Show HN: Analog Watch • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: Analog Watch

#71

Post by goodmythical » Thu, Jul 09, 2026, 7:56 PM UTC

al_borland wrote: post #33

trescenzi wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep this is why I prefer analog watches. They are much faster to internalize the time but slower to convert to numbers. Because it’s an abstraction I innately know as someone who learned to read them as a child they are very familiar and easy to read. You really only need the actual numbers when someone asks you for the time.

The classic example of this is when someone sees you check your watch, then they ask the time, and you have to check the watch again to see what time it actually is. A comment is almost always made about how the watch was just checked.

"Well, surely some time has passed since I read it last...you weren't asking me what time it was the last time I checked, were you?"

Re: Show HN: Analog Watch

#72

Post by goodmythical » Thu, Jul 09, 2026, 8:03 PM UTC

smusamashah wrote: post #36

ventana wrote: post #5

This fun game just made me realize that actually using analog watch does not require converting the time to HH:MM. I've been using analog watch for years, my Apple Watch face is set to analog and, apparently, I read the time as "it's almost 11", but never as "it's 10:58".

Same, I find it easier to see time on analogue. When I see 3:30 for example, in my head I see hands of a watch (in-fact, a very particular watch I grew up seeing in the shade in courtyard). I visualize not just the watch but the lighting at that time of day as well. Gives me perfect sense of how late or early in the day that time means.

Do you live on the equator?

03:30 is anywhere from dead of night to nearly dawn for me. Similarly 15:30 is anywhere from near midday to near sundown.

Re: Show HN: Analog Watch

#73

Post by Kon5ole » Thu, Jul 09, 2026, 8:34 PM UTC

NopIdoN wrote: post #43

gumby wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m a “quarter past” person but I’ve always been confused by “half ten” (which thankfully isn’t used in Australia). But in German, “half ten” means 9:30, which is make more sense to me (probably because I’m used to how German speech often drops words, which is less common in English)

For "half ten" we're just dropping a word from "half past ten". How does one get to "half ten" in German? Is it simply starting from "half to ten"?

>How does one get to "half ten" in German? Is it simply starting from "half to ten"?

Never thought about it much but I think you're spot on. English uses "half past" and therefore "half 10" means 10:30, whereas most other languages use "half to" which causes "half 10" to mean 9:30.

One would think this should cause confusion for international meetings often enough to be common knowledge, but I didn't know until today...

Re: Show HN: Analog Watch

#74

Post by glitchc » Thu, Jul 09, 2026, 9:01 PM UTC

ezekg wrote: post #26

glitchc wrote: post #21

The daily challenge doesn't seem to work for me. 58 seconds for the second clock is correct yet it said I was just close.

Are you sure you weren't "close" on something else, e.g. hour/min?

Thanks, but no.

Re: Show HN: Analog Watch

#75

Post by stets » Thu, Jul 09, 2026, 9:05 PM UTC

Ha! Got a good laugh.

Two suggestions:

- Let me enter the time with my keyboard - Make your input numpad match a PC keyboard's numpad, not a phone's

Re: Show HN: Analog Watch

#76

Post by dsubburam » Thu, Jul 09, 2026, 9:10 PM UTC

trescenzi wrote: post #25

ventana wrote: post #5

This fun game just made me realize that actually using analog watch does not require converting the time to HH:MM. I've been using analog watch for years, my Apple Watch face is set to analog and, apparently, I read the time as "it's almost 11", but never as "it's 10:58".

Yep this is why I prefer analog watches. They are much faster to internalize the time but slower to convert to numbers. Because it’s an abstraction I innately know as someone who learned to read them as a child they are very familiar and easy to read. You really only need the actual numbers when someone asks you for the time.

How about speed and speedometers in cars? For some reason I prefer digital readouts of speed while I prefer analog faces for watches/clocks.

Re: Show HN: Analog Watch

#77

Post by ezekg » Thu, Jul 09, 2026, 9:32 PM UTC

stets wrote: post #75

Ha! Got a good laugh. Two suggestions: - Let me enter the time with my keyboard - Make your input numpad match a PC keyboard's numpad, not a phone's

I may have missed numpad support because I have a 60% keeb! Normal number keys work fine for me. Will investigate.

Re: Show HN: Analog Watch

#78

Post by Timon3 » Thu, Jul 09, 2026, 9:54 PM UTC

trescenzi wrote: post #25

ventana wrote: post #5

This fun game just made me realize that actually using analog watch does not require converting the time to HH:MM. I've been using analog watch for years, my Apple Watch face is set to analog and, apparently, I read the time as "it's almost 11", but never as "it's 10:58".

Yep this is why I prefer analog watches. They are much faster to internalize the time but slower to convert to numbers. Because it’s an abstraction I innately know as someone who learned to read them as a child they are very familiar and easy to read. You really only need the actual numbers when someone asks you for the time.

> They are much faster to internalize the time but slower to convert to numbers.

People keep saying that, but even after trying all my life, I still can't read analog clocks without mentally "decoding" the exact time. And I'm usually good at quickly building visual intuitions!

Though I think I experience what you're describing, just with digital clocks. For those it feels like I'm not reading 4 separate digits, as if the general "shape" is enough.

Re: Show HN: Analog Watch

#79

Post by mikestew » Thu, Jul 09, 2026, 9:54 PM UTC

robotresearcher wrote: post #67

jammaloo wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Similarly, when I moved from the UK to Canada, people often didn't understand what I meant when I said it was "half ten", which is the common way of saying ten thirty, at least where I grew up.

Some Americans say ‘a quarter of X’ and even after 30 years I can’t remember if that’s before or after hour X.

Before. Source: born and raised Midwesterner.

Re: Show HN: Analog Watch

#80

Post by stronglikedan » Thu, Jul 09, 2026, 9:55 PM UTC

goodmythical wrote: post #70

ventana wrote: post #5

This fun game just made me realize that actually using analog watch does not require converting the time to HH:MM. I've been using analog watch for years, my Apple Watch face is set to analog and, apparently, I read the time as "it's almost 11", but never as "it's 10:58".

Have you ever run in to issues sharing your interpretation? Like, people ask me the time, I say "almost 11", and they insist "but what time is it rEallY" and it's like...it really is almost 11, if you required access to the information that it is 10:58, you'd have the access to determine that. There's no world in which you need to know when it is 10:58 and do not have the ability to determine that. If you're asking,…

As a habitually right-on-time person, I disagree. I time things down to seconds, not minutes. I'm rarely ever late and almost never early, but to be that way, I need to know exactly what time it is. And if I'm asking, it's because my watch is broken, and the general read you offered is exactly useless to me.

Most people asking just need the general time, but if they follow up asking for the precise time and you know what it is, it's for a good reason that you've obviously never considered. It's up to you to help them out, or give them a hard time for no good reason. Your choice will say a lot about you.