Do you care about dial legibility?

[Mountain]

Yes, of course it’s important. Not much point having a watch if the dial isn’t easy to read, is there?

[whatsthetime?]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

Glad to hear I am not the only one! Legibility is the main reason I got rid of my Daytona (busy dial) and part of the reason I got rid of my SkyDweller.My Daytona is probably the most legible Rolex next to the Explorer 2.

Am I missing something here?

[Kevin of Larchmont]

Originally Posted by Nads786

Which watches do you feel have the best legibility for someone who is near sighted? I'm beginning to have trouble reading close distances.

Well the best hands down is a big ol’ old school 44mm Panerai Luminor of some sort. I prefer the Luminor Marinas even though I can’t see the small seconds at 9 without my glasses. The polar Explorer II is great as well as the new 36mm Explorer because of the high contrast between the hands and the dial. And I have a black OG ETA Pelagos that is off the hook for visibility, I can see that thing glowing in the daylight.

This isn’t a comprehensive overview of the best available watches for presbyopia, just a small sample of what works for me. And while I don’t get a clear picture of any watch without glasses these show me good hand placement at a glance.

[Tbird]

Bad legibility is a good excuse to look at your watch just a little longer!

[Rolexken]

All of the above- I only buy three handers with dark faces. Just can’t see the time on a chronograph or a silver/white dial

[HMHM]

Dial legibility is subjective though. Some people might find one dial legible and others less so.

[PenDelicate]

Are there perhaps two parts of this question?

There's legibility as in: can you read the time? At all. And for me: yes, I don't want a watch from which I cannot read the time at all.

But then there's legibility as a continuum and, "Do you gravitate towards only the most legible watches?" And for me that's a no. I went from a modern Sub to a 23-year-old Daytona, which is clearly a down-grande in legibility. Can I read the time on the Daytona? Yes. Is it as legible as the Sub? No. But that's not as important to me as wearing a Daytona.

[Andad]

I can read this just fine.

[rolexgs]

absolutely！

[Harry-57]

This is one reason why I don't like the Daytona. Achingly cool though the design is, I find the sub dials difficult to read. Totally defeats the object for me.

Rolex know their customers better than I do. The Tudor Chrono has a snowflake hour hand which moves slowly over the sub dials and obscures them. People obviously don't care and probably don't use the sub dials, which also partly explains the popularity of the Daytona.

[George58]

I love the looks on my DD but can't wear it because read the time. MY aquanaut perfect in any light.

[rolexgs]

there's always been trade off between aesthetic and legibility, you can't have both at the same time!

[Benzsiam]

Originally Posted by whatsthetime?

Am I missing something here?

It must be a typo, might be DayDate instead of Daytona in the last sentence.

[creepy neville]

Legibility is paramount.

As I have mentioned in other posts, this is why I much prefer my Deepsea with the black dial over Deepsea JC.

The Deepsea JC dial is just too busy !

Granted the JC looks fabulous in the AD’s display case, but put it on your wrist and it is chaos !

[7enderbender]

Extremely important since I’m old enough to actually use my watch to tell time throughout the day (and night) and not only wear it as jewelry.

[Agamemnon]

Of a watch, first of all I look at the design and elegance. The rest comes later.
While my Speedmaster is more legible than my Daytonas, I still prefer the Daytona.

[Dan Pierce]

Yes, legibility is king. That's why my collection consists of divers & pilots watches. There are plenty of great looking versions of each and if not, I build my own. No reason to wear it if I can't easily read the time.
dP

[fmc000]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

Glad to hear I am not the only one! Legibility is the main reason I got rid of my Daytona (busy dial)

Same for me.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by ndirish2001

Dial legibility is one of my non-negotiables. Which is why I still haven’t purchased a chronograph.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was the same until I saw the 321.

It's difficult to explain why, but I can read this from accross the room.

I think it has mostly to do with the longer thinner lume plots and the white baton hands. Whatever the case, its one of it not the most legible watches I own and that includes divers

Screenshot_20230109-121530_Instagram.jpg

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[cdm765]

It is hard to tell the time on a Daytona. The Pelagos has best legibility I’ve ever seen on a watch.

[RTG]

Originally Posted by Andad

I can read this just fine.

But a zoomed in macro shot isn’t how it looks when you turn your wrist to check the time, is it?

They look more like this:

[cdm765]

Originally Posted by RTG

But a zoomed in macro shot isn’t how it looks when you turn your wrist to check the time, is it?

They look more like this:

That black dial proves the point exactly…

[1William]

Yes. I do care about dial legibility.

[Harry-57]

Originally Posted by rolexgs

there's always been trade off between aesthetic and legibility, you can't have both at the same time!

Oh, I don't know....

[RTG]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

Of a watch, first of all I look at the design and elegance. The rest comes later.
While my Speedmaster is more legible than my Daytonas, I still prefer the Daytona.

I think 60% of watch collectors share your opinion. To the rest of us, the lack of legibility is a design flaw, and thus not a watch we would wear.

Right side of the brain vs left side. No right or wrong, just interesting how differently two people view the same watch.

[swish77]

If immediately telling the time was the most important factor, guys would just use their iPhones or a large Timex, the kind they make for seniors with poor eyesight.

We all know that luxury watches aren't essential anyway. It's how they look and feel, and for some, the prestige of what's on their wrist. So what if I need to move my wrist slightly so the light catches the hands on my Daytonas? I still love wearing them for many reasons.

[-dustin]

legibility is paramount.

black/ dark dials with polished hands and indices are the worst for me.

[Josunese1975]

Originally Posted by -dustin

legibility is paramount.

black/ dark dials with polished hands and indices are the worst for me.

Exactly. I owned a blue dial roman numeral datejust. Loved the color but the hands blended in with the dial. Dark hands with dark dial is not a good combo. In the dark it was illegible. Even under the sun it was difficult to read at certain angles. Eventually sold it and bought a white dial roman numeral which is much better at legibility.

[Nads786]

This is an interesting thread. I don't think I realized how much I prefer the circle markers vs. the baton markers. There is something less legible to me with the latter and aesthetically I prefer the circle markers.

[-CUJO-]

I definitely need something legible as I’m getting older. I can’t really read the date anymore so most of the time I don’t set it. The Breitling Navitimer that I had was the worst as far as legibility and the best is my IWC Aquatimer 3536-1. It’s probably the main reason why it’s my favorite.