Girard Perregaux for Shell

Internet Horology Club 185

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https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2291010082/m/1713923767

November 02, 2011, 16:17

Peter Drago

Girard Perregaux for Shell

Hello all,

Just for curiosity sake and nothing else,(it's a slow day) I would like to draw your attention to this watch "dial". This is one of the very few dials (and I mean few) that shows the 4 as IV instead of IIII as was always done since the Middle Ages starting with the sundials.

Also the orientation of the roman numbers follows the style used by the arabic numbered dials.
A very unusual layout.
The second chapter is also a bit questionable...what were they thinking in Switzerland in 1940?

Regards,
Peter

November 02, 2011, 19:24

Lindell V. Riddle

Very interesting Peter,

I think this is something they began doing on watches around that mid 20th Century time-frame. Sometimes the designers and manufacturers step away from tradition. It would be interesting to compare other watches with Roman dials to see how often this was used, perhaps then and even now.

For more about the Shell Oil watches, here is discussion and links...

Shell Oil Watch by Girard-Perregaux

Lindell

November 04, 2011, 13:40

Peter Drago

Lindell, Thank you for your comment.

I found out that IV instead of IIII is extremely rare on watches dials and there are quite a few debates on various sites on the net about why this is. Some explanations are quite amusing.

The picture below shows the "Millennium Stein" that I received as a gift at the turn of the century. The pocket watch is shown prominently as an example of human achievement but is missing the second chapter and the 4 is IV!

As I said "just for curiosity sake".

Regards to all,
Peter