Twice a year, the topic of “time” is brought up again with time change, either an hour ahead or an hour ago. Along with the phone booths, billboards, and good old analog clocks that grace the cityscape, it seems to be starting to disappear. Some have the impression that analog clocks are disappearing, privatizing time, so to speak. One might wonder why wear a large watch on the wrist when a mobile phone can display the time digitally at any time. However, is this impression correct? What do the researchers of time and the company say about this?

“Who turned back time?” Is it already this late? Kids today can’t understand the lyrics that Fred Stritmatter wrote for the children’s The Pink Panther that aired on German TV 50 years ago, so they might reasonably think, “Who can wind a clock?”

In the digital age, the dial is alien to young children. Television programs such as the Tagesschau news show have been using digital time indication for a long time. “Many people are under the impression that there are fewer analogue clocks with dials in public places than before,” says urbanist and former professor at the Technical University of Berlin, Dietrich Henkel. Time researcher Karlheinz Geisler predicted “the twilight of the clock” in his book The Clock May Gone.

Less analog clock outdoors

“The daily observation of fewer watches is supported by the fact that fewer people wear classic wristwatches,” notes Dietrich Henkel. On the other hand, expensive wristwatches continue to be a status symbol.

“Rolex is always mistaken for a rap song, not to mention one that rhymes beautifully with sex. Today, many different developments overlap,” says Henkel. “On the one hand, more and more people are trying not to let the ticking of the clock dictate their behavior and think about their own rhythms. On the other hand, time and its normative pressures are omnipresent.”

According to Henkel, the question arises: “Why do we still need a public clock when every mobile phone, wrist pedometer, and almost every public or private display constantly shows the time?” German advertising company Ströer says it continues to use many external clocks. A company spokesman notes that many thousands of public clocks are located at fixed points in the urban landscape and guarantee eye-catching due to their placement in the city center. He notes that “mobile phones notwithstanding, watches provide passers-by, travelers, and commuters with reliable orientation, and often have high sentimental value as well.”

Without the precision of time, society would collapse

The German Railways (DB) also maintain a large number of clocks. “DB uses about 17,000 hours on its stations (…), single-sided or double-sided, modern and historical,” says a company spokesperson. Meanwhile, things are changing on the railroad as well. “More than 4,400 stations, mostly small ones, have been equipped with digital signs that provide information about the next flight or schedule deviations.”

Researcher Henkel reminds us that order in our complex society can only be ensured with a high degree of precision and time coordination. “Think, for example, about computerized stock trading, which requires extremely precise timing, and train traffic and the inconvenience caused by delays.” Henkel concludes that one example of the problems that lack of coordination creates are product delivery services. “They promise timely delivery. When they do, it often means that their drivers have parked twice, disrupting the schedule and the schedule of those not participating. Or shipping tracking suggests that you can estimate delivery time only to see how it adjusts hourly in practice.”

Source: Deutsche Welle.