Regulate rate first, then the position spread, then beat error. Each adjustment moves the others, so the order matters more than the size of the corrections.
How to regulate a watch in six positions
issue ISSUE 01checked 2026-09-16rots yes — these figures moveresponsible Escapement Papers (a named bench, not a person)
What you need A timing machine with a settable lift angle; the movement's lift angle; a full wind; a note of each position's rate before you touch anything.
tape card: the six positions and the order
| Order | Position | What it corrects |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dial up | The base rate |
| 2 | Dial down | Poise of the balance |
| 3 | Crown up | Poise, second axis |
| 4 | Crown down | Poise, second axis, opposite |
| 5 | Crown left | Poise, third axis |
| 6 | Crown right | Poise, third axis, opposite |
Steps
- Record all six positions before adjusting anything. The pattern of errors tells you what to change; a single position does not.
- Correct the mean rate with the regulator. This is the only step that changes all six positions together.
- Correct the position spread by adjusting poise or the hairspring's centring, not by chasing the regulator. Chasing it will undo step two.
- Correct beat error with the collet or the stud, in small steps, re-reading after each.
- Stop when the worst position is inside the band you need. A watch regulated to be excellent in one position is usually mediocre in five.
What the pattern means
| Pattern | Most likely cause | What to change |
|---|---|---|
| All positions fast or slow by the same amount | Regulator setting | The regulator |
| Dial up differs from dial down | Balance poise | Poise correction |
| Vertical positions differ in pairs | Poise about a second axis | Poise correction |
| Errors scatter without a pattern | Fork and roller clearance | Clearance, then re-read |
Why the order is not negotiable
The regulator moves every position together. Poise corrections move the vertical positions against the horizontal ones. Beat error adjustments move the two beats against each other and can shift the mean rate slightly. Do them out of order and each step undoes the previous one, which is how a watch ends up worse after an hour of adjustment.
The bench holds that most watches sent for a full service needed a regulation and a demagnetisation, and that the regulation order above is the whole job in a majority of cases. The claim is contestable and it is testable: measure before and after, and record the lift angle.
References
- Ref 1Regulating Organ (Balance and Hairspring), Horopediasupports the regulating organ the mean-rate step adjusts
- Ref 2Collet, Horopedia – Watchmaking Encyclopediasupports the collet that the beat-error step turns
- Ref 3Regulator assembly, Horopedia – Horological Encyclopediasupports the regulator assembly the rate is set with
One link, one document, titled as it titles itself. No home pages, no search results.
Set this page down Set this page down when the worst of the six positions is inside your band.