority.
Moonphase
What it's for: shows the moon's approximate phase through the lunar month, using a painted disc behind a window.
How to use it: read it like the real moon — the shape in the window shows roughly how full it is. Most mechanical displays drift slowly and need occasional correction.
Setting it is model-specific: see the moonphase guide.
Chronograph
What it's for: a stopwatch built into the watch, for measuring elapsed time without disturbing the time of day.
11. Start
Press the start/stop pusher (usually at 2 o'clock). The chronograph seconds hand begins to move.
22. Stop
Press the same pusher again and read the elapsed time from the hands and sub-dials.
33. Reset
With it stopped, press the reset pusher (usually at 4 o'clock) to return the hands to zero.
Try the pushers and see a labelled diagram in the chronograph guide.
Tachymeter
What it's for: estimating average speed over a known distance, using the chronograph. The scale is printed on the bezel or the edge of the dial.
11. Start at the beginning
Start the chronograph as you pass the start of a measured distance — for example a 1 km marker.
22. Stop at the end
Stop it as you pass the end of that distance.
33. Read the scale
Read the tachymeter number the chronograph seconds hand points to.
Example: 1 km in 45 seconds → the hand points to 80 → about 80 km/h. The units always match the distance you timed: over 1 mile, the same reading means about 80 mph. The scale works for one unit of distance and usually only for times under a minute.
Diver's bezel
What it's for: tracking elapsed time — underwater, or for anything else such as parking or cooking.
11. Align the zero marker
Turn the bezel until its zero triangle sits over the minute hand.
22. Carry on as normal
The minute hand keeps moving; the bezel stays put.
33. Read elapsed minutes
Read the bezel number the minute hand points to — that's how many minutes have passed since you lined up the zero marker.
Many dive bezels turn one way only (anticlockwise), so an accidental knock can only make the elapsed time look longer, not shorter.
The minute hand points to 7 on the bezel: about 7 minutes since the zero marker.
Date, GMT and power reserve
- Date
- Shows the day of the month in a window. Purpose: a quick calendar glance. Use: set it with the crown (often the first click), avoiding any overnight no-change window your manual mentions — see Set your watch.
- GMT / second time zone
- Purpose: keep track of a second time zone, such as home time or UTC while travelling. Use: on many models the extra hand is set separately from the main hands; the method differs by movement.
- Power reserve indicator
- Purpose: shows roughly how much running time is left in a mechanical watch's mainspring. Use: just read it — wind or wear the watch before it runs low.
Looking after these features is the same as for the rest of the watch — see watch care & tips.