Cathedral hands are a decorative style of watch hand, long and slim, with a Gothic look that harks back to early-1900s design. The hour hand is large and shaped quite unlike the thinner minute hand. That makes the two easy to tell apart.
Why are they called cathedral hands?
The name comes from medieval churches. The hands resemble the tracery and stained-glass windows of those buildings. On the hour hand, a thin stem widens out into a rounded opening that looks like a small window. A cathedral set usually pairs this big hour hand with a thinner minute hand. The result is a long, slim pair with a Gothic look.
Where it comes from
Cathedral hands first appeared on watches made between the 1910s and the 1930s. Most of these were military and pilot models. The open sections of the hands were traditionally filled with radium or tritium lume. This glowed, so the wearer could read the time in the dark. The style is still made today. Current examples include the Oris Big Crown Original Pointer Date and a Zenith Pilot. Montblanc also uses it.
Not to be confused with
Kite hands look much like cathedral hands. The difference lies in the opening. On a kite hand it is diamond-shaped. On a cathedral hand it is shaped like an onion or a teardrop, widening out from the thin stem. To tell the two apart, look at the shape of the cut-out on the hour hand.
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