Have
u ever thought that why the clocks, watches and timepieces always say
(roughly) 10:10 before you set the correct time, it’s really amazing.
But there is behind philosophy and logic why factory setting fix on
10:10? If you go into a store selling any kind of time-telling device, that is the default factory setting. Why is that?!!”
First things first, let’s get the myths out of the way. There are
plenty of people out there who think that clocks in advertisements and
in-store displays are set this way memorialize Abraham Lincoln/John F.
Kennedy/Martin Luther King Jr. because that was the time at which they
were shot or died. In reality, Lincoln was shot at 10:15 p.m., and died
the next morning at 7:22 a.m., JFK was shot at 12:30 p.m. CST and was
pronounced dead 1 p.m. and MLK was shot 6:01 p.m. and pronounced dead at
7:05 p.m.
Another theory has it that 10:10 was the time that an
atomic bomb was dropped on either Nagasaki or Hiroshima, and the setting
is in memory of the casualties. The Fat Man bomb was actually dropped
on the former at 11:02 a.m. local time and the Little Boy on the latter
at 8:15 a.m. local time.
The real reason for the setting? Aesthetics. The 10:10 position gives the clock or watches a number of benefits:
• The hands not overlapping, so they’re fully and clearly visible and their styling can be admired.
• The arrangement of the hands is symmetrical, which people generally
find more pleasant than asymmetry, making the product more appealing to
customers.
• The manufacturer’s logo, usually in the center of the face under the 12, is not only visible, but nicely framed by the hands.
• Additional elements on the face (like date windows and secondary
dials), usually placed near the 3, 6, or 9, won’t be obscured.
