Wristwatches are making less and less practical sense. Is there a clock on the instrument panel of your car? Do you sit at a computer at work? Do you carry a cellular telephone?
If you didn’t wear a watch, how often would you wonder what time it was?
As a mass market item, they’re fading. Seems like about even odds whether anyone under 30 will have one on. I expect that in my lifetime, wristwatches will occupy the same sort of niche pocket watches do today. They’ll still be around, but almost exclusively either as affectations for the vaguely eccentric or playthings for the wealthy.
I wear one all the time. I have since I got my first watch, when I was 4 or so. It was a manually wound mechanical, and the dial had a picture of an open-wheel race car crossing the finish line, with an official waving the checkered flag. The flag tick-tocked up and down. I look for that watch from time to time on eBay; no luck yet.
I loved my second watch. It was a Timex SSQ digital with a linearly-patterned reflective blue dial and a stretch/twist bracelet. My dad took me to the mall to get it for either my 7th or 8th birthday. It’s because of that watch that I know how to set all of the junk watches that show up in Happy Meals, party favor bags, and the like–the movement is functionally identical. Never seen this one on eBay either. I see lots that are similar, but none with the dial mine had.
I think that partially because I had one so young and always wore it, I still look at my watch first for the time, even though there may be multiple other clocks in plain sight. I also think it’s the opposite that is leading to the wristwatch’s decline. Today, by the time a kid has any need for the time, s/he’s probably old enough to handle a cell phone. Why carry something else too?
Even so, one of my little irrational neuroses is wondering just a little about someone my age or older who doesn’t wear a watch. When I meet you, after your eyes, smile, and handshake, I notice your watch. If you’re older than I am and you don’t have one on, I think things in the vein of “hmmm. He must not have anything important to keep up with. I’ll remember that if he’s ever in a position to keep up with something in which I have an interest.”
‘Course, he’s probably thinking about me “what’s that idiot wearing that tacky watch for? Doesn’t he have a cell phone?”
You might also like:
- Watches make no sense
I’ve made passing mention of my affection for wristwatches. I really enjoy them. Collecting, wearing… - Wowed by the Freak
Wristwatches are a peculiarly illogical hobby for me. I’ve written before about how little objective… - Casio produces the best geek watch yet
I’ve had my Casio PAW-1300, previously briefly discussed in this post, for about a month now. Price … - Casio scratches the geek watch itch
I’ve loved wristwatches since I could tell time. I wear one continuously, and only take it off for t… - Lessons from a little boy’s wristwatch
My sons are seven and almost ten, and they each have and wear a wristwatch. Aaron just got his; Nath…
I never think to look at my phone for the time, even though it is in great big numbers across the front always. So, are we old?
‘Fraid so. 🙂