How to Adjust Time on G-Shock Analog and Digital

Know Your Four Buttons First

Almost every G-Shock uses the same four-button layout, and Casio manuals label them (A), (B), (C), and (D).

Some squares and octagon models swap Light and Reverse, and a few Master of G models add a 5th button. Hold Forward or Reverse to change values quickly instead of tapping, says Aiman Moner, our watch repair expert with 35+ years of experience.

Find Your Module Number Before You Start

The four-digit number stamped on the case back, usually inside a rectangle next to the model name, is your module number. It identifies the exact movement inside your watch. Casio publishes a free operation guide for every module on its manuals page, and searching that number gives you button-by-button steps for your watch. Write it down once and keep it in your phone notes.

How to Adjust Time on a Digital G-Shock

When it comes to adjusting time on a Digital G-Shock, we are talking about classic squares, rounds, and other display-only models such as DW-5600, GD-350, and DW-6900.

1. Press Mode until the watch shows the normal timekeeping screen with the day and date. 
2. Hold Adjust for about 2 to 3 seconds until the city code (or the seconds digits) starts flashing. 
3. Press Mode to move through the settings in order: city code, DST, 12/24-hour format, seconds, hour, minutes, year, month, and day. 
4. Press Forward or Reverse to change the flashing value. 
5. With the seconds flashing, press Reverse to reset them to 00 at the top of the minute for a precise start. 
6. Press Adjust once to save and return to timekeeping.

If nothing flashes when you hold Adjust, you are probably in stopwatch, timer, or world time mode. Press Mode until the main time screen returns, then try again. 

How to Adjust Time on an Analog-Digital G-Shock

Ana-digi models such as the GA-100, GA-110, GA-2100, and GM-2100 have hands driven by the same module as the digital display. You set the digital time first, and the hands follow.

1. Hold Adjust in timekeeping mode until the city code flashes. 
2. Set the home city, DST, 12/24-hour format, seconds, hour, minute, and date with Mode. Forward, and Reverse. 
3. Press Adjust to save. 
4. Check the hands against the digital time. If they match, you are done. 
5. If they are off by a few minutes or more, align them in H.SET mode using the steps below. 

On watches with a mode hand or sub-dials, the small hands point to the current mode, day of week, or 24-hour time. They are set separately in the same hand alignment mode, says Aiman Moner. 

How to Align Analog Hands With Digital Time (H.SET)

Misaligned hands are the most common G-Shock complaint. It happens after a battery change, a strong magnet, or a hard knock, and it is fixed in the hand home position mode. 

1. In timekeeping mode, hold Adjust for about 5 seconds. Keep holding past the city code screen until the display shows H.SET, H-SET, or SUB. 
2. Press Mode to select which hand set you are adjusting: hour and minute hands, then any sub-dial or mode hands. 
3. Hold Forward to move the hands clockwise, or Reverse to move them counterclockwise. Tap once to stop them. 
4. Line the hour and minute hands up exactly at 12:00, and point each sub-dial hand at its own zero mark. 
5. Press Adjust to save. The hands will spin to correct the current time. 

On some modules, the hand set screen is entered by holding the lower-right button for about 3 seconds instead. Your module manual confirms which button applies. According to Aiman Moner, set the hands under a lamp and look straight down at the dial, not at an angle. Parallax makes hands look 1 or 2 minutes off when they are perfectly aligned. 

Radio, GPS, and Bluetooth Models Set Themselves

Before setting anything by hand, check whether your watch can do it for you. 

• Multi-Band 6 (Wave Ceptor): Picks up a radio time signal overnight. Leave the watch face up near a window with the display pointed toward the ceiling, away from phones and appliances. 
• GPS Hybrid: Point the watch at open sky and hold the receive button until it locks a satellite signal. 
• Bluetooth (Mobile Link): Install the Casio Watches app, pair the watch, and hold the connect button for a few seconds. The app sets time, home city, and DST in one step, and it is the safest way to change time zones while traveling. 
• Tough Solar: Keep the watch in daylight. A low battery blocks hand movement and radio reception, which looks like a time-setting fault but is not one. 

Manual setting still works on all of these. If you set the time by hand on a radio or GPS model, the next automatic sync will simply correct it.

Setting the Date, Day, and 12/24-Hour Format

The date fields are in the same setting sequence as the time. Press Mode past the minute field to reach year, month, and day. Set the year first, because the module uses it to work out the day of the week and leap years automatically. If your watch shows the wrong day name, the year or month is almost always the reason. Watches with a date wheel or a day-of-week hand also need the analog side aligned, so run H.SET after any date correction on those models.

Daylight Saving Time in One Step

Don’t shift the hour by one. Change the DST setting instead, so the world time and alarm functions stay correct. 

1. Hold Adjust until the city code flashes. 
2. Press Mode once to reach the DST field, which shows DST OFF, DST ON, or AUTO. 
3. Press Forward to switch it. 
4. Press Adjust to save. 

Choose AUTO if your module offers it and your home city observes DST. Radio and Bluetooth models handle the switch on their own once the correct home city is set. 

Common Problems and Quick Fixes

Keep the Time Accurate Long Term

• Reset the seconds to 00 against your phone clock once a month on non-radio models. 
• Keep the watch away from laptop speakers, tablet covers, and magnetic phone mounts, which are the usual cause of hand drift. 
• After every battery replacement, run H.SET before judging accuracy. 
• Save your home city code and module number in your notes so a time zone change takes seconds, not searching. 
• When crossing time zones, swap the home city instead of editing the hour. Your alarms, world time, and DST rules stay right. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How long does it take to set a G-Shock?

Under two minutes for the digital time, plus about one minute for hand alignment or analog-digital models.

Why won’t my G-Shock hands move during setting?

Either the watch left setting mode after a couple of minutes of inactivity, or the solar cell is low on charge. Charge it in daylight and try again.

Can I set a G-Shock without the manual?

Yes, the Adjust, Mode, Forward, and Reverse sequence is the same on most modules. Look up the case-back module number only if a step does not match your watch.

Does resettling the time erase alarms or the stopwatch?

No. Time settings are separate from alarms, timers, and stopwatch data. A full module reset does clear them.

Should I set the hands or the digital time first?

Set the digital time first. The hands take their position from the digital time base, so aligning them first wastes the effort.