This blog post explores the sensory value of analog watches and the difference in time perception that keeps them beloved even in the digital age.
Why are analog watches more popular than digital ones?
Why are analog watches more popular than digital ones? I believe this is only natural. While many people perceive digital watches as tools that provide precise time, analog watches offer more. In particular, the unique way analog watches express time and their visual beauty make them small works of art in their own right. We need to deeply understand the fundamental differences between these two and their distinct approaches to time. While digital prioritizes ‘accuracy,’ analog holds the advantage of valuing the ‘overall flow’ and a ‘sense of relative time.’ In fact, I believe the question we should be asking in this era is, ‘Why has the digital watch managed to infiltrate the analog watch?’
Yet many people don’t think this way. They assume the question we should be asking is naturally ‘Why does analog survive?’ I want to challenge this. What is the real reason analog watches receive more attention than digital ones? I believe it’s because analog watches are superior in their function as timepieces. People often think a watch’s function is merely to show us numbers like 00:00, but its true purpose is to enable our ‘perception of time’. Time is a concept that divides the day into regular intervals so we know when to start and finish tasks, and how long they take. Now, let’s apply this to daily life.
The Functional Superiority of Analog Watches
The sense of time we gain through analog watches holds meaning beyond simply knowing the exact hour and minute. When the hour and minute hands of an analog watch are in specific positions, we gain an intuitive understanding: “Ah, it must be around this time of day.” This intuitively tells us how we are spending our time within the flow of the day. For instance, the position of the hour and minute hands between 7 and 8 AM is etched in our minds as an angle symbolizing a busy morning. This time is recognized by most people as the morning preparation period. Similarly, the angle between 6 and 7 PM evokes the feeling of evening and the day drawing to a close. In this way, analog clocks visually provide information beyond mere numbers, synchronizing our daily rhythms with the clock.
Differences in Intuitive Perception of Time
First, a clock tells us which part of the day the present moment belongs to. This is the result of long-term learning, a part we remember intuitively. For example, daily routines like ‘waking up around 6:30 AM, showering around 7:00 AM, leaving for work around 7:30 AM, eating lunch around 12:30 PM, and leaving work around 6:00 PM’ come to mind, linked to specific time slots. Second, an analog clock intuitively shows the time interval between one point and another. Third, they visually show how much time remains until we need to do something.
Let’s consider a few examples. Suppose it’s currently 4:27 on a digital clock. A short while later, you check the time again and see it’s 5:13. In this case, can you intuitively sense how much time has passed? While a digital clock shows the exact number, it’s difficult to visually perceive the interval, making it hard to grasp a rough sense of time. Conversely, with an analog clock, you can easily recognize approximately how much time has elapsed by seeing how far the hour and minute hands have moved. If you picture the hour and minute hands at positions roughly between 4:30 and 5:15, you can tell about 45 minutes have passed. Let’s try another example. Suppose you urgently need to finish something by 6:00. If a digital clock shows 5:37, calculating the remaining time requires subtracting 37 from 60. However, looking at an analog clock, you can instantly see how close you are to the target time of 6 o’clock, making the pressure feel palpable. This demonstrates how analog clocks allow for a more natural perception of specific time intervals.
The Fundamental Difference Between Digital and Analog
Perceiving time isn’t just about knowing numbers; it’s about understanding where that time fits within other time zones or the flow of the entire day. In this regard, digital watches—with their four listed numbers—make it difficult to grasp the relative position of time. We typically use the decimal system for calculations, but watches use the sexagesimal system, creating a sensory mismatch that requires recalculation. With analog watches, the full rotation of the hour, minute, and second hands constitutes one cycle, allowing us to naturally perceive the relativity of time. That is, within the cycle of a day, we can immediately grasp where the current time stands.
The Sensory Advantages and Timeless Significance of Analog Watches
Despite this clear functional difference between analog and digital watches, and even though we directly feel this difference, there’s a tendency to consider digital watches superior simply because they provide ‘accurate time’. This stems from the influence of modern society, which places excessive emphasis on ‘accuracy’ and ‘efficiency’. However, reducing the function of time to mere precise numbers may overly narrow the concept of time itself. While analog watches are gradually losing their place to digital devices, they hold special value in reminding us of the natural flow of time. Pausing briefly in the digital age to savor the value of analog prompts us to reflect on the meaning of time and how we perceive it.
Analog watches transcend being mere timekeeping devices; they visually embody the ‘rhythm of life’. Isn’t this a unique value exclusive to analog, one that digital can never replicate? While our daily lives do require precise timing at times, in most cases, a rough sense of the passage of time is sufficient. Yet, digital watches are perceived as superior precisely because we’ve become addicted to the values of technological prowess and cutting-edge innovation, forgetting the inherent value a watch should possess. I hope the value of analog watches continues to be cherished by many people for years to come.
