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On analog timepieces, they indicate the passage of time. Hours, minutes, sometimes even seconds, every little detail counts, and what may seem obvious has a very precise explanation. Mr Montre tells you everything about needles. The term second hand Also called “ small seconds ”, it corresponds to the hand indicating the seconds on a watch. Its name refers to the verb “ trotter ”, thus referring to the movement of the horse, because it advances in fits and starts, like small jumps made from one second to another to the rhythm of the oscillations of the pendulum. She performs 60 jumps per minute. We can distinguish the “ large second hand ”, fixed in the center of the dial on classic watches, generally thinner than the other two hour/minute hands. On chronographs, we speak of a “ small second hand ”, with a smaller hand, placed in a sub-dial. The size of the minute hand The hands of a clock explained and dissected A detail that you have probably noticed; the minute hand is always longer than the hour hand. This size offers better ease of reading since the minute graduations are placed around the edge of the dial and the hand can thus point precisely towards each of them. Small hand: hours Large hands: minutes Second hand: seconds The number of hands on a watch The hands of a clock explained and dissected Most watch models include at least two hands, namely the hour and the minute hands. They can also include a third hand to indicate the seconds, the second hand. For GMT/UTC watches a fourth hand exists to indicate a second time zone. The hands of a clock explained and dissected Some brands are innovating by offering single-hand watches that offer an original, contemporary and refined look. However, contrary to popular belief, the single hand was there first and a second was added much later, at the end of the 17th century . The hands of a clock explained and dissected Needle placement Typically, the hands are in the center of the dial and rotate all around as the hours, minutes and seconds pass. However, it happens on certain models that the hands are off-centered and placed differently, in order to offer a more original look or to highlight another element of the timepiece. The hands of a clock explained and dissected The rotation of the hands The hands rotate from left to right, and have even given rise to the expression “clockwise”. But why this direction and not the other way around? To understand clockwise direction, we must go back to the time of the first tools for measuring time, around 1,500 BC. The sundial originated in the northern hemisphere. The movement of the shadow of the stem, called “ style ”, then made it possible to read the time. In this part of the globe, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, creating a movement on the dial going from left to right, a movement which was then kept to determine the direction of the hands on the dials. watches.