Play on hands - how do you adjust the time?

[Tbird]

Which way do you set the time when you set your watch? Do you move the minute hand "forward" towards the correct minute or do you adjust it "backwards"? In a new watch there is not as much play as in some older watch I have. I move it forward, to have the play on the "back side of the gears". Maybe its just a weird, wrong idea, and maybe the running of the watch removes the play. but curious what you do?

[996marty]

Always moved mine forward on all my watches

[TickTockChuck]

There's always some minor slop (gear backlash) in the wheel train when moving the minute hand back & forth, so to set the starting position accurately to match the second hand I always move the hand forward in the direction of movement to my target setting.

[Tools]

For a machine, to minimize initial lash tolerance or avoid start-up shock, you move the gear in the direction of travel initially, then back it into contact with the driving gear. This way the machine does not free-travel until the lash is taken up. Sometimes that is important.

A watch will work the same way if you think that this would be important to you. Probably only takes a fraction of a second for a watch gear train to take up all the slack once it starts so the benefit would be minimal. Since you can't change or lock the lash at some optimal clearance it won't make a difference in operation.

Having the play on one side or the other when it isn't running is irrelevant. Once it starts running all of the slack/lash is taken up because it is a continuous contact drive.

Some folks like to fiddle though.... go for it if you want