On: Decimal Time: How the French Made a 10-Hour Day (2013)

[rakoo]

There is also the (Swatch) internet time (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swatch_Internet_Time) that divides a day into 1000 units. I haven't used either system, but I can see a few advantages:

- the .beat (a 1/1000th of a day) is equal to 1m26.4s, so it's enough to point at various points in time, rather than have 2 numbers

- if more precision is needed, "centibeats" (1/100th of a .beat) exist, and are very close to a second so it's easier to grasp (0.864s)

- taking a 1/1000th of a unit is the standard way of going up and down in units, rather than going 1/100th twice

- I don't know if the French decimal time has ever been adopted beyond amateurs, but internet time has been (for a very short time at least)