Benutzer:Menphrad/10:08

The hands are set to about 10:09

10:08, 8 minutes past 10, is roughly the time to which analog watches are set in most advertisements, though actual times shown vary between about 10:08 and 10:10. There are several reasons offered by watch companies, many of them psychological, and none of them verifiable as the actual origin of the practice:

• The position of the hands does not obscure the date on watches with a date function at 3 o'clock or any other functions at 9 or 3 o'clock.
• The position of the hands does not obscure the company logo, which is often printed under 12 o'clock. In fact, it highlights the logo by underlining it and placing it at the center of the delta formed between the clock's hands.
• The hands are nearly symmetrically balanced on the face of the dial at 10:08. The minute hand is 48° right of vertical, while the hour hand is 56° left of vertical. Exact symmetry would be achieved at 120/13 minutes past 10:00, approximately 10:09:13.8. Other symmetrical times would not meet the needs above.
• The form of the hands has a positive effect on the viewer: the short hand pointing at 10 o'clock and the long hand pointing at 8 minutes is reminiscent of a check mark, which commonly means "ok" or "fine." Some observers further identify this appearance with a smiling face.

Oddly enough, 10:08 is also the time at which a 12-hour digital display will have the maximum number of digit "segments" turned on. However, digital watches in commercials are more often set to 10:58. Early (mid-1970s) LCD clock ads would often show 12:08, which has a large number of "on" segments (one fewer than 10:08), showcases four different digits, and is not 10:08—a virtue in its own right, as digital clocks were marketed as a break with the past.

Urban legends are frequently heard to the effect that the watches are set to commemorate the hour at which some famous person died: often Abraham Lincoln or John F. Kennedy. All such stories prove to be several hours off when calculated.

References

• Answer on stupidquestion.net
• Cecil Adams' Straight Dope article