Resetting the second hand on an Eco-Drive watch

My daily watch is a Citizen Eco-Drive. The instructions are funky, plus I can never find the instruction booklet. Dave Weinberger has instructions for setting a bunch of Eco-Drive functions. But his instructions didn’t cover how to reset the second hand if it gets jolted out of place (you know, like if your 2-year old throws your watch across the room). Here’s how to reset the second hand on a Citizen Eco-Drive watch:

Chronograph Second Hand Zero Positioning

    1. Pull the crown out to the time correction position.
    2. Press button (A) for 3 seconds or more and release it, the watch enters the chronograph second 0 position correction mode.
    3. Press button (A) to position the chronograph second hand at the 0 position.

• The chronograph second hand can be advanced one second at a time (in the clockwise direction) each time button (A) is pressed.
• The chronograph second hand can be advanced rapidly by depressing button (A) continuously.

  1. Once the chronograph second has been positioned at the 0 position, reset the time and return the crown to the normal position.
  2. Press button (B) to check that the chronograph minute hand has been reset to the 0 position.

96 thoughts on “Resetting the second hand on an Eco-Drive watch

  1. Thank you so much for your help. This is the first time I’ve ever owned a Citizen EcoDrive so when the second hand was off I had no clue that it could be fixed. Again, thank you.

  2. Thank you very much!!! I have a different watch, but had a similar problem. You’ve made my birthday!

  3. hey what is the model of that watch?
    i have a citizen eco drive calibre 8651
    and it doesn’t have ‘A’ and ‘B’ buttons.
    Does anyone know how to reset the
    second hand on this watch?

  4. Thanks. I am out if the country (USA) and will be for about a year. Of course I did not bring my watch manual with me.
    There were a few bumps upon arrival and the second hand got out of sync. While it is not critical (as I can do any needed adjustment mentally) it is nice to have everything working properly again.
    I had forgotten the “hold for three or more seconds” part.

  5. Thanks! I was going to take it to the jeweler and they would have charged an arm and a leg. I thought it had something to do with not being charged.

  6. Thanks! I have 3 eco-drives and have two that this happened to. I heard there was a way to fic it, but my friend forgot the hold for 3 seconds part. Awesome advice, really appreciative!

  7. Thanks very much!! I thought I’d have a look on the net before I went into the shop ranting and making a fool of myself!

  8. Want to thank you very much.
    Love the watch I have but the second hand out of position was very annoying.
    Great advice on how to fix, and so simple.
    Brilliant!

  9. A million thanks to you buddy.

    My fiancee gave me an Eco-Drive as gift a week after I proposed to her. The second hand shift made me restless for over a year.

    I am getting married in 4 days. just fixed that second hand today, thanks to you.

    You rock man!!!

  10. thank you soooo much! you helped me! now my eco-drive watch chronograph’s second hand is fixed!!!

    thank you! 🙂

  11. Am I the only one that this has not helped. I have 2 eco drives and both had this problem. The H500 movement one was no prob and is fixed great. The other with the E812 movement has the modes you switch to with the crown in the standard position. I have tried holding button A with the crown in and out in both time and chrono mode. Held for 3 seconds and longer in both and nothing… It doesn’t let me adjust it like the other did

  12. Thanks so much. My awesome eco drive was left asleep for 6 months and then second hand was slightly off. This worked perfectly. So happy. Thanks

  13. Thanks a million – worked perfectly! This has been driving me crazy for a year and I was about to take my watch to a shop to have it fixed. You saved my sanity, my dignity, and my wallet!

  14. Excellent thanks for the info, used the same instructions on my sons Hugo boss watch and hey presto worked a treat thanks again.

  15. Thanks so much.
    I knew it could be done but bugger me if I could remember!!
    This is now printed and stuck on the notice board at home. 🙂

  16. Awesome!!!
    Mine was stuck on 59 after it stopped moving this totally fixed it. Was about to waste money sending it in for servicing!! Thank you

  17. Thanks a lot, works for my citizen movement calibre H500! Very handy tip when you don’t have the manual at hand 🙂

  18. Citizen always offers high-quality watches at such attractive prices, they are beautiful & reliable timepieces. Citizen & Seiko are my No.1 choices!
    Short but useful article about how to use Eco-Drive watches. Thank you so much!

  19. Hi. Thanks for the very useful guide. It wirked for my citizen chronograph ( not an ecodrive) too!!

  20. Thank you. It worked great. You don’t have any idea how many people I asked and they didn’t know they sell citizen watches. My watch is at least 15 years old and I don’t know where the manual is, I’m glad they’re smart people like you.

  21. Wish I had looked online months ago for an answer to this problem. Works like a charm. Thank you very much indeed for taking the time and trouble to post this solution.

  22. I had taken my watch to a horologist to sort this problem but he stated that it required a new battery but he couldn’t get hold of one because he wasn’t a citizen agent, having read your instructions it reset and is working perfectly. Good job I didn’t go swimming with it on though, he’d forgotten to tighten the back having taken it apart but that’s now rectified and working perfectly.
    THANKYOU

  23. Thanks for posting this (over 9 years ago!) This post is definitely older than my Eco Drive watch, but the instructions still worked just fine to fix the second hand on the stopwatch function of my WR100 when I noticed tonight that it was no longer aligned properly. Great job!

  24. Awesome! Thank you! Bought mine on our honeymoon and wear it almost daily for last 15 years. First time I’ve ever had an issue and it was a super easy fix thanks to this post.

  25. Haha… seems like this advice has been doing people well for a loooooong time.

    Like many of the other commentators above, this was driving me mad.

    Thanks for the tip! Can’t believe this isn’t in the manual.

    All the best,
    David

  26. i have a citizen eco drive aqualand b741 and the cronograph working but the watch not, second hand go back and forward

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