Apple explains how to fix Apple Watch Always On display showing the wrong hour after daylight saving time

Apple has published a support document for an Apple Watch quirk that appears after clocks change for daylight saving time: the watch can keep showing a time that is one hour off. With clocks going back across most of the United States on Sunday, November 1, the guidance arrives just as many more owners are likely to notice it.

According to the document, the incorrect hour shows up only on the Always On display, the dimmed view the watch shows when the wrist is lowered. Raising the wrist or tapping the screen brings up the correct time. Apple also says alarms are not affected, so the problem is cosmetic rather than something that would make a wake-up call fire at the wrong moment.

What Apple suggests

Apple's document offers two quick fixes. The first is to switch to a different watch face and then switch back to your preferred one. The second is to restart the watch. If you do neither, Apple says the issue resolves itself at midnight following the time change.

The company's page does not name specific Apple Watch models or watchOS versions, and it speaks about "your Apple Watch" in general terms. It also reminds users to keep their watch updated to receive the latest bug fixes and security updates.

Where the reports began

MacRumors, which flagged Apple's guidance on November 1, says it had already covered the problem on October 26, when users in Europe reported it after clocks there moved back in late October. The U.S. change a week later means a new group of owners may now run into the same display glitch.

What it means for owners

For anyone who sees a wrong hour on a lowered wrist, the fix is a matter of seconds. Because the correct time appears the moment the screen wakes, and alarms and other functions are unaffected, the issue looks like a display refresh problem rather than a timekeeping fault. Apple has not said whether a software update will address the underlying cause, and it has not published a timeline for one.

Apple's support document is listed under article number 149603 on support.apple.com.