Second hand misses the markers: is your quartz watch inaccurate?
A seconds hand landing beside a marker does not, by itself, prove that your quartz watch loses time. Where the hand stops and how the displayed time compares with the correct time are different properties. Your viewing angle can also change what you see.
That distinction matters when buying: do you mainly want dependable timekeeping, or is every visible tick landing on a marker just as important? For the latter, ask for evidence of the actual watch you will receive. An accuracy specification does not provide that evidence.
The original photograph illustrates a Lunar Gunmetal. It is not an alignment test or evidence that this hand hits all sixty markers.
Three different things to assess
The view above the dial
You are looking at a hand above a scale. An oblique view compares them from a different direction than a view directly over the centre. If the apparent gap changes as you move your head, viewing angle matters. That observation still does not establish the watch's technical condition.
Where each tick stops
This concerns the relationship between the hand tip and the markers at different points around the dial. Vaer discusses assembly and gear backlash as factors in quartz hand alignment. Its explanation supplies no permitted deviation for an Avanté and does not assess your individual watch.
The difference from reference time
Assess this by comparing the displayed time with the same dependable clock on different dates. A fixed visual offset between markers does not tell you how much time the watch gains or loses over a week. Our quartz accuracy guide covers that separate question.
What the 6P00 specification establishes
The Lunar uses a MIYOTA 6P00 quartz movement. MIYOTA specifies ±20 seconds per month. That is a timekeeping figure, not a distance in millimetres or an allowable angle between the seconds hand and an index.
Consider a hypothetical example. The displayed time stays aligned with your reference over several days, while the hand repeatedly stops between markers. You have observed an alignment issue without demonstrating accumulating time loss. If the watch falls increasingly behind, you also have a timekeeping observation to have assessed. This is an illustration, not an experiment we performed.
The public 6P00 documentation consulted does not give us an acceptance threshold for hand alignment in a complete Lunar. We therefore cannot label a photograph either “always normal” or “always defective”.
Why an online reset procedure may not apply
Some advice addresses a different situation: the analog hands show a different time from the watch's electronic time. Casio separates procedures by watch type, including reference-position correction on certain models.
That is not a universal way to move the hand on any quartz watch slightly sideways. The 6P00 manual describes time and calendar operations; it provides no electronic index correction like that Casio route. Do not transfer another calibre's button sequence to your watch.
Nor is “magnetism” a diagnosis made from one missed marker. Casio explains that strong magnetic sources can affect analog hand motors. That does not establish a measured magnetic resistance for a Lunar.
How to compare before ordering
In a shop, ask to view the actual watch through a complete revolution, looking as directly down at the dial as possible. Look around the whole dial rather than only at twelve. Let it run undisturbed; shaking or tapping it adds no useful purchase evidence.
When buying online, ask whether an unedited video of the intended watch is available. A product render or one still photograph cannot show a complete revolution. Check return terms and ask about any explicit alignment commitment. Explain what you expect before ordering.
Use these priorities to guide your choice:
Small timekeeping deviation matters most: compare the calibre specification and assess the displayed time against a reference.
Every tick must meet an index: inspect the individual watch or request a focused video; price and the word quartz do not establish this.
You mainly want to read seconds as numbers: a digital display may suit you better. It removes this particular hand-to-marker comparison.
You have noticed a new change, stopping or irregular running: have the watch assessed before choosing a correction procedure.
If perfect index alignment is a firm purchase requirement, these sources do not allow us to recommend the Lunar as a guaranteed solution.
If you already own the watch
First look at the same area directly from the front and at an angle. Note whether the offset appears everywhere, only in part of the dial, or only since a particular event. A short video showing the entire dial helps communicate your observation.
Document time loss separately with dated comparisons against the same reference. Leave the cause open when you do not know it. When contacting Avanté, the model, order number, what changed and a clear recording are more useful than simply saying it “runs wrong”. The current service and warranty policy explains the next steps; this article does not decide individual coverage.
Sources and editorial check
Checked on 3 November 2026. This is a source analysis and an original buying framework from Avanté as a seller, not an independent wear test or measurement. Each linked source has its own scope: Vaer explains a phenomenon, Casio describes its systems and MIYOTA specifies a calibre.
A closer look at the Lunar Gunmetal
The Lunar Gunmetal was €180 and in stock when checked. Its 40 mm case is 8.8 mm thick, with sapphire crystal, 316L steel and a MIYOTA 6P00 displaying day, date, month and moonphase. Consider it for that combination; those specifications do not guarantee perfect index alignment. The quoted price is in euros, not a US-dollar price or a total for every delivery destination.
Compare the Lunar finishes, or explore today's moon with Live Moonphase.
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