IIII is an
alternate writing of the
Roman numeral four, usually written as
IV. This version of the
number originates with
public clocks mounted for the benefit of
German villagers, who were largely
illiterate and in many instances unable to read Roman numerals. Instead, just as they would count I-II-III-IIII on their fingers, so would they read the numbers on the clock. IV would just lend itself to
confusion with
VI. On such clocks,
nine might also be written as VIIII, instead of as IX.
Oddly enough, the widespread
adoption of this
shortcut for the
small town illiterati eventually
translated to a
sentiment that a
clockface displaying four I's in a row instead of an IV was quaint and classical. Which lead later
clockmakers and
watchmakers to use this exact same
sequence as a
symbol of the
European sophistication of their
watch faces -- not only were they
adorned with Roman numerals instead of mere numbers, but they used the same circle of Roman numerals as the
town hall clocks in those charming little rustic
villas.