The Length of the second hand ?

[toloen]

Good afternoon to all:

There are many facts and parameters for a watch to look nicer:the case,dial,bracelet, etc.For me one of the most important parameters that I considered a watch as my next purchase is the second hand of the watch,if I do not like the second hand then the rests of the watch doesn't have an appeal to me.Needless to say, some extraordinary and unusual shape of the second hand or the tail of the second hand(!)is really bothering me.But besides that,I'm always wondering:

"What is the relationship between the length of the second hand and the brand level?!(if there is any),it is always a question on my mind why all the swiss top brands or mostly in general lets say swiss brands(decent brands)have the nicer and longer second hand which are extended almost to the end of the dial but the Japanese(or mostly non swiss brands)makes their second hands shorter which are sometimes even hardly reach the numbers on the dial?!is there any logical reason behind it or it's only the design?Don't you think it is much nicer to have a Seiko 5(for example)with an extended second hand to the end of the dial?"

What is your opinion?


Thank you for reading.

[CADstraps]

I always look at the hand proportions before making any purchase. It can be easy to overlook in the heat of the buying moment, but would then haunt me forever - I like hands that extend fully and properly with the dial/markers.

The bigger a hand gets, the heavier it gets (duh) and this can affect accuracy - especially when they are cut from dense materials like gold, or are filled with generous amounts of lume. So, a gigantic watch with a mid or low grade movement can often have a handset that seems small.

I too like a big seconds hand, and some brands develop attractive counterbalances for them that both improve aesthetics, and assist in solving the weight problem. Look at Ball, or Corum (for example - many others).

Now, I'm no watchmaker, but I have done much more than my share of reading and talking with brand reps (both on the marketing and technical sides), and this is my grade 2 synopsis of all that armchair education. I'm sure someone of more knowledge can step in and explain in better detail.

[gouverneur]

I'd never thought about this before, but now I'm checking out the hands on the JLC MUT Moon and I see what you mean. The seconds hand extends perfectly out to the minute/second markers, and is the longest hand of the three, which does make the whole ensemble seem more proportional.

[Seele]

Being into Russian watches, especially vintage, I'd just be as well say that during the classic period, Poljot seemed to favour a second hand appreciably shorter than the minute hand, especially for their slimmer dress watches. While it is a speculation on my part, Poljot liked to use rather thin hands on these watches, and if the second hand is close to the length of the minute hand, it would be a bit confusing if you want to read the time in a hurry; after all many people use the second hand as an indication that the watch is still running.

Oddly enough a set of NOS Poljot hands I received a few months ago had a second hand without a tail, which made it looked decidedly "unnatural", for want of a better word. Another original one with a tail was fitted and it looks alright. Here is an example:



When Luch acquired the rights to this watch and took the tooling lock stock and barrel, the first thing they did was to change the hour and minute hands to thicker ones with a painted line right down the middle for the purpose of improving legibility. While Luch-built examples are still often found with Poljot-type short second hands, some late examples are found with ones longer than the minute hands.

[John MS]

Good question. From what I have seen the relationship is between second hand length and style. It's not based on brand status or quality. I have several Omega watches from the 1970's with very short hands and a Seiko LM with nice long ones.

[toloen]

please don't get me wrong,by the word "tail" of the second hand I meant that kind of the second hand which is carrying a "logo" or a name or something bizarre,of course the plain tail is a must(is it?) for a second hand and it boost the beauty,otherwise it looks just like the other hands.

[Scottish Steve]

I love the bulb on the end of the Mondaine/Swiss Railway clock second hand. It seems wrong at first but when you get used to it it's so nice.

[stratct]

I love when my second hand reaches all the way to the numbers

[KCWrist]

I don't mind a shorter second hand on a dress watch, or anything with a subdial seconds. What I cannot abide is a chronograph with a short seconds hand. If Its a chrono, I need to be able to place the exact fraction of a second of the hand when it stops. My speedy chrono sec hand reaches all the way to the edge and is very legible when it stops between the second hash marks.

[Perseus]

I doubt their is a hard and fast rule but I like long second hand unless it's a sub dial.