What difference Does It Make?

My wife recently bought me two pocket watches. Both were made in China. They both keep really good time – if you can adapt to the Chinese lack of concern for accuracy, that is.

Watch #1 – so far it’s a nice battery operated brass pocket watch. The styling has Roman numerals on the face, and what appear to be compass marks (degrees of arc) around the outter rim of the face. I say “appears to be” because although there are 360 marks around the outside edge of the face, (there are 360 degrees in a circle), the numbers only go to 300. At the 90 degree position you find the number “75”. At the 360 degree position (straight up) you find the number “300. If anyone out there can figure out why anyone would divide a circle into 300 units, please enlighten me.

Watch #2 – Steam punk styling wind-up pocket watch. Nice chain. Face numbers are supposed to be 1 – 12 in Roman numerals… only they are not quite that. The number 4 (“IV”) is “IIII” instead. Have the Chinese decided that the old Roman numerals are too hard to remember?

Two watches – two “epic fails” in the basics of styling and historical accuracy. Do they have no respect for accuracy and history? Or are they just ignorant?

So… to the headline. “What Difference Does It Make?” Well… maybe none – except that every time I look at these Chinese watches I’m reminded that the Chinese apparently are either lazy or incompetent. Would you want people in other nations thinking things like that every time they look at a clock? Sooo…. maybe it DOES make a difference?