24StundenUhrwerk

24StundenUhrwerk refers to a clockwork or watch movement designed to drive a 24-hour time display. Unlike conventional 12-hour systems, the hour indication spans a full day, showing 0 to 23 hours. The display can be realized either with a 24-hour dial in which the clockface is marked 0–23 and typically uses a single hour hand, or with a standard dial that uses a 24-hour wheel to drive the hour hand, potentially with a separate minute hand operating in the usual 60-minute cycle.

In practice, a 24-hour movement uses a gear train that makes the hour wheel advance once every 24 hours. The minute train remains independent and completes a full cycle every hour as usual in most designs. Some variants place the 24-hour indication on a subdial or use a secondary hand.

Historically, 24-hour displays appeared in astronomical clocks and in some early mechanical timepieces; they gained renewed interest in specialized fields such as polar exploration, aviation, and military applications, where day/night clarity or unambiguous timekeeping across time zones is beneficial.

Advantages include immediate day-night orientation and reduced confusion in high-latitude regions remote from standard day-night cycles. Limitations include a steeper learning curve for users accustomed to 12-hour systems and potential added complexity in design and wear.

Contemporary examples range from single-hand 24-hour watches to multi-display clocks, found in niche horology and scientific equipment. The 24StundenUhrwerk remains of interest for its distinctive approach to time indication and its functional benefits in specific environments.