Honestly, most people who own a chronograph never actually use the stopwatch. It just sits there. They like the way the extra dials look on the face—it's that "pilot" or "race car driver" aesthetic that sells watches. But if you've ever stared at those little sub-dials and wondered why the big second hand isn't moving, you aren't alone. Learning how to use a chronograph watch is partly about pressing buttons and partly about making sure you don't accidentally grind the gears into metal shavings because you tried to reset it while it was still running.
A chronograph is a "complication." In watchmaking, that's just a fancy word for anything a watch does besides telling the time. It’s a stopwatch built into a mechanical or quartz movement. Whether you’re timing a soft-boiled egg or calculating the speed of a car over a mile, the principle is the same. But the mechanics? Those are delicate.
The basics of the pusher dance
Look at the side of your watch. You’ll usually see two buttons flanking the crown. These are called pushers.
The top pusher, usually located at the 2 o'clock position, is your start and stop button. Give it a firm click. You’ll see the long, thin hand—which most beginners mistake for the main seconds hand—start to sweep around the dial. That’s your chronograph seconds hand. It stays still at 12 o'clock unless you’re actively timing something.
The bottom pusher at 4 o'clock is the reset button. Never press this while the timer is running. On most mechanical watches, like an Omega Speedmaster or a TAG Heuer Carrera, pressing reset while the seconds hand is moving can put immense strain on the reset hammer and the heart-shaped cams inside the movement. It’s a quick way to earn a $700 service bill.
So, the rhythm goes: Start (top), Stop (top), Reset (bottom).
Some modern watches have what’s called a "flyback" function. This is a specific type of chronograph where you can hit the reset button while it’s running, and the hand will "fly back" to zero and immediately start timing again. Pilots used these back in the day to time different legs of a flight without losing seconds between clicks. Unless your watch explicitly says it’s a flyback, assume it isn't.
Reading those tiny sub-dials
It’s easy to get confused by the layout. Most chronographs have two or three sub-dials. One of them is usually "running seconds," which is just the actual second hand for the current time. It moves all day long.
The other two are the counters. Usually, one tracks minutes (up to 30 or 60) and the other tracks hours (up to 12). If you’re timing something long, like a slow-cooker recipe or a flight from New York to London, you’ll need to check where the hour hand has landed before you look at the minutes.
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The Tachymeter: That weird scale on the bezel
Ever notice those numbers around the outer rim of your watch like 400, 300, and 120? That’s a tachymeter scale.
It’s basically a math shortcut for measuring speed over a fixed distance. Say you’re at a racetrack. You see a car pass a marker, and you hit "start" on your chronograph. When the car hits the next mile marker exactly one mile away, you hit "stop." If the hand is pointing at 120 on the outer bezel, the car was going 120 miles per hour.
It works for anything that takes less than a minute. It’s simple physics converted into a static scale. If you time a task and it takes 30 seconds, the hand points to 120, because you could do that task 120 times in an hour.
Why your chronograph might feel "stiff"
If you’re using a mechanical watch, especially one with a Valjoux 7750 movement—which is the workhorse inside thousands of different brands—the top pusher might feel incredibly hard to press. You might think it’s stuck. It’s not.
That’s just the cam-actuated system engaging. It requires a bit of force to jumpstart the gears. High-end watches use something called a "column wheel." These feel buttery smooth, like clicking a high-end pen. If you’re wondering how to use a chronograph watch properly, you have to learn the "feel" of your specific movement. Don't baby it, but don't hammer it either.
Real-world pitfalls to avoid
- The "Seiko Shuffle" or Quartz alignment: If you have a quartz (battery) chronograph and the hand doesn't point exactly to 12 when you reset it, don't panic. It isn't broken. Most quartz movements have a "recalibration mode." Usually, you pull the crown out and hold one of the pushers, and the hand will move step-by-step until you align it perfectly again.
- Water resistance: Pushing the buttons while underwater is a death sentence for most watches. Even if the watch is rated for 100 meters, the act of depressing the pusher can break the gasket seal and let moisture straight into the movement. Unless you’re wearing a specialized diver like a Breitling Superocean M2000, keep your fingers off the pushers in the pool.
- Leaving it running: Some people like to leave the chronograph running all the time because they like seeing the big hand move. If it’s a mechanical watch, this causes extra wear on the vertical or horizontal clutch. It also drains the power reserve faster. If it’s a quartz watch, it’ll kill your battery in months instead of years.
The different types of "clicks"
Not all chronographs are built the same. You might encounter a "Monopusher." These are vintage-style or high-luxury pieces that only have one button. You press it once to start, again to stop, and a third time to reset. You can’t pause and restart a monopusher. It’s a linear cycle.
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Then there’s the "Rattrapante" or split-seconds chronograph. These are terrifyingly complex. They have two seconds hands parked on top of each other. You can stop one hand to record a lap time while the other keeps running. It’s one of the most difficult things for a watchmaker to build. If you have one of these, you’re basically wearing a mechanical computer on your wrist.
How to use a chronograph watch for daily tasks
Don't just let it sit there. Use it.
Start by timing your commute. Or time how long it takes for the coffee to brew. It builds a "muscle memory" for the pushers. You’ll start to notice the subtle differences in how the hand sweeps. High-frequency movements like the Zenith El Primero sweep at a staggering 36,000 vibrations per hour, making the movement look incredibly smooth compared to a standard 28,800 vph movement.
Screw-down pushers
Some watches, like the Rolex Daytona, have screw-down rings around the pushers. This is for extra water protection. You have to unscrew them before you can actually press the buttons. It’s a bit of a pain for quick timing, but it ensures you don't accidentally bump the reset button while you're out doing something active.
Maintaining the movement
Since a chronograph has way more moving parts than a standard watch, it needs more love. If you notice the seconds hand "stuttering" or if the minute counter doesn't jump exactly when the seconds hand hits 60, it’s time for a service. Lubricants inside the watch dry out over five to seven years. When that happens, the friction increases, and the watch will start losing time.
Practical Next Steps
- Identify your movement: Look up your watch model online to see if it’s a cam-actuated or column-wheel movement. This helps you understand the "click" feel.
- Check the alignment: Pull the crown to the second position and see if your pushers allow you to nudge the seconds hand back to the 12 o'clock marker.
- Test the power reserve: Wind your watch fully, start the chronograph, and see how long it runs before stopping. Compare this to the manufacturer's specs to gauge the health of your mainspring.
- Practice the tachymeter: Next time you’re a passenger in a car, time a mile between highway markers to see if your speedometer is actually accurate.