Hello all. I’ve always been a digital clock user, but I am trying to get myself used to reading an analog watch.
For the most part it’s fine, taking me several extra seconds over digital so far.
But one thing I am struggling with is discerning the exact minute. Because the minute hand slowly moves over time as opposed to ticking, I have trouble telling whether or not it’s say…9:22 or 9:23 for example.
Because when the time is say…9:22 and 5 seconds, the hand will clearly be on the 9:22 mark. But when it’s 9:22 and 45 seconds, it looks like it’s actually 9:23 when it isn’t yet.
Is this just always a limitation that I’m stuck with using analog? How precise are you all with analog clocks? Is there a way I can more quickly determine the exact minute?
Thanks!
Eventually you learn to recognise the hand positions almost like they’re symbols in their own right. You can tell the difference between an apostrophe and a comma, right? And in certain typefaces they’re identical symbols other than their position.
For the same reason, you can tell the difference between an hour hand just past the 12 and an hour hand just past the 6. Then you learn what the other positions look like.
Then you can read the minute hand to whatever precision you need.
After that it’s just practise, practise, practise. Your read times will tumble and before long you’ll be completely used to it and be just as fast as with digital.