Why does clock always show 10.10

When I first happened to notice the , someone told me that the inventor of the clock died at , and hence picturing dials displaying that time was a tribute to him. It was not just his death that was theorised about. The truth is that there is no one individual who can be solely credited with the invention of the modern clock or watch.

While 17th century Dutch mathematician and scientist, Christiaan Huygens, who invented the first pendulum clock is often given that distinction, it is actually a series of inventions and developments over centuries that led to the clock and watch being the way it is today. Moreover, there is no clear or confirmed record of the time at which Huygens invented that first pendulum clock.

Some even picked another beloved president of another century, President John F Kennedy. America has been a superpower for the most part, and they did play an instrumental role in paving the way for capitalism. And even if Switzerland is the undisputed capital of watchmaking, America is still probably the largest market for watches.

So why not photograph all watches telling the time of death of an iconic American president! However, the truth is that neither of the above mentioned dead presidents died at Lincoln was shot at pm, and died at am. Kennedy was shot at pm, and declared dead at pm. Frederique Constant keeps things classic in these Slimline Power Reserve dress watches.

Even the date is the same on both pieces. It seems like the brand sticks to as the time in all their visuals. People have suggested that was the time of death of the activist and the face of the American Civil Rights Movement. The truth is that Dr King was shot pm and declared dead pm. Disaster continues in this list of theories. This goes beyond iconic personalities, and is about the devastating loss of innocent lives, with lifetimes of medical problems that many others faced because of it.

People theorised that is what we see in pictures because that was the time when one of the two bombs was dropped. The truth is that the atomic bombs were dropped at am and am, on August 6 and 9, , on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. World War II contributes to this theory as well. Most of them just follow the norm, no questions asked. Some follow exact guidelines set by the brands that the watches belong to.

Such is the case with Timex watches. Timex is said to have claimed that the industry norm at one point was to photograph all watches at However, this made the face of the watch appear as though it was frowning. Hence, this was reversed to have all Timex watches in pictures to tell the time as to be exact. In fact, this is the guideline they follow even when it comes to depicting their digital watches.

The one reason that most of them would probably agree with is the fact that shows practically every element on the face of the watch as clearly as possible. Even design elements in the counterweights of the hands can be seen clearly at These Breitling Aviator 8 Curtiss Warhawk watches have the time set to about , which works on all three dials, without obstructing the view of the sub-dials in both chronograph versions.

The time set to also seems to be Omega's go-to, as seen in these classic Constellation watches in steel, for women and men. Even these jewelled Omega Constellation pieces in rose gold, paved with diamonds, tell the time as in this official brand visual. So the truth is simple. The time at shows you the dial of the watch in the best possible way it can be seen.

This is obviously true for most analogue watch dials. However, when Apple launched their now widely popular Apple Watch in , they too chose to depict their dials at Although, Apple has never called the Apple Watch a smartwatch, as they like for it to be seen as just a timepiece with additional and advanced technical features—a natural evolution of the wristwatch. In a world where norms are followed, there are bound to be exceptions. Of course historic and pioneering brands choose to follow tradition, since they regard traditions so highly.

Their brand guideline is to show their watches at exactly , as will be noticed in any official depiction of their timepieces. However, some brands choose to do things differently for various reasons. The most common reason is obviously the same as why is the norm—aesthetics. In this case, the time displayed is , so as to proudly frame their power reserve display. Even in Carl F. Even in the Graham Swordfish watches seen above, the time is maintained in the visual such that the busy upper half of the dial stays clear of the moving parts.

The date in date display pieces, such as these Toric watches, is set to his date of birth, the 2nd of December. Oris is another brand that does not adhere to the general norm of The independent watch manufacturer, in recent times, has begun to depict its dials at an unusual or sometimes even This is probably just to be different, to set themselves apart. So there you have it. The myths and theories, the truths and realities, and the norms and exceptions surrounding All the watches featured here, whether or not they display as the time, are available at Ethos Watch Boutiques.

Carl F. Bucherer Manero. Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic. Nomos Glashutte Autobahn. Frederique Constant Slimline. Frederique Constant Classics. Corum Admiral. Breitling Navitimer. Hublot Classic Fusion. Hublot Big Bang. Omega Constellation. When the hands are pointing to the 10 and 2 on a clock, they conjure the image of a smiling face. The tendency for people to see faces in everyday objects and random structures is well documented and even has a name: Pareidolia.

Advertisers know all about this phenomenon and use it to make subconscious suggestions to their target audiences. Yet, there actually are companies that deviate from this standard, albeit slightly. One of those companies is Apple, who only recently got into the watch business.

So, is there a good reason for going against tradition? One of the most common ideas is that timepieces are set at to mark the time of death for a notable public figure. There are various versions of this theory suggesting that the display honors John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr. A quick search for the time of death of these three historical figures reveals that none of them died at Yes, it would be, which is why that is not the reason timepieces are set to that time. Also, to address another theory, that specific time was not the minute at which the atomic bomb was dropped on either Nagasaki or Hiroshima.

Whatever the reason that led people to come up with these explanations, they are all wrong and, with a little consideration, patently absurd.

The eagle-eyed shopper will have noticed that Apple watches are not set to , but to Specifically, Apple watches are set to and 30 seconds.

Apple was not the first watch manufacturer to thumb their noses in the face of tradition. Timex, an American-based company, has its clockfaces set to