<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (February 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (February 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> A clock face, or dial, is the part of an analog clock (or watch) that displays the time through the use of a fixed - numbered dial or dials and moving hands . In its most basic form, recognized throughout the world, the periphery of the dial is numbered 1 through 12 indicating the hours in a 12 - hour cycle, and a short hour hand makes two revolutions in a day . A long minute hand makes one revolution every hour . The face may also include a second hand, which makes one revolution per minute . The term is less commonly used for the time display on digital clocks and watches . </P> <P> A second type of clock face is the 24 - hour analog dial, widely used in military and other organizations that use 24 - hour time . This is similar to the 12 - hour dial above, except it has hours numbered 1--24 around the outside, and the hour hand makes only one revolution per day . Some special - purpose clocks, such as timers and sporting event clocks, are designed for measuring periods less than one hour . Clocks can indicate the hour with Roman numerals or Hindu--Arabic numerals, or with non-numeric indicator marks . The two numbering systems have also been used in combination, with the prior indicating the hour and the latter the minute . Longcase clocks (grandfather clocks) typically use Roman numerals for the hours . Clocks using only Arabic numerals first began to appear in the mid-18th century . </P>

What does the small hand on the clock mean