The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I find it curious that Breitling marks a "24" on these dials, as on the Hercules, Montbrillant Datora, and Navitimer World. What were they thinking?

Really ? 24 hr clock as used by the Armed Forces and most of Europe .

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Veni, vidi, vici

But no time starts with "24". Time goes from 2359 to 0000.

It's not just Breitling. It's a watch thing - just do a google image search for "military watch" and you'll see all manner of 24 hour dials.

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“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.” - Albert Einstein

It seems strange. I've noticed some Rolex dials that don't have numbers marked there.

They use 24 because 23:59 & 00:00 wouldn't fit.

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It's sometime very usefull to get a 24H00 watch (ie like Cosmonaute models) for some specific activities with no view of the sun or outside for my part...
Or if you want to know if it's morning of afternoon or night

I read an article the other day (http://iwmagazine.com/2011/12/23/all-day-dials-2/) about 24 hour dials and they noted that some brands mark the dials 0-23 and others go 1-24. Some put 0/24 at the top of the dial, others at the bottom.

Whilst there is obviously no such time as 24:01 etc, I assume Breitling and the other brands who use 24 simply wanted to emphasise the fact the watch is a 24 hour movement.

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I think numbers from 1 to 23 might give one a clue that it's a 24-hour scale. Rolex seems to do fine with an index at that point, though by eschewing a scale on the dial, they waste the bezel, IMO. I'd be happy with a baton or two. It's hard enough teaching students to add flight time to current GMT, for ETA/ETD, and not end up with 2400 or higher.

Curiously enough, a nice example just turned up in another thread: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=36053

Interesting article, not least for the author's idea that time runs to "24:00". I guess it's simply an annoyance for a compulsive mind, and a case of sheep following the way someone started doing it way back when.

You mention the "24" at the bottom of some dials. When I see that, I have to look away; it's as though I don't have the proper circuits to process that display.

Pretty interesting point, but how would military time be used in a sentence such as: Let's meet at the bridge at midnight.

Would you say "lets meet at 2400 hours" or "lets meet at 0 hours"?

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End of Discussion.

I'd go with 0000 or midnight. I haven't a clue what various military services might do, and admit to curiosity regarding that. I certainly would never write "2400".

24 is cool

The 24 hour watch would be great if you're in a casino!

R/

I've seen 24:00 appear on the odd train timetable I'm sure. I've also read somewhere that in legal circles, 00:00 is the start of the day and 24:00 is the end which makes sense in an absolute, unambiguous kind of way. Irrelevant to the OP's question however.
To me, watches with simple numerals 1 through 24 marked on the dial can be thought of as simply counting up to the final 24th hour in a day, rather than actually stating the time. The visual display provides the concept, the brain engineers the details.
It then becomes no more than the makers choice of styling and design they think best suits that particular model or dial...in a similar vein to those watches with no markings whatever, or only marking at 3 / 6 / 9 / 12, or roman numerals etc. Part of that indefinable package that either attracts or repulses our visual taste.

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Whilst serving in the military if someone had said to me 'let's meet at the bridge at midnight' I would have been extremely worried .

On a serious note though, it would be 00:00. So before would be 23:59 and then actually on the hour would be 'zero hundred hours' (not 24 hundred hours).

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