Did you ever notice that most wristwatches that use Roman numerals use IIII instead of the more common IV as the number four hour indicator? Did you ever, like myself, wonder why this is? This way of writing the number four is called “the watchmaker’s four”, apparently. And nobody knows where exactly this tradition originated.

What I found is that there are many stories about where the “IIII” on watch dials comes from. None of them, however, have been confirmed by anyone. It’s probably a combination of all those stories together.

I found that to be an interesting read. Now me, personally, I prefer cleaner and more functional designs like classic dive watch baton markers or the most stylish combination, the dot-and-baton design of the Seamaster Professional:

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