To put a mechanical watch into operation for the first time, it is advisable to wind the watch. In the case of an automatic watch, it can be moved/shaken several times so that the movement is wound via the rotor. It is also possible to wind the watch using the crown (this is mandatory for a watch with a hand-wound movement).In the case of a screw-down crown, it must first be unscrewed (counterclockwise), after which the crown is in the winding position and can be turned back and forth several times. With a normal automatic movement, approx. 80-100 turns (clockwise) must be made to wind the watch completely. For watches with Cal. 400+ movements, at least 210 crown rotations are required to fully wind the watch.
After winding, the crown can be pulled out completely (the watch stops and can be set to the second if the crown is pulled out at the 12h second hand position). The hands are then turned past 12h (or 0:00) to determine when the date changes. The time must be turned further accordingly so that the correct time can be set following the date change (the date change takes place between 23:45 and 0:15).
The date is corrected via crown position 1 (crown pulled out only once). It should be noted that no date corrections should be made between 21h and 3h, as the gears are already engaged during this period and could be damaged if a quick correction is made.
After setting the watch, it is necessary to screw the screw-down crowns back on (push them in slightly and turn them clockwise) so that the watch is fully water-resistant.
It should be noted that if the watch is worn for approx. 12-14 hours per day, it will take approx. 2-3 days until the watch is fully wound, as it is not wound during the night when the watch is not worn/moved.
For watches with Cal. 400+, it can take up to approx. 4-5 days until the watch is fully wound after being worn during the day.