Twelve O'clock vs TimeWave
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Twelve O'clock
Easily track the accuracy of your mechanical watches over time. Manually log checkpoints to calculate seconds per day and visualize performance with charts. Manage your watch collection with photos and learn more about horology.
- Manage watch collection
- Add/edit/remove watches
- Include watch photos
- Track watch accuracy
- Calculate seconds per day
- View accuracy charts
- Horology content
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Twelve O’clock is an app that helps track your watch accuracy easily in a realistic way. I can’t stress this enough: it’s “tracking”, not measuring instantaneous accuracy like a timegrapher device. It’s a manual and oldschool job but it brings so much fun. It reminds me of the old days when I had to synchronize my watch to the clock on the TV at 7pm every day. With Twelve O'clock you can: ** MANAGE YOUR WATCH COLLECTION * Add, edit, remove any item in a list of your watch collection * Include a nice wristshot of each watch ** KNOW YOUR WATCH ACCURACY * Simply add some checkpoints and let the app calculate the accuracy in *second per day* * A nice chart of the accuracy over the time ** LEARN MORE ABOUT HOROLOGY * Curated content for watch lovers (like me)
TimeWave
This app simulates radio-controlled clock signals to help your watch synchronize its time when terrestrial signals are unavailable. It offers guides for popular watch brands and checks environmental conditions before transmission.
- Radio-controlled clock signal simulation
- Support for multiple international time signals
- Environment pre-check and recommendations
- Smart output tuning for various audio paths
- Local time mode for overseas watches
- Watch-specific synchronization guides
- Live signal visualization and sync history
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TimeWave is a professional time-signal simulator designed for radio-controlled watches and clocks. When your watch cannot reliably receive a terrestrial time signal, TimeWave can generate a compatible time code through your iPhone or iPad speaker, wired headphones, or supported Bluetooth audio devices. This helps your watch perform manual reception and synchronize its time wherever you are. No ads. No account required. No personal data uploaded. Core synchronization features work offline. SUPPORTED TIME SIGNALS • BPC — China • JJY40 / JJY60 — Japan • WWVB — United States • MSF — United Kingdom • DCF77 — Germany KEY FEATURES ENVIRONMENT PRE-CHECK Before transmission begins, TimeWave checks device volume, battery level, ambient noise, and magnetic-field conditions. It then provides practical recommendations to help reduce common synchronization failures. SMART OUTPUT TUNING TimeWave adjusts signal parameters for different audio output paths, including the built-in speaker, wired headphones, and supported Bluetooth audio devices, helping maintain a stable transmission. LOCAL TIME MODE Designed for imported and overseas watch models. Generate a compatible time signal using your selected local time zone, making it easier to synchronize watches that do not support your local transmitter. WATCH-SPECIFIC GUIDES Follow step-by-step guides for popular radio-controlled watches from Casio G-Shock and Multiband 6, Citizen Eco-Drive, Seiko, Junghans, Braun, and more. Guides may include: • Manual reception instructions • Antenna-position diagrams • Recommended watch placement • Reception-status indicators • Troubleshooting suggestions Actual compatibility depends on the watch model and the time-signal standard it supports. MULTIPLE PLACEMENT METHODS View clear diagrams for positioning your watch near an iPhone or iPad speaker, wired headphone cable, or supported audio device. OUTPUT PROTECTION TimeWave controls signal amplitude according to the selected output path and provides warnings when device conditions may be unsuitable for transmission. LIVE SIGNAL VISUALIZATION Watch the current time code and transmission waveform in real time, with a clear view of progress and remaining time. SYNC HISTORY Save synchronization sessions and record whether each attempt succeeded or failed. Review previous attempts to compare stations, placement methods, and device settings. PRIVATE AND OFFLINE TimeWave does not require an account and does not upload your personal data. Core time-signal generation and watch guides are available offline. HOW TO USE 1. Choose a supported time-signal station or enable Local Time Mode. 2. Put your watch into manual reception mode. On some G-Shock models, this may be shown as RC, RX, or GET. 3. Position the watch antenna close to your iPhone or iPad speaker, wired headphone cable, or supported audio device, following the in-app diagram. 4. Increase the volume and keep both the watch and device still. 5. Start transmission and wait approximately 2–10 minutes. Check the reception indicator on your watch to confirm the result. TIPS FOR BETTER RECEPTION • Keep the watch and device away from chargers, power adapters, computers, televisions, speakers, and other sources of electromagnetic interference. • Watch reception depends on the model, antenna direction, volume, output device, placement, and surrounding environment. • If your imported watch does not support your local transmitter, select a compatible signal standard and use Local Time Mode when needed. • For the best results, select your watch brand or model in TimeWave and follow the recommended placement guide. TimeWave is an independent utility and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any watch manufacturer or time-signal authority. Brand and product names are used only to describe compatibility. Questions or suggestions? Contact: [fish2next@gmail.com](mailto:fish2next@gmail.com)
Screenshots
Verdict
Twelve O'clock and TimeWave both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 91% of Twelve O'clock's written reviews are positive against 0% of TimeWave's. Twelve O'clock also leads on ratings volume (83 vs 18). TimeWave's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Twelve O'clock sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and TimeWave sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Twelve O'clock against 4.4 for TimeWave. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 83 and 18 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Twelve O'clock's written reviews are positive against 0% of TimeWave's.
Twelve O'clock ships an update every 3 weeks, TimeWave weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Twelve O'clock | TimeWave |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (83 ratings) | 4.4 (18 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 91.1% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 83 — better | 18 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hieu Pham | 毅 何 |
Customer experience
Twelve O'clock
TimeWave
Bugs and requests
Twelve O'clock
Reported bugs
11 issues- App freezes at loading requiring phone restart
- Data deletion after app updates
- Data loss on app crash
- Graph display glitches after checkpoints
- Photo checkpoint feature returns 'old photo not supported' error
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Beeping only works when phone not in silent mode
- Sort function not working
- Screenshot sharing produces blank page
- Calculation errors showing ~150 second variance
- Checkpoint history doesn't display correctly
- Swiping left to delete checkpoints not intuitive
Requested features
18 requests- iCloud/cloud synchronization across devices
- Notifications or reminders for checkpoints
- Current time button on checkpoint screen
- Larger buttons for 15/30/45 second marks
- Power reserve tracking
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Wear frequency tracking
- Average accuracy by watch position
- Widget support
- Atomic clock built into app
- Regulator clock layout for time setting
- In-app feedback option (instead of Twitter)
- Automatic time reading from watch photos
- 12-hour time format option
- Sort function improvements
- Year display in checkpoint history
- Chrono24 account integration
- Regular article updates
- Export to Excel/CSV
TimeWave
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Twelve O'clock
- Twelve Plus$1.99
TimeWave
- Buy Me a Coffee$0.99
- Lifetime Membership$3.99









