After initially thinking we had come up with a completely original concept, we soon discovered that not only was the concept already in existence, but that it had been around for almost 700 years, with Jacopo de’Dondi being commissioned to construct the world’s first clock face - a 24-hour face, of course - in Padua, Italy, in 1344. So why had we, and everyone we spoke to - including many watch stores - never seen a 24-hour dial?

When the world moved to the 12-hour system in the 1500s, the 24-hour dial was forgotten by all but those either well-versed in horology, or those with a military-related background.

Granted, the 12-hour, two-hand method may be the more accurate, but there’s a certain romance in owning and wearing a 24-hour watch: knowing that the hour hand will pass each marker only once a day; taking joy in the idea of a stranger noticing your watch and not quite being able to work out what’s going on; and loving that you wear a watch that is a little more unique than most.