Watch Hands Explained

If you’re at all familiar with watches, you know there are many styles of hands. These aren’t randomly chosen and are very important for the overall aesthetic. In fact, Horage founder Tzuyu Huang says, “If the case is the body, the dial the face, then the hands are the eyes of the watch.” Of course, watch hands share a common function - relaying the time (along with other functions based on complications). The two principal hands, hour and minute, are the ones we’ll focus on as they tend to get the most attention from watchmakers. Distinctive watch hand styles go back centuries and one of the most famous watchmakers has its own, Breguet. Abraham-Louis Breguet himself designed these in the 18th century. Wagnon Frères was the first Swiss company to focus solely on hand production in 1812. By the 20th century, the company had over 400 different styles. Let’s take a look at some of the most common and iconic watch hands used today.

Pencil

This is similar to baton hands, but has a point at the end (baton hands are squared off). We use this style on many of our watches, such as Supersede and Lensman 1. They’re simple, distinctive and really complement a variety of dials, from sports watches to dressier variants. Pencil hands also accommodate lume (unlike many stick hands) and enhance the aesthetic without distraction.

Breguet

Perhaps the most iconic hands, these aren’t exclusive to Breguet as many brands use this style, but they’re always known as Breguet hands. At first glance, they resemble a lollipop seconds hand, but the design is much more detailed. The open circles are more like a crescent moon, thicker on the inside and thinning out at the ends. The tips coming off of this shape are also wider at the base, thinning to a point. Simple yet detailed, stylish yet clean, Breguet hands are true legends of the industry and instantly recognizable.

Baton

These are arguably the simplest type, also known as stick hands as they’re quite literally straight, unchanged shapes with squared-off or round ends. I would say stick hands are a type of the Baton style, but they’re generally very thin and rarely have lume. Baton hands, such as those on the iconic Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, are wider versions and can accommodate Super-LumiNova and the like. And although very simple, they’re seen on some of the most prestigious pieces, again like the Royal Oak and even a lot of Rolex Oyster models.

Mercedes

These are synonymous with Rolex as the watchmaker first used them on Oyster pieces in the 1950s. Although not associated with the German car brand, the shape is the same - a three-pointed star that symbolizes land, sea and air. The aesthetic is very appealing to many, while there’s also a practical side as they’re generally large and hold ample amounts of lume. Mercedes hands are among the most legible type, both day and night. Of course, these aren’t limited to Rolex and many brands have adopted the style.

Snowflake

If we’re talking about Rolex, we need to mention their sister brand, Tudor (both are under the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation). The Snowflake hands are, in fact, Tudor’s own design with a trademark. The minute hand has a Pencil design, while the hour hand has a diamond-shaped aperture with a narrow, square off end. It’s bold and distinctive, and you won’t mistake them for anything else. Like Mercedes hands, they’re also among the most legible with the large hour hand holding a lot of Super-LumiNova.

Cathedral

At first glance, these tend to look like Mercedes hands, but they’re certainly different. The star of the Mercedes hour hand is replaced by something resembling stained glass at a church or, of course, a cathedral. Like Mercedes hands, these are common in the industry and seen on Oris, Hamilton and many other collections.

Arrow

The name accurately describes these hands as they resemble those from a bow and arrow, minus the tail feathers. The hour hand usually has the more distinctive arrowhead, while the minute hand is generally a sword type. Some have arrowheads on both hands. This style tends to be favored by dive watches, such as Omega’s Seamaster Planet Ocean and even Casio divers.

Dauphine

This is a very traditional style and involves both a long, pointed shape with faceted sides. The name comes from the word describing the oldest son of the French king, dauphin. These hands are often seen in dress watches from Grand Seiko, Patek Philippe, Carl F. Bucherer and many more.

Syringe

Do you see a trend here? The names tend to match the shapes and syringe is no different. A wide, uniform shape ends with narrow tips, much like a syringe. Not only does this have an unusual, distinctive aesthetic, but the narrow tips allow for much more accurate time reading against a minute track. These are very common among a wide range of brands, from Patek Philippe and Blancpain to Sinn and Orion.

Just a Sample

This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list of watch hands, but does cover some of the most common and popular. Although each one is defined, they can still vary in overall aesthetic and look quite different from one another.

At Horage, many of our hands may fall within one category, but the look does vary from watch to watch, proving that good style and design can reside within a defined space. Of course, our dials and watches themselves are all very different and unique, but it can be beneficial to maintain some familiarity with certain details, such as the hands. This provides a brand consistency that helps tie our portfolio together, not unlike brands that favor Mercedes, Snowflake or Cathedral hands for many of their lines.

We Want to Hear From You!

Sound off in the comments about additional topics of interest, so we can be sure to cover what you want to read in future articles. And please share this with friends and anyone interested in watchmaking, and let's keep the conversation going. Also, be sure to sign up for our newsletter (here) and keep an eye out for new products as we're always in the process of development. Check out journal entries as well (here) and a detailed section on performance watchmaking at Horage (here).

We'll talk again soon!

Erik Slaven