This is the SKMEI 1862 operation manual, set out in the order you actually use it. Every step follows the leaflet supplied in the box, and the pictures are the ones from that leaflet. The short notes underneath only explain what it assumes you already know.
- Six digits: hour, minute, second, plus day, month and week
- Daily alarm and hourly chime
- 12/24-hour format select
- 1/100-second stopwatch
- Dual time
- EL backlight
Jump to: Buttons · Modes · Time · Date · Alarm · Dual time · Stopwatch · Backlight · If something looks wrong
The two buttons
Everything on this watch runs through two keys. The leaflet names them (A Key) SET/EL LIGHT and (B Key) MODE, and their jobs change once you are inside a setting screen. That is why the light seems dead while you are setting the time.
| Press | A · SET / EL LIGHT | B · MODE |
|---|---|---|
| Short press | EL backlight on for 3 seconds, in any mode | Advance to the next mode |
| Hold 2 seconds | Enter the setting screen of the current mode | Adjust the flashing item quickly |
| Inside a setting screen | Select the next item | Change the value that is flashing |
| While the alarm rings | Any key stops it | Any key stops it |
The five modes
B moves through the modes in one direction only. There is no back key, so keep pressing until you come round again. These are the five screens in the leaflet's own order:
| Normal time | Date | Alarm | Dual time | Stopwatch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
One press of B steps forward through the five modes; one more press from the stopwatch returns to normal time.
Four of the five modes open a setting screen when you hold A for 2 seconds. In every one of them, A walks through the items and B changes the flashing one:
| Mode | Order A steps through |
|---|---|
| Normal time | Second → Hour → Minute → 12/24 hour |
| Date | Month → Day → Week |
| Alarm | Hour → ten digit of minute → unit digit of minute → ALARM/CHIME ON-OFF |
| Dual time | Hour → Minute → 12/24 hour |
| Stopwatch | No setting screen. A starts, stops and clears instead |
If no key is touched for 60 seconds in a setting screen, the watch returns to normal time on its own.
Setting the time
- Press B until you are in normal time mode.
- Press A for 2 seconds. The seconds start flashing.
- Press B to zero the seconds.
- Press A to select the next item: hour, then minute, then 12/24 hour.
- Press B to adjust the flashing item. Press and hold B to adjust quickly.
- Press A once more to leave, or wait 60 seconds and it exits by itself.
If the seconds are between 30 and 59 when you zero them, the minutes go up by 1. Between 00 and 29, the minutes stay where they are. This is in the leaflet on purpose, not a fault.
Setting the date
- Press B until you are in date mode.
- Press A for 2 seconds. The month starts flashing.
- Press A to select the next item: month, then day, then week.
- Press B to adjust each flashing item. Wait 60 seconds to exit.
There is no year field on this module, so the watch cannot track leap years by itself. Check the date the morning after a short month ends.
Setting the alarm and hourly chime
- Press B until you are in alarm mode.
- Press A for 2 seconds. The hour starts flashing.
- Press A to select the next item: hour, then the ten digit of the minute, then the unit digit of the minute, then the ALARM/CHIME switch.
- Press B to adjust each flashing item. Wait 60 seconds to exit.
Two symbols on the display tell you what is switched on. 
means the alarm is on, and 
means the hourly chime is on. When a symbol is missing that function is off. Because each has its own symbol you can run one without the other. When the alarm time is reached it sounds for 20 seconds in any mode, and any key stops it.
Setting dual time
- Press B until you are in dual time mode.
- Press A for 2 seconds. The hour starts flashing.
- Press A to select the next item: hour, then minute, then 12/24 hour.
- Press B to adjust each flashing item. Wait 60 seconds to exit.
The dual time screen carries the DL indicator and keeps its own reading, so setting it does not move the main time.
Stopwatch
- Press B until you are in stopwatch mode.
- Press A to start counting.
- Press A again to stop.
- Press A for 2 seconds to clear the data.
Clearing only works once the count is stopped. Holding A while it is still running just toggles start and stop again.
EL backlight
In any mode, press A to light the EL backlight for 3 seconds.
If something looks wrong
| Symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| Digits keep flashing after I stop pressing | You are still in a setting screen. Press A through the remaining items, or wait 60 seconds for it to exit on its own |
| A does nothing, the light will not come on | Inside a setting screen A selects the next item instead of lighting the display. This is by design |
| The minutes jumped by one when I zeroed the seconds | Nothing to fix. Seconds of 30 to 59 round the minute up, 00 to 29 leave it alone |
| The stopwatch will not go back to zero | Press A to stop it first, then hold A for 2 seconds |
| The alarm is set but stays silent | The bell symbol is probably not displayed. Go back into alarm mode and switch it on |
| The date was right yesterday and is wrong today | There is no year field, so set the date again after a short month ends |
Source: the SKMEI 1862 operation leaflet supplied with the watch. All steps, item orders and illustrations on this page are reproduced from that leaflet; the troubleshooting table and the notes on flashing items and key behaviour are our own.