Hand

^{(in French: aiguille)}

A variously shaped indicator made from a thin piece of lightweight metal and which moves round a dial, with or without graduations. Most watches have three hands, one each for the hours, minutes and seconds. Early watches only had one hand, for the hours.

The English watchmaker Daniel Quare is said to have introduced the minute hand in around 1691. It came into widespread use in the early 18th century. The very first hands had to be thick and robust as the dial had yet to be protected by a glass, and because the only way to set the time was to physically move the hand. Towards the mid-18th century, hands adopted a slimmer, more elegant style. They were made by hand and finished with a file or chisel; holes were fashioned with a bow.

Circa 1764, watchmakers began using a hammer and punch to stamp hands from a sheet of metal. Later, in around 1800, they were formed using a press and were often decorated with precious or imitation stones.

The most common forms are:

• Baton
• Dauphine
• Feuille
• Sword
• Spade
• Poire
• Breguet or Moon
• Skeleton