Adjusted To Six 6 Positions

Positions for Adjusting Watch Accuracy and Timekeeping

Adjusted To Six 6 Positions

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 down
  • Crown up
  • Crown down
  • Crown right
  • Crown left

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 chronometer is tested in 5.

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).


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Yema Caliber MBP1000 Watch Movement | Caliber Corner
2 years ago

[…] states that they test their calibers in 4 positions (dial up, crown right, crown up, crown down), prior to leaving the factory. These tests are […]

benoit
benoit
2 years ago

Consice, to the point, easy to understand. I always wondered about the adjusted to 5 positions label on my watch mechanism. Thank you for the clarification. -benoit

carrick
carrick
1 year ago

So if position matters, for a lefty, does wearing a watch on right wrist result in different +/- spd than wearing on left wrist? Presume this is better than exposing watch to all the extra daily shocks of watch on left wrist of left-handed person?

Nikolai Loveikis
Nikolai Loveikis
8 months ago
Reply to  carrick

I never thought of that but I’ve tested all of my watches in all positions, and with an unadjusted movement the largest discrepancy is always between the crown up and crown down position.

Ian
Ian
1 year ago

Excellent, thank you very much for such a detailed, easy to understand explanation

Doc
Doc
7 months ago

Can I assume that “crown right” also means that the the dial is facing the observer and 12:00 is at the bottom?

Doc
Doc
7 months ago
Reply to  Doc

12:00 is at the top

John Raba
John Raba
6 months ago

I recently purchased a timegrapher. My Hamilton Jazzmaster Thinline was running about 6 seconds a day slow. So I adjusted it until it hit 3 seconds a day fast in the dial up position. In checking the differences between crown up, crown down, crown right, and dial up, the variance in timing was not more than 4 seconds. Beat error was almost non existent. Those positions are the only ones my watch will ever find itself in.

Seagull Caliber St19

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