There's no reason it wouldn't "work", the question is "why". Having such precise dates obviously comes with some compromises (e.g., the representation is larger, or it's variable depending on the value which comes with additional complexity, etc.). So surely there must be some pros to counterbalance the cons. "Because it's what Go does" is an answer, but I don't know if it's a convincing one.

Nice. Smoking cigarettes works for me and millions of others but it's still stupid and will take years or decades of your life.