# Do you prefer to use 24 hour time? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 9, 2020, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274 "2020-06-09T00:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/21 "2020-06-09T09:09:03Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Unless you have a [24-hour clock](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Greenwich_clock_1-manipulated.jpg). That is bizarre. The hands’ positions say 1906 (roughly), but from the face markings the clock reads 1406…? ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/22 "2020-06-09T10:07:28Z")
Pilot here. Much prefer 24 hour time, and will use Zulu when I can. Of course in the labs, we often posted invites using Epoch time and Universal Transverse Mercator locations. If you couldn’t figure it out we didn’t want to eat lunch with you anyway. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/23 "2020-06-09T10:08:35Z")
In school, I wore a 24-hour watch my uncle brought home after WWII. It was geared for one hour-hand rotation every 24 hours, with the 12 at the bottom of the dial and 24 at the top. I never saw another one like it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/24 "2020-06-09T10:28:01Z")
Definitely prefer the 24-hour clock. And I say “15:00” (15 o’clock) rather than “1500” (fifteen hundred hours). I am not military, and all the train schedules around here say 23:00 or 23 00 rather than 2300 anyways. And the day with more or less than 24 hours? Disambiguated by including whether it’s daylight-saving time. 1:59 EST (Eastern Standard Time) is followed by 3:00 EDT (Eastern Daylight Time); that day has 23 hours. The corresponding day changing from 1:59 EDT to 1:00 EST has 25 hours. Though that’s just our convention on writing the time; the sun and the earth don’t care. Another reason to get rid of DST; it’s just an unnecessary layer of annoyance. And “half seven”? That is way too ambiguous. Is it 6:30 or 7:30? Quarter to seven, sure. Quarter after seven, great. But half seven? That could be 3:30 or 3.5 or something else entirely… ---
**Author:** ![steepone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@steepone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steepone)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/25 "2020-06-09T12:03:24Z")
It’s not a big thing with me but I worked shift work for many years and learnt to appreciate the twenty four hour clock, it helps to avoid any confusion particularly on written records ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/26 "2020-06-09T12:09:13Z")
No mention of Tulsa time, my preference. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/27 "2020-06-09T12:31:08Z")
Being in medicine and working around the clock at many times during my career made me appreciate 24 hour timekeeping ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/28 "2020-06-09T12:49:07Z")
My gal’s as cute as she can be I love her sexy bones. And I’m not one to look for faults, Lord knows, I’ve got my own. But there’s one thing about my girl That’s really hard to bear – If she’s supposed to be somewhere, She’s real late gettin’ there. She’s livin’ on Southern Standard Time, Southern Standard Time. Her clock is running way behind, It’s Southern Standard Time. … Now what if I decide I want This woman for my sife? She probably won’t get to the church Until the wedding night. But maybe we can live to be The world’s oldest pair, For when it’s time to pack it in, We’ll be late gettin’ there. We’ll be livin’ on Southern Standard Time… – Harry Middlebrooks, _Southern Standard Time_ ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/29 "2020-06-09T13:19:06Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Definitely prefer the 24-hour clock. And I say “15:00” (15 o’clock) rather than “1500” (fifteen hundred hours). How interesting! I’d really never heard that before. ETA: I usually say fifteen hundred, instead of fifteen hundred hours. When writing I’ll usually write 1500, but if the context isn’t too clear then I’ll write 1500 hrs or 1500hrs. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/30 "2020-06-09T13:28:48Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > In school, I wore a 24-hour watch my uncle brought home after WWII. It was geared for one hour-hand rotation every 24 hours, with the 12 at the bottom of the dial and 24 at the top. I never saw another one like it. You can buy one on Amazon right now. [https://www.amazon.com/Trintec-Military-Clock-White-ZT24HR14-W/dp/B00GXSSEB0](https://www.amazon.com/Trintec-Military-Clock-White-ZT24HR14-W/dp/B00GXSSEB0) You can even buy watches, but the 24 is at the bottom for some strange reason. [https://www.slow-watches.com/the-store-category/slow-round/](https://www.slow-watches.com/the-store-category/slow-round/) ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/31 "2020-06-09T13:40:27Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Pilot here. Much prefer 24 hour time, and will use Zulu when I can. > > Of course in the labs, we often posted invites using Epoch time and Universal Transverse Mercator locations. If you couldn’t figure it out we didn’t want to eat lunch with you anyway. 😉 Same here. Quick story… A few months ago I was at an airline terminal, waiting for my flight home. I was wearing my uniform and a guy came up to ask me a question. Turned out he had been at the airport for over 12 hours because he mistakenly thought his flight was at 6 AM instead of PM. I expressed my condolences and offhandedly mentioned that this is why we use 24 hour time in aviation. He cocked an eyebrow and I explained how it removes any ambiguity about AM / PM. He looked like I’d just told him a new truth about the universe. “I never realized that’s why they do that in the military and stuff!” I left him with that, rather than than try to let him in on the mysteries of Zulu time too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/32 "2020-06-09T14:05:24Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > That is bizarre. The hands’ positions say 1906 (roughly), but from the face markings the clock reads 1406…? Well, it’s a 24-hour clock, so the hand positions are going to be different on it. Note that traditional 3 o’clock position is 0600, and 6 o’clock is noon, 9 o’clock is 1800, etc.There’s twice as many numbers on the clock, so take your 24-hour time, divide by two, and that’s where the position would be on a standard 12-hour clock. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/33 "2020-06-09T14:28:19Z")
Having grown up in a society where you almost always _write_ a 24 hour time of day, but generally say “we’ll meet at six” even if the invitation says “18:00”, I voted that I prefer 24 hour time. Norway doesn’t use am, pm either, so if you want to specify you’d say “we’ll meet at nine, i.e. twentyone zero zero”. That said I grew up with a watch with hands, whereas kids today almost exclusively see numerical displays. I don’t know how that is influencing their usage. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/34 "2020-06-09T14:45:42Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Well, it’s a 24-hour clock, so the hand positions are going to be different on it. Note that traditional 3 o’clock position is 0600, and 6 o’clock is noon, 9 o’clock is 1800, etc.There’s twice as many numbers on the clock, so take your 24-hour time, divide by two, and that’s where the position would be on a standard 12-hour clock. Does anyone like that? Well they must, because [there are several for sale](https://www.google.com/search?q=24+hour+clock&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=isvn&sxsrf=ALeKk01XdjgN-W_f3zNpkK-T4lZQVG7hyw:1591713681275&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjPqLnE-_TpAhULP60KHUh7CnQQ_AUoAnoECA8QAg&biw=768&bih=921&dpr=2). I never understood their appeal. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/35 "2020-06-09T14:57:31Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Does anyone like that? Well they must, because [there are several for sale](https://www.google.com/search?q=24+hour+clock&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=isvn&sxsrf=ALeKk01XdjgN-W_f3zNpkK-T4lZQVG7hyw:1591713681275&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjPqLnE-_TpAhULP60KHUh7CnQQ_AUoAnoECA8QAg&biw=768&bih=921&dpr=2). I never understood their appeal. I’ve never tried using anything like that; I imagine it’s something you’d get used to after using for awhile, but you’re going to have to somewhat unlearn or at least curb the instinct of reading it as a 12-hour clock. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/36 "2020-06-09T15:04:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ve never tried using anything like that; I imagine it’s something you’d get used to after using for awhile, but you’re going to have to somewhat unlearn or at least curb the instinct of reading it as a 12-hour clock. Well although I strongly prefer 24 hour time, I don’t like it enough to want to use one of those. Especially since my every-day wristwatch has an analog face. And is **normal**. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/37 "2020-06-09T15:49:43Z")
Negative. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/38 "2020-06-09T15:52:00Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Well although I strongly prefer 24 hour time, I don’t like it enough to want to use one of those. Especially since my every-day wristwatch has an analog face. > > And is **normal**. I would only have one of those for novelty value. 99.9% of clockfaces use a 12-hour format, so I’d rather stick with the norm for reading clock faces, even if I like to think in 24-hour time. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/39 "2020-06-09T15:53:56Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Negative. Copy that. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274/40 "2020-06-09T16:01:16Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > It’s logical, but I don’t have a “feel” for it. Like, okay, 7 p.m. has a certain … set of mental associations. Typical light quality, dinnertime, work is long done for office types. That sort of thing. > > I don’t automatically have that for 19 o’clock and also I have to do the math on my fingers _yes EVERY time_ it feels like translating out of a language I only speak a little, badly. Exact same here. Academically, I realize that it’s only a matter of what I’ve been accustomed to. If I had only ever used 24-hour time growing up, it would be second nature. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-to-use-24-hour-time/855274.md?page=3)