Back in December I purchased a Christmas gift for myself: a watch with only the hour hand. By the way, for those who are not familiar with analog watches, instead of having a modern digital readout, such as: “10:42”, an analog watch has numbers arranged in a circle, going clockwise from 1 to 12. (Oh wait, whoever is unfamiliar with an analog watch will have no idea what the terms “clockwise” and “counterclockwise” mean.)
The key parts of an analog watch are the two hands, the hour hand and the minute hand. (Sometimes there is a third hand known as the second hand. Um, the term “second hand” does not mean it’s the hand after the first hand, nor that it was purchased at a thrift shop. Instead, it's the hand that marks the passage of seconds, 60 of which tick by each minute.) The hands rotate around the face of the watch, and you know what time it is based on which numbers the hands are pointing toward.
I apologize for explaining analog watches in such detail, but I recently read that young people have no idea how to tell time with a watch or clock that has hands instead of a digital readout. For example, when the hour hand of a clock was pointing at the 5, and the minute hand was pointing at the 12, many high school students guessed that it meant the time was either “5:12” or “12:05”. Old fogeys like me know that it really means, “Quittin’ time!”
Anyway, the passage of time in our society is extremely digitized nowadays, often down to the fraction of a second. But unless we happen to be producing a TV broadcast that must go on the air at EXACTLY 8:00.00, we really do not need that level of precision.
I apologize for explaining analog watches in such detail, but I recently read that young people have no idea how to tell time with a watch or clock that has hands instead of a digital readout. For example, when the hour hand of a clock was pointing at the 5, and the minute hand was pointing at the 12, many high school students guessed that it meant the time was either “5:12” or “12:05”. Old fogeys like me know that it really means, “Quittin’ time!”
Anyway, the passage of time in our society is extremely digitized nowadays, often down to the fraction of a second. But unless we happen to be producing a TV broadcast that must go on the air at EXACTLY 8:00.00, we really do not need that level of precision.
Because of the pandemic, I’ve spent a great deal of time lately participating in video meetings and online seminars. Usually, I receive an invitation to the meeting via email, which, for example, is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM on Tuesday. I get periodic reminders leading up to the meeting, then when I see on my digital watch that it is 12:59.30 PM, I log on to the meeting. Often there is a message saying the meeting will begin shortly. Then after a couple of minutes, the 1:00 meeting comes to life at 1:02, but the host always says something like, “Well, let’s wait a few more minutes for everyone else to join us.” It finally starts around 1:05.
I don’t mind that these meetings begin only five minutes later than advertised. But why do I use so many brain cells obsessing about 1:00.00? There is no good reason.
So, that’s why I bought myself a watch with only the hour hand. The watch has the same numbers, arranged in a circle, going clockwise from 1 to 12. The single hand makes its slow journey, completing one full revolution in 12 hours.
With this watch, it is impossible to be precise. The time is “Almost seven-thirty,” or “About nine o’clock,” or “Around quarter to four.” And you know what? Those times are more than accurate enough for the way we live our lives.
I don’t mind that these meetings begin only five minutes later than advertised. But why do I use so many brain cells obsessing about 1:00.00? There is no good reason.
So, that’s why I bought myself a watch with only the hour hand. The watch has the same numbers, arranged in a circle, going clockwise from 1 to 12. The single hand makes its slow journey, completing one full revolution in 12 hours.
With this watch, it is impossible to be precise. The time is “Almost seven-thirty,” or “About nine o’clock,” or “Around quarter to four.” And you know what? Those times are more than accurate enough for the way we live our lives.
In case you’re wondering, my new watch with only one hand is not a factory reject or something a shady guy on a street corner hoodwinked me into buying. The watch was designed to have only one hand, so detail freaks like me can wean off our irrational obsession with precise time.
Well, I have to go now. I have to attend a meeting that starts at exactly, uh, soon.
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