Hard to tell the time…

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Spruce

·Mar 20, 2024·Sunburst dial fan

Below is my Dan Henry ….

… I think it’s a lovely piece but I rarely wear it.

I imagine that most of us, unless we habitually wear a hunter, merely glance at our wrists if we want to check the time.

With this one, I find that there are so many dials and hands that I have to spend a few moments actually focussing before I can read the time.

Of course, it could just be me, but I’m wondering if anyone has the same problem?

 

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YY77

·Mar 20, 2024

Because the hands on my chrono's are contrasting the subdials that makes it easy:

Edited: Mar 20, 2024

 

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ghce

·Mar 20, 2024

Spruce

Below is my Dan Henry ….

… I think it’s a lovely piece but I rarely wear it.

I imagine that most of us, unless we habitually wear a hunter, merely glance at our wrists if we want to check the time.

With this one, I find that there are so many dials and hands that I have to spend a few moments actually focussing before I can read the time.

Of course, it could just be me, but I’m wondering if anyone has the same problem?

Yes I have the same problem.

About 15 or so years ago I had what looks to have been a very minor stroke which caused my left eye to not notice what it was seeing ( well it wasn't my eye it was my brain) its taken many years for my brain to retrain itself to get back what it had prior to the event but one thing still isn't yet 100% and that's the ability to look at something ( any thing with numbers) and grasp its meaning, something that all humans can do, I have to methodically work it all out, concentrating on each number, upshot is that complicated watches take longer for me to work out the time.

 

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UWG

·Mar 20, 2024

Yes, I know the problem too and you don't have to be particularly old to know it (I am 58).
Problems with the eyes and progressive lenses are one thing, but this mainly happens to me with newer watches that have a shiny dial, shiny indices, shiny hands, in combination with a polished steel case and steel bracelet.

The worst thing I experience is my Daytona, which on the one hand I hardly wear anymore, but on the other hand I don't want to sell it. Let my children deal with it later.

By the way, I've always wanted to buy a vintage Breitling Navitimer, but their full dials overwhelm me even more...

 

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UWG

·Mar 20, 2024

What time is it? 😉

 

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hen

·Mar 20, 2024

Wow, those Zeniths are really busy. The Dan Henry seems calm in comparison. I guess the Speedmaster is the best of the bunch. Imagine timing a booster rocket with one of those hyper active dials.

 

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Aroxx

·Mar 20, 2024·Sets his watch

My Minerva is like this. Very busy dial and the date indicator hand is blued just like all the rest so it takes a second to distinguish which are the actual hour and minute hands. I think date indicator hands like this should be a different color that blend in with the dial and I like the clear ones I’ve seen.

I find regardless of which watch I’m wearing I mainly just stare at them for their beauty and sometimes use them to tell the time so readability isn’t a dealbreaker. I will say my Speedmaster is the absolute winner for at a glance readability.

 

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Dan S

·Mar 20, 2024

I think this is a beautiful watch, but very hard to tell the time.

 

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DaveK

·Mar 20, 2024·Yoda of Yodelers

I tried this on over the weekend. Mostly for fun, as I haven’t been diagnosed with needing a $8k watch. It’s Beautiful, comfortable, and near impossible to read.

I couldn’t make out the moonphase details, the hands kept disappearing at different t angles. A shame really.

Did you notice the applied 3, 9 and 12?

 

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Caselock

·Mar 20, 2024

I understand this very well, I am unable to tell the time on this one (or do any calculations with it ). There is no second running, so I sometimes don`t even know wether it is running at all....

 

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Caselock

·Mar 20, 2024

Dan S

I think this is a beautiful watch, but very hard to tell the time.

This is indeed unreadable.... but a very nice dial!

 

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arturo7

·Mar 20, 2024

I have 2 chronos, one with a black dial the other white. I never wear them unless I really really want to. In both cases the straight silver hands just disappear into the dial.

 

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Aroxx

·Mar 20, 2024·Sets his watch

Dan S

I think this is a beautiful watch, but very hard to tell the time.

😲 That is a very poor design choice.

What time is it?

Yes.

 

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Dan S

·Mar 20, 2024

Aroxx

😲 That is a very poor design choice.

What time is it?

Yes.

On the other hand, those distracting hands don't get in the way of appreciating the dial. 😁

 

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ken_hodson

·Mar 20, 2024

I struggle with this watch to tell the time. There's no contrast between hands and dial.

I second @Aroxx 's philosophy...it's all about beauty, not about telling the time!

 

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hen

·Mar 20, 2024

You want contrast?

 

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ken_hodson

·Mar 20, 2024

hen

You want contrast?

There is no arguing with that, beauty and functionality. Perfect!

 

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Dan S

·Mar 20, 2024

My wife loves this G-Shock, but the analog display is pointless.

 

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Zman4eva

·Mar 20, 2024

hen

You want contrast?

The lume is where it shines (see what I did there?)

 

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Danwales

·Mar 20, 2024

Yes. I have this problem and that's the reason why I don't own or desire any chronographs anymore. I even find some time only silver dial watches with silver handsets illegible at a quick glance and they often don't see much wristime.