The habit of Daylight Saving Time (DST) has been around since 1908, when it was first used in a region in Canada. Today, around 34 percent of the world’s countries uses DST, but it is still a bit of a mess: in some countries, including Australia and the US, it is not used by all territories or states, thus causing various confusions regarding working hours, train times and cross-state dinner dates.
According to sleep and light researcher Professor Arne Lowden at the University of Stockholm, the darker mornings of DST can have a negative impact on the circadian rhythm, the body’s own schedule for hormonal levels, body temperature, and sleep. Why? A key element of a functioning circadian rhythm is light exposure in the morning – a concept which gets challenged by the darker mornings caused by DST. “With a constant DST the number of depressions would increase, and probably also workplace accidents. It would definitely disrupt the circadian rhythm for a lot of people, which would result in increased usage of antidepressants and sleeping pills,” he wrote in the Swedish magazine Ljuskultur.
Despite being widely used since the 1960s and 1970s, it would take until 2024 to have a world timer wristwatch that also takes Daylight Saving Time into consideration. With an innovative system comprising of rollers and rotating discs: the Bovet Récital 28 Prowess 1, resolved this old horological challenge. And it did not go unnoticed: It won the mechanical exception prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2024. Throughout the year, the Recital 28, and its somewhat simplified sibling Recital 30, accurately displays 25 global time zones during the four time periods of the year: Coordinated Universal Time, American Summer Time, European and American Summer Time, and European Winter Time.
On the Sunday ski tour, we made use of the unusual snow amounts in the Jura, heading for a peak above St. Cergue. Once we were out of the trees, we could see the lake, the Alps, the surrounding peaks – Switzerland is simply fantastic! And yes, I was more than a little tired. But I am afraid I could not blame lack of sleep or Daylight Saving Time for my performance which left a lot to desire. I have to get back to jogging. But that is another story.
I wish you all a great Easter!
