How to set the day and date on a vintage Seiko 5

Updated 12 October 2026 · Cro Watches, Vilnius

Vintage Seiko 5s set their day and date in one of two ways: by pressing the crown, or by pulling the crown out one click and turning it. Find out which type yours is first, then follow the steps below.

The one rule for every Seiko: don't change the date between about 9 pm and 1 am. In those hours the date wheel is already moving, and forcing it can damage the calendar. If the hands are in that zone, move them to 6 o'clock first.

Step 1: find out which type you have

1. Start with the crown pushed fully in.
2. Gently pull it out. Count the clicks.
3. Two clicks (one middle position and one fully out): your watch has a quickset in the middle position. This is how all 7S26 and 7S36 watches work, and some 6309s.
4. One click (fully out only): your watch sets the day by pressing the crown. This is typical for 7009 and many 6309 Seiko 5s.

Not sure which movement you have? The first four digits of the reference on the caseback tell you (for example 7009-8760). See Seiko 5 movements explained.

Type A: two-click crown (7S26, 7S36 and some 6309)

1. Pull the crown to the middle position (first click).
2. Turn it one way to change the date and the other way to change the day. Which direction does which varies, so turn slowly and watch the window.
3. Set the date to yesterday's date and the day to yesterday's day.
4. Pull the crown all the way out. The hands now move. Turn them forward until the date and day jump to today. You are now in the morning (a.m.).
5. Keep turning to the correct time. If it's afternoon, go round once more past 12.
6. Push the crown back in.

The 7S26 and 7S36 cannot stop the seconds hand ("no hacking"), so the seconds keep running while you set the time. That's normal.

Type B: press-to-set crown (most 7009 and many 6309)

1. With the crown in its normal position, press it in firmly, like a button. Each press moves the day forward by one. On bilingual day wheels, one press may switch the language (for example English to Spanish), so press again to get the day in your language.
2. To change the date, pull the crown out and turn the hands forward through midnight. Each full turn of 24 hours moves the date by one.
3. It's quicker to go back and forth between about 9 pm and midnight: move the hands to just after midnight so the date jumps, back to 9 pm, then forward again. Never turn the hands backwards through midnight.
4. Set the time, making sure a.m. and p.m. are right (the date changes at midnight, not noon), then push the crown back in.

Months with fewer than 31 days

Seiko 5 calendars are not perpetual. At the end of February, April, June, September and November, you need to move the date forward by hand to the 1st.

If something doesn't work

• The day stops halfway between two days: the calendar is probably dry or worn. The watch needs a service. Don't force it.
• The crown spins freely and nothing happens: the crown or stem may be broken. A watchmaker can replace it cheaply.
• The watch stopped while you set it: it may simply have run down. See how to wind a Seiko 5.