Owner's guide
How to live
with it.
If this is your first mechanical watch, read this once and you'll never need it again. If it's your tenth, skip to the service intervals.
01
Getting it running
An automatic winds itself from the motion of your wrist, but out of the box it's asleep. Give the crown 20 to 30 turns clockwise while it's pushed all the way in, then wear it. A day of normal movement keeps it going indefinitely; leave it on the nightstand for two days and it'll stop. That's the watch working correctly, not a fault.
02
Crown positions
Position 0 (screwed or pushed in) is winding and water-tight. Pull out one click for the date. Pull out two clicks and the second hand stops — that's time setting. Always push the crown fully back in, and on the dive models screw it down until it seats.
03
Setting the date without hurting anything
Avoid changing the date between 9pm and 3am — the movement is mid-changeover and forcing it can chip the date wheel. Move the hands past noon twice to confirm you're in the afternoon, then set the date, then set the time.
04
Water, actually
Check the rating on your product page. 200M means swim, snorkel, shower and Portland rain. It does not mean hot tubs, steam rooms or scuba on a gasket nobody has checked in five years. Rinse the case with fresh water after saltwater, and never operate the crown while it's wet.
05
Swapping straps
Every model uses standard spring bars. A cheap fork tool and a soft cloth over the case is all it takes — press the spring bar tip inward, lift the band away, then seat the new one until both ends click. Two minutes, and it changes the whole watch.
06
Keeping it accurate
Mechanical watches drift. Every unit is regulated by hand before it ships, and a few seconds a day either way is normal and healthy. If yours suddenly runs wildly fast, gains a minute a day, or the reserve drops off a cliff, that's a magnetism or service issue — write in and we'll sort it.
07
Service intervals
Plan on a full service every five to seven years. Any competent watchmaker can do it because these are standard Japanese and Swiss movements, or you can send it back to the Portland studio and we'll handle it at cost of parts plus a fair bench fee.
Something not covered here? The FAQs go deeper, and the studio inbox is always open.