You may have noticed, but all our men's watches and women's watches display 10:10 in our store and on our website. But why do Charlie Paris watches always display 10:10? There are two main reasons for this and we will detail them in this article.
- Historical reasons: Greenwich Mean Time and Louis XVI: This first explanation goes back to the introduction of the universal reference time. The meridian of Greenwich is the zero point, the globe is, from it, cut into two hemispheres of 180 degrees and a day lasts 24 hours. This agreement was signed by 24 countries after several weeks of negotiations in October 1884 at 10:10 am exactly. All watchmakers, and Charlie Paris is no exception, set their watches to this precise time in reference to this beautiful event. Another historical explanation and not the least, Louis XVI famous king of France, but also, and above all, a great lover of watchmaking went up on the scaffold before being beheaded, at 10:10 am precisely. To pay tribute to him, the watchmakers presented the watches stopped at that time. Since then, everyone has forgotten the time of death of good old Louis XVI, but the practice remains!
- The "V", positive position: For this second explanation, it is a simple question of harmony. We are rarely aware of it, but our eye is sensitive to the aesthetic codes that govern the world of advertising. By displaying 10:10 the hands point to the sky, forming the "V" of victory; this is necessarily positive. Aligned, the hands would have given a strict image and imposed a certain rigor. At 8:20, an impression of sadness and defeat. But when they indicate 10:10, the hands allow a highlighting of the name and logo of the brand generally located around the index marking the 12. You will see that this position also leaves a perfect visibility of the chronograph counters.
