In this blog post, we will look at the sensory value of analog watches, which are still loved in the digital age, and the difference in time perception.
Why are analog watches more popular than digital watches?
Why are analog clocks more popular than digital clocks? I think this is obvious. For many people, digital clocks are perceived as tools that tell the accuracy of time, but analog clocks offer more than that. In particular, the characteristics of time representation and the visual beauty of analog clocks serve as a small work of art in themselves. We need to deeply understand the essential differences between the two and the differences in their approach to time. If digital is about “accuracy,” then analog has the advantage of emphasizing “overall flow” and “relative sense of time.” In fact, I think the question we should be asking in this day and age is “why did digital clocks penetrate into analog clocks?”
However, many people do not think this way. They think that the question we should be asking is, of course, “why does analog survive?” I would like to ask a question here. Why are analog clocks more popular than digital clocks? I think the reason is that analog clocks are better at their primary function as clocks. People tend to think that the function of a clock is simply to show us a number like 00:00, but in fact, the true function of a clock is to enable us to “perceive time.” Time is a concept that divides the day into equal intervals to know when something starts and ends, and how long it takes. Now let’s apply this to our daily lives.
The functional excellence of analog clocks
The sense of time we get from analog clocks is more than just knowing the time and minute. When the hour and minute hands of an analog clock are in a certain position, we get a sensory understanding of “oh, it’s about this time of day.” This intuitively tells us how we are spending our time in the flow of the day. For example, the position of the hour and minute hands between 7 and 8 in the morning is imprinted in our minds as an angle that symbolizes a busy morning. This is perceived by most people as the time to prepare breakfast, and the angle between 6 and 7 p.m. gives the feeling of evening time and the end of the day. In this way, analog clocks provide visual information that is more than just numbers, allowing the rhythm of daily life to be linked to the clock.
Differences in intuitive perception of time
First, the watch tells us what time of day it is. This is something that we have learned over a long period of time and that we remember intuitively. For example, we can recall our daily routine, such as waking up at around 6:30 in the morning, taking a shower at around 7:00, going to work at around 7:30, having lunch at around 12:30, and going home at around 6:00. Second, an analog clock intuitively tells you the time interval from one point in time to another. Third, it visually shows you how much time is left until you have to do something.
Let’s take a few examples. Let’s say it’s 4:27 on a digital watch. If you look at the time again a moment later, it’s 5:13. In this case, do you have an intuitive sense of how much time has passed? With a digital watch, you can see the exact number, but it’s difficult to visually sense the interval, so it’s difficult to get a good sense of the approximate time. On the other hand, with an analog watch, you can easily recognize how much time has passed by looking at the distance the hour and minute hands have moved. If you imagine the hour and minute hands at approximately 4:30 and 5:15, you can see that about 45 minutes have passed. Let’s take another example. You have something to do that needs to be done by 6:00. If the current time on a digital watch is 5:37, then to calculate the remaining time on this watch, you need to subtract 37 from 60. However, if you look at an analog watch, you can see at a glance how close the current time is to the target time of 6:00, which makes you feel a sense of pressure. This shows that analog clocks make it easier to recognize specific time intervals.
The essential difference between digital and analog
To be aware of time is not simply to know numbers, but to know where that time is in relation to other times or the flow of the whole day. In this respect, digital clocks, which are four numbers listed in numerical order, make it difficult to grasp the relative position of time. We usually use the decimal system to calculate numbers, but watches use the sexagesimal system, which doesn’t make sense to our senses and requires us to recalculate. In an analog watch, the hour, minute, and second hands make a complete circle for one cycle, which makes us naturally aware of the relativity of time. In other words, we can immediately tell where we are in the cycle of a day.
The Sensory Benefits and Timeless Significance of Analog Clocks
Despite the clear differences in the functions of analog and digital clocks, and the fact that we can feel the difference for ourselves, we tend to consider digital clocks superior simply because they provide “accurate time.” This is the influence of modern society, which places too much emphasis on “accuracy” and “efficiency.” However, simply converting the function of time into precise numbers may be too narrow a limitation of the concept of time. Although analog clocks are gradually losing their place due to digital devices, they have a special value in that they remind us of the natural flow of time. In the digital age, pausing for a moment to savor the value of analog makes us reflect on the meaning of time and how we perceive it.
An analog watch is more than just a machine that tells the time; it is a visual representation of the rhythm of life. This is the unique value of analog that digital cannot imitate. Our daily lives sometimes require accurate time calculations, but in most cases, an approximate sense of the passage of time is sufficient. Nevertheless, digital watches are perceived as having superior functions because we are addicted to technology and the value of being advanced, and have forgotten the inherent value that watches should have. I hope that the value of analog watches will continue to be loved by many people in the future.
