An outdated rule? Why watch ads almost always use the same time

Do you have a magazine to hand? Well flick through it, stop at the watch ads and check the time displayed. With few exceptions the time shown will be a couple of minutes either side of 10 past 10. This tradition, and its occasional misapplication, has lessons for brands beyond the watch category.
There are sensible reasons for this approach. It means the hands are pleasingly symmetrical and features, like secondary dials or the logo, aren’t normally obscured.
But symmetry and clarity can b