Support
Needlewatch is a menu bar app. It has no Dock icon and no main window — after launching, look for the record icon in your menu bar and click it.
Requirements
- macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later
- Apple silicon or Intel
Installing
- Download Needlewatch and open the disk image.
- Drag Needlewatch to your Applications folder.
- Open it. There's no window and no Dock icon — the record appears in your menu bar.
To have it start with your Mac, add it under System Settings → General → Login Items.
Estimating hours already played
If your stylus isn't new, estimate its hours and enter that as Hours already used. Multiply your typical listening per week by the weeks you've owned it:
4 days/week × 3 hours = 12 h/week × 16 weeks = 192 hours
When unsure, round up. Overestimating means you replace the stylus a little early; underestimating means you keep playing records with a worn needle. Only one of those mistakes damages your collection.
Questions
What should I set as the rated life?
Use the manufacturer's figure for your cartridge — commonly 500–1,000 hours for elliptical styli, and higher for many line-contact profiles. If you can't find it, 1,000 hours is a reasonable default, but check the spec sheet where you can.
What's the difference between "rated life" and "replace at"?
Rated life is the manufacturer's number. "Replace at" is when you want to be warned — deliberately earlier, so you have time to order a replacement before you're playing on a stylus that's at its limit. The gauge turns amber at your threshold and red at the rating.
Does it detect when I'm playing a record?
No. Needlewatch doesn't listen to audio or watch your turntable — you press Start when the needle drops and Stop when you're done. That keeps it accurate and means the app needs no microphone or network access.
What if I forget to press Stop?
The session keeps running, including across a quit or restart, and will record the full elapsed time when you stop it. If that overstates your listening, lower the stylus's Hours already used by the difference to correct the total.
Can I track more than one stylus?
Yes. Add as many as you like and switch between them in the dropdown. Only one can be tracked at a time — starting a second stylus stops the first and records its session, and the app tells you before it does.
Does it sync between my Macs?
No. Your data stays on the machine that recorded it. See Privacy.
Why is there no Dock icon?
Needlewatch is a menu bar utility, so it deliberately stays out of the Dock and app switcher. The only window it opens is the stylus editor.
Something wrong?
Email info@needlewatch.com. Including your macOS version and what you were doing at the time makes a problem far easier to fix.