An electronic watch 400 which comprises a power supply 401 and a watch circuit 402. The watch circuit 402 comprises an oscillator circuit 403, a frequency divider circuit 404, a drive pulse generation means 405, a drive motor 406 which, in response to a drive pulse P1 that is output by the above-noted drive pulse generation means 405, drives at least one of the hour/minute, second, and functional hands including chronograph hands, a drive circuit means 407 which controls the drive of the drive motor 406, a drive circuit control means 408 which controls the above-noted drive circuit means 407, and a control condition detection means 409 which is connected to the above-noted drive circuit control means 408 and which detect the control condition in the drive circuit control means 408, the control condition detection means 409 being provided with a non-proper condition detection means 410 which senses the occurrence of a condition in which it is not possible to properly drive the above-noted drive motor 406 under a prescribed condition in a prescribed control mode currently being executed, and a control mode change-instructing means 411 which, in response to a detection signal of the above-noted non-proper condition detection means 410, issues an instruction to the drive circuit control means 408 to change the control mode currently being executed.