In an analogue electronic timepiece comprising a minute hand mounted on a cannon pinion, an hour hand mounted on an hour wheel, a motor driven by pulses produced by an electronic circuit and a gear train connecting the motor pinion with the cannon pinion and hour wheel, means for setting the minute hand and hour hand to amend the time displayed by the timepiece comprises a setting wheel which is rotatable by a crown wheel in one direction for moving the hands clockwise and in the opposite direction for moving the hands counterclockwise. The setting wheel is coupled to the gear train by a friction pinion at a point in the train which is approximately midway between the motor pinion and the cannon pinion and hour wheel so that the blacklash generated in moving the hands clockwise in a setting operation is approximately equal to the backlash generated in moving the hands counterclockwise. The electronic circuit includes means for generating pulses at the conclusion of a setting operation so as to compensate for the blacklash in the gear train. Since the backlash is approximately the same regardless of the direction the hands are moved in the setting operation substantially complete compensation for the backlash can be attained regardless of the direction in which the hands are moved.