To make your Apple Watch face run a few minutes fast, open Settings → Clock → +0 min on the watch, turn the Digital Crown to choose an offset, then tap Done. This changes the time shown on the watch face—not the actual time used by alarms, notifications, or other system functions.
Set your Apple Watch face ahead
- On the Apple Watch, open the Settings app.
- Tap Clock.
- Tap +0 min.
- Turn the Digital Crown to choose how many minutes ahead the face should display, such as +5 min or +10 min.
- Tap Done, if it appears.
For example, if the actual time is 8:00 and you choose +5 min, the watch face displays 8:05. Apple’s current watchOS 26 guide documents an adjustment of up to 59 minutes ahead; the setting is an offset, not a manual change to the watch’s clock. Apple Watch User Guide: Change Apple Watch faces
What changes—and what stays on actual time
The offset applies to the time shown on the Apple Watch face. It does not change the watch’s underlying time or time-zone setting, and it should not be treated as changing every time display in every app. A World Clock display or complication, for example, may not show the same offset.
Apple says alarms, notifications, World Clock, and other system times continue to use actual time. So an alarm set for 7:00 is still for actual 7:00, even if the face appears to show a later time. The setting also does not advance the time on your iPhone. Apple Support: Set the time on Apple Watch
#1 Best Overall
- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
Timers and stopwatch measurements are duration-based tools, not alternate clock-face displays. Do not rely on the face offset to change a timer’s countdown or a stopwatch measurement. Apple describes using timers separately in its Apple Watch User Guide: Use timers.
Return the display to the actual time
- On the watch, open Settings → Clock.
- Tap the current offset, such as +5 min.
- Turn the Digital Crown back to +0 min.
- Tap Done, if shown.
Apple identifies +0 min as the default setting. If you are checking whether the offset is cleared, compare the watch face with a phone or another accurate clock.
Rank #2
- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
If you can’t find “+0 min”
- Make sure you are using Settings on the Apple Watch, not the iPhone’s Settings app or the Apple Watch app on iPhone.
- Open Clock, not General, Date & Time, or World Clock. Scroll the settings list or turn the Digital Crown if needed.
- Menu wording can differ on older watchOS versions. Apple’s current instructions are in its watchOS 26 User Guide; follow the guide for your installed software.
- If the control is still unavailable, restart the watch and check again. For model- or software-specific help, consult Apple’s guide to changing Apple Watch settings.
Choose another tool for a specific reminder
A fast face can act as a visual prompt to leave sooner, but it is easy to forget that alarms and notifications still use actual time. For a reminder tied to a real clock time, use an alarm or a calendar alert; use Reminders for a preparation or departure prompt. For a countdown, use the Timer app or ask Siri to start a timer. Apple’s timer guide covers starting and using timers on Apple Watch.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Don’t confuse the offset with other clock settings
Clock → +0 min is a watch-face display adjustment. It is not the setting for changing the time zone, switching between 12- and 24-hour display, correcting an inaccurate system clock, or setting the iPhone’s time. Apple documents 24-hour time separately in its Apple Watch settings guide. Current documentation describes setting the face ahead; it does not establish a corresponding negative offset to make it display behind actual time.
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Best Value
- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
Rank #4
- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
- KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
- GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*
Rank #3
- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
- KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
- GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*
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