Where does legibility rank on your scale?

Legibility is the Prime Directive. Everything else follows.

I love good contrast.

Question 1- Of course I do

Question 2-Never

If I can't tell the time by a quick half-second glance, then I'd pass. Unless if the watch has more complications than just telling time. The small text of an annual calendar may require extra looking time...

I’d love a Breitling Navitimer. But some of those dials are just too busy to consider. Legibility is definitely a key point, and one that will keep a watch out of my collection.

Unfortunately with my bad eye sight I would need to wear a clock. 🤣

50’s so becoming more and more important 😂

Yep, they figured out readability with the Big Pilot time only

Yes, I only want to buy watches that are legible. I saw an actress wearing a watch choker (necklace) at the academy awards last month. I don’t suppose she cares if her watches are legible.

Since I am 45, it's very important.

I wouldn't turn down a Bel Canto on the grounds I can't see the dial but all things being equal I like to be able to tell the time on my watches.

I got bifocals and my watch collection suddenly became much more beautiful

Well, with a Bel Canto, you dont even need to see it. So it gets a pass

High, I had a full black casioak and hated that I could barely see the time. I remember Carl Ruiz on the Watch and listen podcast ranting on how a Daytona is impossible to read.

Huge reason or plus, for sure.

Legibility is important, after all your goal is to read time. But there's not a lot of watches I find hard to read the time on it. Most of the time, it's wierd watches like Jacobs & Co. that are more of a bragging tool than a timekeeping tool.

I can’t tell time with my Apollo 8 so I don’t even set it. I don’t have an AP so…I’m keeping it. 🤪

It depends on what I’m doing, if I am attending clases I can afford to have a less legible watch, but if I am working out or maybe in an exam legibility takes priority over everything else.

Do you care if a watch is legible? - Nope, unless I'm do some form of physical training

Even though I see watches mainly as jewelry, I find legibility very important. As my presbyopia sets in, I like the contrast of blued hands and understand the purpose of the loupe on date displays.

Pretty much the most important thing.

Yes, if I didn't I would just buy a massive gold bracelet 😂

Frankly, I’ve never tried to figure out the time on this guy other than when setting the alarm 😅

It’s an opinion. It doesn’t have to be the same as yours. That’s why there are Max Bill designs, Richard Mille designs, and everything in between. 😀

I still use watches to tell time, especially when I leave my phone at home. Legibilityis mostly a issue. I own two watches that are a bit diffucult to read, under certain circumstances, but because I really like them.

I don't care about legibility ... at all. I just look at the design. And of course, when the design is equally nice i prefer the most legible. Take this watch for instance - my Rado Day & Night. Half of the time i cannot tell the time - but i love the watch to bits.

Or is it accuracy? You can still read a watch with low contrast. A watch that has the wrong time is worse, no?

Hard to beat a digital quartz watch for that.

I believe we all assumed that a watch should tell the present time. That's like asking, "What do you like in a car?" and replying, "Well, it has to be able to move on four wheels based on driver input." Some assumptions have to be made. 😂

You're right about quartz watches though. Nothing beats my Precisionist in that regard.

Well there are levels of accuracy and levels of legibility.

I have a colleague that wears a broken watch, and I have a watch that loses about a minute a day.

I also have a watch that is rated for 2 seconds a month (which I love).

After asking this question, I realize its complicated for me. Was the watch designed to be legible? If so, then its important. But there are other factors, such as style, craftsmanship, history, engineering…

As you can see from my watch roll, the answer for me is — “it depends”

The accuracy issue is a non-starter for me. Since I have so many watches, by the time I get to wear my automatics they've stopped and I have to set the time when putting them on (via atomic clock time), so they're accurate for that day within seconds. I do the same with my quartz, they all drift a little (less so for my 262kHz Precisionist, that one I can leave alone). Which watch is your most accurate, I see you have some really nice ones.

So for me legibility is king, and yes, there are levels of legibility, and what I deem acceptable is totally subjective to my aging eyes. As I get older, I like more contrast (and a cyclops over the date). Early in my collecting I bought a couple of skeleton watches that I don't wear because I can't read the damn things!

Once the legibility is out of the way, then it's about the dial design and most certainly the color, for the sartorial aspect.

My Grand Seiko by far. And it has a 5 day power reserve. I actually didnt think I cared about either pinpoint accuracy or power reserve.

But putting this watch down on a Sunday, picking it up on Friday with perfect time is a pleasure.

My eyes havent gotten to where they limit my view of the time. That AP is just not legible due to all that fancy scratching they did to the dial. But I love it.

To me, there is nothing more legible than my flieger. I just dont think I could ever do better. So every other watch has to add something else.