I never noticed this before, but old-fashioned watches have their hands set to 10:10 in print advertisements. I am not the only one who didn’t know this until now; acclaimed scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson just realized it too.
“If Space Aliens studied Earth culture, they might wonder why the Time in printed ads is usually Ten Minutes After Ten,” Tyson wrote. “Could all these watches, and the people who wear them, be frozen in some Phantom Zone and need to be set free?”
Why are watches set at that time? According to FactMyth, “Watches and clocks are typically, but not always, set to 10:10 (or close) in advertisements. This is mostly for aesthetic reasons and simplicity. In simple terms, it gives room for graphical elements like the logo, and importantly it looks like a nice happy symmetric smiley face.”
I studied advertising in college, and none of my teachers ever told me this. All they ever said to me was shut up and pay attention. Maybe they did tell me, and I just wasn’t listening or paying attention.
xoxo Durba Mitra!
