Apple Watch showing the wrong hour after clocks change? Here's the fix

If your Apple Watch looked an hour off this weekend, the watch is probably fine. Apple has published a support document about a glitch that shows the wrong hour after daylight saving time changes. The error appears only on the dimmed screen, and the fix takes about a minute.

What changed

Apple says the incorrect time shows only on the Always On display when your wrist is down. That is the dim screen that stays lit while you are not using the watch. When you tap the screen or raise your wrist, the watch shows the correct hour.

The problem is not new. MacRumors earlier reported Apple Watch owners in Europe seeing the same thing when clocks went back there. Clocks went back across most of the U.S. on Sunday, November 1.

What to do

Apple's advice is simple: switch to another watch face and then back again, or restart the watch. The alert box above lists the steps in order. Because the right time appears the moment you wake the screen, a quick tap is a safe way to check before a meeting or a flight.

Anyone who does not use the Always On display, or whose watch already shows the right hour in the dim state, can relax.

What is not known yet

The material does not say what causes the glitch, how many watches are affected, or whether Apple plans a software update. If the dimmed screen is still wrong after a restart, checking Apple's support page is the next step.