Setting chronographs on watches

What are chronographs on a watch?

Chronographs are a feature on watches that allow you to measure time with high precision. Visually, they can be seen inside the dial as separate "mini-dials", which e.g. can show seconds, minutes, or hours. For example, they can be used to measure time in several different ways, including timing sporting events or measuring the time it takes to complete a task. Chronographs can also be used as stopwatches to measure intervals between events or as a simple stopwatch.

How to use chronographs?

To use the chronographs on your watch, you must first pull out the chronograph to the outermost position. A watch with 3 chronographs will typically function as a stopwatch with millisecond, second, and minute counters respectively. These are controlled using the top button on the side of the watch, where the timing is started and stopped. The bottom button is used to reset the chronographs/timekeeping. A chronograph movement needs to be calibrated from time to time to reset the chronograph hands. You can see how this is done here.

Some chronographs also have additional functions, such as a tachymeter and a telemeter. A tachymeter is a scale on the dial of a watch that can be used to measure speed based on time and distance. A telemeter is a scale on the watch face that can be used to measure distance based on time and speed.

You can watch the instructional videos below:

Use chronographs and stopwatches

Calibrate chronographs

ATTENTION! It is important to remember that chronographs should not be used underwater or in damp environments.