My watch stem keeps releasing and stoping the watch. It opens enough to set the date and stops the watch. Cant rely on the time because I don't know when it stopped. Anyone else have the same p

Changing the date for the FT500WVB watch is easy. Just pull out the stem of the watch to its first stop. Then turn the stem counter clockwise a couple of twists and the displayed date will increment (that is increase) by one day and you will hear a little click. Keep twisting the stem counterclockwise and the date will increase by one each time with a little click. Stop when you reach the correct date and push the stem back in to its fully seated rest position. Note- be careful not to change the date when the watch displays a time between 9pm and 1 am as setting the date in this time range may cause the watch to increment the date at noon rather than midnight.

Note also that if you want to set the time you just pull out the stem to its second stop position and twist the stem to advance the position of the hands of the watch. Then when the time is set, push the stem back in to its lowest rest position. So remember- first stem stop sets the date and second stem stop sets the time. That's it.

If your watch keeps time for a while, then stops and starts erratically, you most likely have one of several common problems.
1. You might have a bad battery. Sounds silly, but watch batteries have a limited shelf life, and if you installed a battery that's already been in a blister pack for a few years, the battery itself could be the problem.
2. Your "set stem" is not completely pushed in. Quartz watches are designed to stop ticking when the set stem is pulled out. They'll start up again when you push the stem completely in. There's a little finger or spring-loaded prong to keep the stem in or out. Sometimes, that little prong can break off from natural use. When that happens, the stem will work itself out enough to stop the watch from ticking. Natural movement on your hand will push it back in, and the movement will take off again. Check to see that you feel a firm "click" when you push the stem all the way in. Sometimes, when changing a battery, the movement will shift inside the case just enough that the stem doesn't quite catch in the locked, "full-in" position.
3. Your battery has a bad connection. Make sure that the positive and negative terminals of the battery are in good contact with the appropriate surfaces. I have used a tiny piece of aluminum foil at times to increase pressure on the watch battery so that it makes better contact.
4. Your watch movement has dirt in it that is jamming the gears. Modern quartz watches are amazing devices--a tiny amount of force from the pulse motor operates an intricate gear system that moves all the watch hands and day/date wheels. Even a tiny speck of dust in the wrong place on a gear can gum up the works and cause a watch to start and stop. Usually this will happen at set time intervals or at the same time every day, because that's when a particular gear tooth comes into play.
Closely related to this is an actual bent or broken gear tooth. Same symptoms.
A watchmaker can test the gear train by placing your watch in a special testing machine that spins the gears much faster than usual. If the watch hangs up from time to time, it's suggestive of problems in the gear train. Sadly, fixing the problem by cleaning the watch may cost more than replacing the entire watch.
These are the most common causes for this behavior. Hands that rub up against one another, or a defective quartz crystal are two other potential causes, but this should serve as a fairly good checklist for obvious problems.
Good luck!

most of the time with watches, there are two "pulls" on the stem to set the date and the time. normally, when you pull it out all the way, that's the setting for the time. so i think you've pulled it all the way out. try pushing it back in, then give the stem a soft pull. you'll feel about halfway, it stops a little bit. that should be the setting for the date.
i hope this helps

Both the time and the date are set via the winding stem. To set the date, pull out the stem to the first "click" and than turn it and watch as the numbers change. To set the time, pull out to the second "click" and then turn to set the time. Some watches have a screw-down stem crown. If yours does, simply unscrew it by rotating in a counter-clockwise direction until it releases and pops out slightly.

If your watch has a day calendar function it is important to not attempt to set the hour or change the date if the current reading is between 10 PM and 2 AM. If you do, there may be some damage to the advance function responsible for moving the calendar.

The easiest way to set the time and day is to advance the date to the day before the current one. Then pull out the stem and advance the hours until the date clicks over. That is midnight and as long as the current time isn't between 10 PM and 2 AM, you're good to go.

So to change the Day and Date of your Watch, slowly pull the Stem out... (Do note that if you have a Waterproof Watch, you'll need to unscrew the Stem counter-clockwise, which is towards you, until it unlocks, then you can pull the Stem out!) But this is where you need to go slow. If you pull it out slowly you should hear one snap. (It stops on the first notch) If you pull the Stem out all the way, it snaps twice and ends up on the second notch. (See picture below) The second notch, or all the way out, is where the Stem needs to be to set the Time.
But the first notch, or first snap, is the secret and the key to setting the Day and Date! In the first notch position, you'll see that if you spin the Crown one way, it will change the Day. Spin it in the opposite direction and it changes the Date!
Do keep in mind that you may have to spin the Day and Date a couple rotations because it most likely will alternate between English and Spanish. Just pick the correct Language for you and it's done! When the Day and Date are set, push the Stem in all the way and enjoy your Watch!
If you still have the problem with your Watch changing Dates at Noon instead of Midnight, that just means you're on the wrong 12 hr cycle. (It's set for Twelve at Night instead of Twelve at Noon) All you need to do is pull the Stem all the way out, (second notch) and Spin the Minute and Hour hands ahead 12 hours. If it's Twelve O'Clock, spin it ahead until it's Twelve O'Clock again. Doing that will put the Watch on the correct 12 hour cycle.

If you have a Fossil FS4337 Chronograph, shaking the watch shouldn't be doing anything other than exercising your muscles; the movement is a battery-driven quartz movement whose movement is controlled only by whether the stem has been pulled out (stopping the movement and saving power) or whether the battery still has enough power to activate the stepping motors that move the watch hands. Based on the symptoms that you've described, I would suggest that it's probably time to change your watch battery.

Often, when a watch battery is running low but isn't completely dead, pulling the stem into time-setting mode will stop the movement and permit the battery to "rest," giving it (briefly) a bit more reserve amperage to put out when you push the stem back in. That's how you can sometimes get a quartz watch to run for a few minutes after the battery appears to be dead. That may also be why your watch has started running again after you've set the time and date.

Fossil analog quartz watches tend to use silver oxide (usually #377 or #379) batteries instead of longer-lasting lithium batteries. In ordinary use, I would expect a silver oxide battery to provide between 1 and 2 years of service before it needs to be replaced. I can't remember if Fossil chronographs (which also use quartz movements) use a silver oxide or lithium battery. Lithium batteries often provide an additional year or two of service in analog watches, compared to silver oxide cells; digital watches using them supposedly may last as long as 10 years with a lithium battery, assuming you don't use the backlight or audible alarm functions. Note, however, that these batteries are different sizes and different voltages, so you can't substitute one for the other.

Finally, none of this advice applies if you have a Fossil watch with a true mechanical movement in it. In that case, gently shaking the watch may spin the winding rotor enough to start the watch back up again. However, an even faster way of winding those watches is to use the winding / time set crown to wind the mainspring directly instead of relying on the geared-down action of the winding rotor. Automatic watches can bind up if they are not used for a period of time; the lubricating oil used in some of the pivots can harden--or at least provide enough resistance that the movement may require more initial force to start running than to continue running. That behavior usually indicates that it's time to have the mechanical movement cleaned and re-lubricated.

This watch should have a "quick set" date function that lets you advance the dates by turning the setting crown. To get the watch in this mode, pull the set stem out half-way. At that point, turning the setting crown will advance the date on the watch without turning the hands. One some watches, finding the right position for the set stem can be a bit tricky--either it's not out far enough or it's out just a bit too far and the time hands turn. You may have to try pulling the stem in and out a few times to get it just right.

A word of advice: watches are generally designed to advance the date, not to turn it back. It's suggested that if you need turn the date back, you actually advance the date wheel up to 30 days to get to the date you want. Some watches do permit you to turn dates backwards, but I prefer not to risk the chance of hanging up the little springs and mechanism that are designed to advance the date indicator.

One final note: I have serviced several Timex mid-size (ladies or kids size) Expedition watches that lack a quick-set date. Many Timex watches in that size do have a quickset date like I've just described to you, so I have no idea whether these watches happen to have a cheaper movement or if they have some internal damage (it's been the same model each time). At any rate, for those watches, I have had to use the incredibly slow and painful process of advancing the time 24 hours to advance the date. With those watches, if the date is too far advanced by a day or two, it may be easier to stop the watch for 24-48 hours until the date is correct, rather than spend a huge amount of time spinning the crown to advance the time. Hopefully, your watch will have the more sophisticated movement, though.

mcdevito75 here, The stem (crown) on your timex shou;d have 2 positions, this allows you to set the date without haveing to turn the hands around so many times. Place a fingernail just under the crown (winder knob) and lift to it"s first position, it may take some practice so if you don"t get it the first time keep trying, Once you lift the crown to it:"s first position you shoulsd be able to set the date, set the date a day before the date you need, Now, push the stem back in all the way, now pull out the stem and set the date and time you want, you"ll have to go around the 24 hours once to set the correct date and time. Hope this helps. If you can"t do this adjustment, see a small watch repair shop in your area.

Your watch sounds like a mechanical type (old).

Older watches rely on the hour hand passing 12 to re-set the date.

Wind your watch until the date changes and then turn the hands backwards passed 12 and then forwards again to advance the date again. How far you need to wind it passed 12 (in both directions) is something that you will have to find out by experiment.


Have patience!

The crown is probably a screw down style. The screw down stem is designed to keep the water out and should be screwed shut when not adjusting the watch. Look at the watch stem from the side, look from the 3 oclock to the 9 oclock, you should see the end of the stem. Now turn the stem counterclockwise. After a number of turns, the stem should pop out a bit, it is now ready to set. Most waterproof automatic day/date watches have 4 positions for the stem:

1: screwed down (locked)
2: unscrewed position A
3: unscrewed position B (stem pulled out to first "click")
4: unscrewed position C (stem pulled out all the way.)

Position A:
This is usually used to wind the watch, although some automatic watches cannot be wound by the stem.

Position B:
Used to set day/date. Turning the stem one direction will advance the day and turning it the other direction will advance the date.

Position C:
Used to set the time. Some watches will "hack," a term used to describe the ability to stop the second hand for accuracy purposes.

Be sure the watch is at least a little bit wound before starting theis procedure or it will not run when you get it set!


Unscrew the stem and pull it all the way out to position C. Now turn the stem to advance the time clockwise. Continue turning until the day/date advances, now you know you are in the AM 12 hrs of the day. It is important not to advance the day/date with the stem during the 3 hours before and the 3 hours after midnight, so go ahead and move the time to 8 am.

Now push the stem in sligthly until you are in position B. Sometimes it is easier to go to position A, the out to position B. Once in position B, advance the day/date until it is set for the current day/date.

Pull the stem out to position C. Adjust the time to one minute past the current time. Watch your reference timepiece until it matches your watch and push the stem in when they match.

Your watch is now set! Screw the crown down and wear it in good health.


Hacking. If you stop the second hand at 0 seconds, and wait for your reference timepiece to reach 0 seconds also, you can set the watch to within a second accuracy.

Movement slop. If you advance the time past the time you wish to set your watch and then "backup" to your chosen time, you will remove the slop from the geartrain and make your watch set more accuretly