Positions for Adjusting Watch Accuracy and Timekeeping

What does Adjusted in Six (6) Positions mean?

You may have seen Adjusted in Six (6) Positions stamped on your watch movements. This means that the movement was tested and adjusted (or regulated) in 6 positions. The reason why watches are tested in multiple positions is because the force of gravity plays a role in a watch’s accuracy. In other words, a gain or loss in energy transmission occurs depending on the position of the balance wheel.

Simply put, your mechanical timepiece performs differently (has different rates of accuracy) based how it is worn or placed on the table. That is why accuracy is calculated as an average of these positions.

The 6 positions for watch regulating:

• Dial up (dial on top)
• Dial down (dial on bottom)
• Crown up (12:00)
• Crown down (6:00)
• Crown right (3:00)
• Crown left (6:00)

While these are the common positions for regulation of a watch movement, sometimes a movement is also tested in half way crown up and half way crown down positions.

How many positions are COSC certified movements tested in?

Some watches are tested in all 6 positions, but a COSC certified chronometer is tested in 5.

According to COSC, the positions in their words are: “3 o’clock, 6 o’clock, 9 o’clock, dial on top, dial on the bottom”. Keep in mind that COSC appears to use the hour markers on the dial as a position reference point, rather than the crown.

Hour Markers Position	Crown/Pendant
3:00	Crown up
6:00	Crown left
9:00	Crown down
12:00	Crown right

Based on COSC’s set of requirements, it excludes the crown right (12:00) position which is where the crown would be if you wear a standard 3:00 crown watch on your left hand and raise it in front of your face to check the time.

The standard seems to be to use the crown as the reference point – at least with USA-based watchmakers. This is likely because watch testing did not start with COSC, and pendant position was used for recording results of timing pocket watches, hence “pendant” location.

The COSC-style hour marker reference points make sense since some watches have different crown positions.

What is an “unadjusted” watch?

You may also come across watch movements that are labeled as unadjusted. This means that the watch was produced without undergoing any testing and adjusting from the factory – tested in 0 positions.

Pocket watch positions are similar:

• Dial up
• Dial down
• Pendant up
• Pendant down
• Pendant right
• Pendant left

You may have seen pocket watches that have 8 or 9 adjustments as well. This means they are also including adjustments for Isochronism or temperature (hot/cold).

Timing Machine Positions:

Using a timegrapher such as the one pictured, you can secure the watch head on the microphone stand and rotate the watch in all of the various positions to see the difference of rate in each. Check out the watch timing machine below (purchasing from the link helps to support this site).