Since its beginnings in 1938, the Columbia Sportswear Company has produced outdoor-oriented activewear, including parkas, hiking boots and accessories. The company's 2014 lineup of accessories included a dozen types of watches for men and women, including the unisex Skyline model, tide-tracking men's Tidewater and slimline ladies' Willowdale. While each model differs in the details -- some are analog and some are digital -- the watches share some basic operational similarities. To really dive into the minutia of working your Columbia watch, always refer to the user manual that came with it.

Wait for the second hand to reach the 12 o'clock position, then pull out the crown of your Columbia analog watch until it clicks twice.

Turn the crown clockwise; as the hour and minute hands advance, the day-of-the- week counter will turn as well. When you reach the correct day of the week, continue to turn the dial until you reach the desired time of day, then press the crown back in to set the time.

Pull the crown out to its first position, indicated by just one click, to set the date. Turn the dial clockwise to advance the dates and stop at the correct date, then push the crown in to its default position.

Press the watch's “Mode” button to advance through the displays, which may include regular time; alarm or chime setting; a secondary time zone; countdown timer; and -- on some models -- tide reports. Look for the “Mode” button -- also known as the “S3” or “B” button -- on the lower left section of the watch face.

Press and hold the “Set” or “S1” button, typically located on the upper right of the watch face, to edit in any mode.

Press the “S2” or “Advance” button, usually found on the watch face's bottom right, to step through the digits -- for instance, to advance through hours or minutes when setting the normal time or to adjust the amount of time from which to count down in the countdown mode. To change the value you wish to edit -- such as when switching between hours and minutes -- press “Mode” or “S3” while editing.

Press the “S1” button to confirm your settings.

Press and hold the “S4” or “Light” button to activate the watch's backlight, a common feature on all Columbia Sportswear watches. Look for this button on the upper left of the watch face.