Hi, the Roman numeral for #4 is lV, but on most clocks and watches with Roman numerals it's depicted by llll.?

Question

I've often wondered why, I did hear that a Royal watchmaker in the 14th or 15th century made a mistake whilst making a timepiece and it stuck, but, I don't know the truth of that, your answers will be very well recieved, thanks.

Answer 1

beats me. good question though. shouldnt this be in the history section or something?

Answer 2

They are both correct

Answer 3

i have always wondered that, but its easier to read for some people

Answer 4

If i recall correctly, i think both are accepted, but IV is the more correct.

Answer 5

Because IIII balances the opposite number VIII better than VI.

If you doubt this, look at any shop display of watches and clocks and usually they will show the hands at 10:09 because they are balanced and it looks friendlier- smiley!

There are several stories about a clockmaker making a mistake. One of them concerns Louis XIV of France. When the clockmaker showed him the clock he had made, Louis insisted the 4 should be IV not IIII and one did not argue with Louis XIV. So the clockmaker changed the IV to IIII. This, however is unlikely since IIII had been in use long before Louis.