It’s Always 10 Minutes Past 10 Somewhere

You probably never noticed – but in ads for watches and clocks, the hands are usually set at 10 and 2. This “smiling” position has the advantage of framing the brand logo. And it’s visibly appealing because of the symmetry. The Hamilton Watch Company started displaying their wristwatches that way in the 1920s, and big names like Rolex, TAG Heuer, and Timex (actually set at 10:09:36) followed suit.Before then, some watchmakers preferred 8:20 (which is also symmetrical) to 10:10 – but because of the “frown” it formed, it came to be considered a bit depressing. Of course, the 10:10 rule doesn’t make sense for digital devices used to tell time. And, in fact, when the iPhone appears in ads, it’s almost always set to 9:42 a.m. – which is when Steve Jobs introduced it to the world at an Apple conference.

(Source: The New York Times)

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