Comments on: Stuff I don’t get: Why, exactly, do I continue to wear a watch?

By: Justthisguy

Justthisguy — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:13:23 +0000

Watches are not network-dependent. And you can set them to actual local mean solar time instead of zone or (spit!) daylight “saving” time.

By: Donna Locke

Donna Locke — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 03:00:41 +0000

I stopped wearing watches many, many years ago, but, oddly, I always can correctly guess the time within 10 minutes or so.

By: SayUncle

SayUncle — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 20:52:23 +0000

I have one. but i don’t wear it often.

By: Blake

Blake — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 20:47:35 +0000

You wear a Rolex, don’t you, Unc?

By: mike hollihan

mike hollihan — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:21:23 +0000

I can’t wear wristwatches or other jewelry against my skin. I have some kind of allergic reaction; skin gets greens and crusty. I’ve worn pocket watches for many years now. I just like ‘em and they way the chain looks against my clothes.

By: JustDoIt

JustDoIt — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:51:28 +0000

I haven’t worn a watch in over 35 years. I hate the feeling of anything around my wrist, my neck, or my fingers. I guess the only “bling” you’ll find me wearing is my belt and holster.

By: #9

#9 — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:07:43 +0000

I have four watches. I haven’t worn one in ten years. I haven’t worn a tie in fifteen years. Back when I did wear a tie a business associate did not wear a watch. I thought he was eccentric.

By: Rustmeister

Rustmeister — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:57:22 +0000

It’s self-reliance, and impatience. I don’t want to dig around for my cell phone. Besides, it stays off as much as possible. Having clocks around that don’t display the same time drives me nuts, especially if I can’t correct them, so I just stick to my wristwatch.

By: Billy Beck

Billy Beck — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:06:58 +0000

A cousin of mine inherited his father’s pocket-watch, and I recall a dinner conversation, once, over the relative merits of wristwatches versus pocket watches. Robert was a high-level executive in a large American corporation: he pointed out that while he would have preferred to always use his father’s pocket-watch for sentimental reasons, it was impossible for him to handle it discreetly during meetings, in managing the limited and high-demand time of his day. He could glance furtively at the wristwatch and get his bearings in ways that he never could with a pocket-watch.

I’ve never forgotten that, and have put the principle to good use, myself.

Generally: a wristwatch is simply convenient in ways that no other timepiece can match.

By: Diamondback

Diamondback — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:06:54 +0000

Why? So you don’t look foolish glancing at your bare wrist.
Douglas Adams fans will be familiar with:
“Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.

Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-two million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea.”
and:
“There are of course many problems connected with life, of which some of the most popular are Why are people born? Why do they die? Why do they want to spend so much of the intervening time wearing digital watches?”

By: djuggler

djuggler — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 13:59:48 +0000

Because cell phones die at inopportune times (like camping trips) and with a watch you can find north.

By: MichaelG

MichaelG — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 13:29:20 +0000

I gave up my watch 10 years ago when I had pagers on my belt 24×7.

The funny thing was when I was the best man for a friends wedding. During our running around on the Friday before I had to grab a cheap timex to make sure I’d have him at the wedding on time since I wasn’t going to be wearing my pager that day.

By: Bitter

Bitter — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 13:03:38 +0000

Ravenwood, I’m sure you recall that I am a fan of the pocket watch and thought it was very cool that you had one.

I don’t wear a watch anymore and rely on my cell phone. However, I also feel like I’m asking Sebastian what time it is an awful lot when I don’t have my phone on me. So I’m happy he continues to wear the watch.

By: Ravenwood

Ravenwood — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:41:42 +0000

I hate wrist watches. Can’t stand to have one on my wrist, so I wear a pocket watch. Yeah, people laugh and poke fun but I just like pocket watches. Plus sometimes you have to go places where you need to turn your cell phone off and won’t know the time (ie: airplanes, etc.).

By: Nomen Nescio

Nomen Nescio — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 11:31:49 +0000

mine ran out of battery, oh, must be a couple months ago now. the various computers i’m always around are all connected to network time servers that keep better time than the watch would. i still haven’t replaced that battery.

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 04:46:36 +0000

Habit. I’ve asked myself the same question, and when I’ve gone without, I keep staring down at my wrist habitually, and it drives me back to wearing one.