A
24-hour watch is a type of
watchA watch is a timepiece that is made to be worn on a person. It is usually a wristwatch, worn on the wrist with a strap or bracelet. In addition to the time, modern watches often display the day, date, month and year, and electronic watches may have many other functions.Most inexpensive and...
with an
hour handA clock face is the part of an analog clock that displays the time through the use of a fixed numbered dial or dials and moving hands. In its most basic form, recognized universally throughout the world, the dial is numbered 1–12 indicating the hours in a 12-hour cycle, and a short hour hand...
that completes a revolution every 24 hours. This type of watch is especially useful for
airplane pilotsAn aviator is a person who flies aircraft for pleasure or as a profession. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887 as a variation of the French 'aviation', from the latin 'avis', coined 1863 by G. de la Landelle in "Aviation ou Navigation Aérienne"...
, astronauts, members of the
militaryA military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. As an adjective the term "military" is also used to refer to any property or aspect of a military...
, or anyone who uses a
24-hour clockThe 24-hour clock is a convention of time keeping in which the day runs from midnight to midnight and is divided into 24 hours, numbered from 0 to 23. This system is the most commonly used time notation in the world today. The 12-hour clock is, however, still dominant in a handful of countries,...
.
The face may be arranged in either of two ways: with the 12 at the top (as on standard watch and clock faces) and the 24 at the traditional 6 o'clock position, or else rotated 180° with the 24 at the traditional 12 o'clock position and the 12 at the traditional 6 o'clock position (as pictured).
A 24-hour watch with multiple
hour handsA clock face is the part of an analog clock that displays the time through the use of a fixed numbered dial or dials and moving hands. In its most basic form, recognized universally throughout the world, the dial is numbered 1–12 indicating the hours in a 12-hour cycle, and a short hour hand...
or a rotating bezel is particularly useful for displaying the time in multiple time zones.
RolexRolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of high quality, luxury wristwatches.Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex #71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
was asked to create what is considered to be the original version of this watch by Pan American Airlines in the 1950s, and as a result they made the
Rolex GMT Master IIThe Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date GMT Master is part of the Rolex Professional Watch Collection. Designed in collaboration with Pan-Am Airways for use by their pilots, it was launched in 1954.-History:...
.
A 24 hour watch with a compass card dial can be used to determine direction when set to local noon and used in conjunction with the sun. (See:
Direction Finding Watch-Direction Finding Watch:The photo to the right shows a specialized 24-hour watch optimized for finding directions using the sun. With the watch set to indicate local time, the hour hand is pointed directly at the sun...
).
Many (but not all) current
digitalA digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
watchA watch is a timepiece that is made to be worn on a person. It is usually a wristwatch, worn on the wrist with a strap or bracelet. In addition to the time, modern watches often display the day, date, month and year, and electronic watches may have many other functions.Most inexpensive and...
es can be set to show the time in 24-hour format.
Famous 24-hour watch brands
- Glycine
Glycine is an organic compound with the formula NH2CH2COOH. With only a hydrogen atom as its side chain, glycine is the smallest of the 20 amino acids commonly found in proteins....
(Swiss)
- Raketa
Raketa Watches are Soviet watches manufactured since 1961 by the Petrodvorets Watch Factory in Saint Petersburg - the oldest factory in Russia. It was founded by Peter the Great in 1721 as the Peterhof Lapidary Works to make hardstone carvings. At its beginning the factory produced objects made of...
(USSR / Russian)
- Breitling
Breitling is a brand of Swiss watches from Grenchen, Canton of Solothurn . The watchmaker offers Certified Chronometers designed primarily for aviation use, though most frequently worn as high-end luxury watches...
(Swiss)