Watch the Time. Watch the watch in the watch ads, and watch the watches in the watch racks. Watch the clocks. What’s the time on each one? It’s 10:10 time.
If that had you befuddled, don’t be, what I’m about to discuss here is something we’ve all seen. Some of us have noticed- but never really bothered investigating it, while some others have always been intrigued.
Why Do All Clock and Watch Advertisements Feature the 10:10 Time Setting?
Theories Behind the 10:10 Setting
There are a number of different theories that attempt to explain this phenomenon.
- Is it in the memory of the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr, who ‘supposedly’ died ‘at that time’?
- Or is it because of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, which also ‘supposedly’ also occurred ‘at that same time’?
- On the other hand, could it be a result of a believed to be ‘auspicious time’?
No.
Lincoln, JFK and MLK Jr were ‘supposedly’ killed at that time only by conspiracy theorists. They were shot at different timings in reality, 10:15pm (pronounced dead at 7:22am), 12.30pm and 6:01pm (pronounced dead at 7:05pm), respectively.
In case of the atomic bombings, the Fat Man bomb was dropped at 11:02am and the Little Man bomb at 8:15am. Now that myths have been busted, what is the mystery of 10:10?
The Role of Aesthetics
This might disappoint conspiracy theorists and myth builders, but the truth is surprisingly simple and straightforward—it’s all about aesthetics.
What Makes the 10:10 Time Setting So Aesthetically Appealing?
- The hands of the watch ‘frames’ the logo of the brand, in a sense, which are generally placed under the ‘12’. Also the fact that this is symmetrical arrangement, makes it more pleasing to see than an asymmetrical one.
- But there are other symmetrical positions, that the hands can assume, whilst not covering the logo, like 8:20. So why not use that?
10:10 Time on a Watch is a Smile
The 10:10 gives a subtle impression of a smile, whereas the 8:20 formation gives the impression of a frown. The 10:10 arrangement makes the watch look ‘happier’, and is almost like an unsaid norm. But, Ulysse Nardin in a recent ad in New York Times, went against this norm, and was unlike 22 of the 24 ads of watch brands. They set their watch at 8:19, and the other exception was the ad of an Oris wristwatch, whose watch was set at 8:03.
Of course, you could point out that even 2:50 would give us a smile just like 10:10. IT’s just that hands are interchanged. So why haven’t watch companies picked 2:50 instead? I’m stumped there – although the only theory I have would be the positions of the hours and minutes hands – having the hours hand on the left does look better. Or maybe that’s just me.
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