As someone of a certain age, as a young child I was taught how to read the time using an analogue dial on a clock or watch. I suspect things are a little different now, with kids more used to digital displays on computers and smartphones. But I have some not-so-fond memories of trying to grasp the concept of the minute and second hands on an analogue display. How different my childhood could have been had someone, somewhere designed a watch with one hand rather than two.
Watches with just one hand do exist, and this new offering from Defakto Detail takes a simple, elegant, and understated approach to the challenge. The single hand acts as both hour and minute marker, with seconds consigned to history. The face of the watch – which is available in either black or white – features 12 long tick marks denoting hours, with shorter marks denoting 15-minute segments, and even shorter marks denoting 5-minute segments. The solitary hand therefore makes a full rotation just twice in each 24-hour day, once in the AM and once in the PM. Despite being a little imprecise, it’s still quick and simple way to tell what time it is within 2.5-minutes either way with nothing but a solitary glance. Via Who needs a second hand anyway?.
