Have you ever wondered why clocks, watches, and timepieces are almost always set to 10:10 before you set them to the correct time? Many believe that this is done in a way to memorialize Abraham Lincoln/John F. Kennedy/Martin Luther King Jr. since this was the time at which they were shot or died.
However, that is not true. Lincoln was shot at 10:15 pm and passed away the next morning at 7:22 am. On the other hand, JFK was shot at 12:30 pm CST and was declared dead at 1 pm while MLK was shot at 6:01 pm and declared dead almost an hour later. Another theory that gets thrown a lot is that 10:10 was the time when the atomic bomb was dropped on either Nagasaki or Hiroshima, and clocks are set to 10:10 in memory of the lives lost that day. In reality, however, the Fat Man bomb was dropped on Nagasaki at 11:02 am local time, and the Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima at 8:15 am local time.
So, what is the real reason for this setting? As it turns out, it is because of the aesthetics. The 10:10 position imparts a number of benefits including the following;
- The hands of the watch do not overlap, thus keeping the completely visible. This is done so that their styling can be admired.
- This 10:10 arrangement of the hands is symmetrical, which is considered to be more pleasing as opposed to asymmetry. This renders the watch as more appealing to the customers.
- The manufacturer’s logo that is generally located at the center of the face under the 12 gets framed very nicely by the hands pointing at 10.
- Any additional elements on the face of the watch that are generally placed close to 3, 6, or 9 will not be obscured.
As per the people at Timex, the standard-setting used to be 8:20, but that made a face look like as if it was frowning. In order to make the products look ‘happier,’ the setting was flipped into a smile! Share this with your friends and family members so that they can also learn why the watches are set to 10:10.
