NationStates Jolt Archive

Why do people still wear watches? Mobile phones, computers etc all have the time on them is there really still a need? Are we just throwing money at the Swiss?

So I can tell the time.

Because as evil as watches are, phones are eviller.

Because when I'm in class and I need to time a lesson or check how long I have till the bell I don't feel like digging into my pants pocket to haul out my cell in front of my students.

Besides, I've worn a watch for so long I literally feel naked when I don't have mine on. I've been known to wear a non-working watch when my battery dies and I haven't had a chance to get it replaced yet.

I feel naked without my watch. I wore a watch decades before a mobile phone existed. Plus to see what time it is on my watch all i have to do is angle my wrist slightly, if i want to check on my phone, i have to take it out of my pocket and then push a button. Its just easier to have a nice watch. A nice expensive watch also adds class to your appearance as well.

Umm personal choice?

Why do people still wear watches? Mobile phones, computers etc all have the time on them is there really still a need? Are we just throwing money at the Swiss?

Because a quick glance at my wrist is a lot easier than digging through my handbag to find the phone.
And when you're out and about here, there aren't many clocks around. Even fewer if you want them to show the accurate time.

Seems it is just me then, I find watches as unpleasant to wear as ties. I do have a pocket watch though but never really use it. Can't say I ever feel the need to know the exact time at every single moment.

Watches, phones...all part of yet another conspiracy by our friends the Illuminati. The inside of a watch produces a constant stream of a mind-control substance which seeps into the bloodstream through the wrist and acts to direct thoughts away from the inequalities of the system. Similarly, phones devote around 5% of their power to emitting waves that interfere with brain activity and regulate serotonin levels to keep the populace indifferent to their oppression.

Even our traditional method of protection from mind control, the foil hat, is useless here.

Something you notice once out of Europe is the complete lack of public clocks, I suppose there was a time when building a clock was a permanent mark of something, like, 'look at the clock on our building, we're important'.

So you're always reasonably within reach of the time, yet you just don't have public clocks outside Europe that much.

I've never worn a watch, and I'm never late, if nothing else, I'm noted for how exactly on time I tend to be, watches are a crutch for the mind, a mind wasted is... well it's something I can't quite think of.

Caution: Eye Protection recommended

http://cgi.ebay.com/Joe-Rodeo-55-0-Carat-Diamond-Watch-JOJO-Rolex-Aqua_W0QQitemZ270308705787QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Jewelery_Watches_Watches_MensWatches_GL?hash=item270 308705787&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A16%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Why do people still wear watches? Mobile phones, computers etc all have the time on them is there really still a need? Are we just throwing money at the Swiss?

Because pocket watches are cool.

So we know what the time is, much easier than carrying a personal computer around on your wrist.

Plus it still looks good wearing one (if you have a good watch), one of the few pieces of jewelery a man can wear without looking gay.

Something you notice once out of Europe is the complete lack of public clocks, I suppose there was a time when building a clock was a permanent mark of something, like, 'look at the clock on our building, we're important'.

We in Milan have even public clocks on the streets, maintained by the municipality.

Plus it still looks good wearing one (if you have a good watch), one of the few pieces of jewelery a man can wear without looking gay.

Shoes are the new watches.

We in Milan have even public clocks on the streets, maintained by the municipality.

I think most of Europe does, often with dedications, just time everywhere, I miss that sometimes.

I havent worn a watch in a decade, bloody things are annoying to have clogging up my wrist.

Shoes are the new watches.

Please expain?

First, why is there not a "Have worn a watch, but do not now" option?

Now, more to the point, I don't wear a watch anymore because I simply don't have a working one. I do think that a good watch adds some level of respectableness to one's image, but, as you said, with the advent of cellphones being on a person at any given time, it's becoming less and less so. Should I ever have a bit of money, though, I'd like to get a decent watch.

Please expain?

No.

First, why is there not a "Have worn a watch, but do not now" option?


I always bugger up polls trying to do them quickly.

No.

Let's try a different tack. :)

WTF are you talking about?

Why do people still wear watches?

It makes my penis appear larger.

I like my watch. It's easier to check the time unobtrusively during a test if I'm wearing a watch, too -- can't use the cell phone at that point and it looks bad to be constantly glancing at the clock.

trying to read the time on your phone is hard when you out in the field getting you ass shot off at paint ball

It makes my penis appear larger.

You wear a watch around your penis?

You wear a watch around your penis?

Only if he leaves the house nakkid. No pockets you see.

You see, everyone else lives in a state of perpetual timelessness unless they have a watch. You are one of the lucky ones.

Only if he leaves the house nakkid. No pockets you see.

"...Five long years, he wore this watch up his ass. Then when he died of dysentery, he gave me the watch. I hid this uncomfortable hunk of metal up my ass for two years. Then, after seven years, I was sent home to my family. And now, little man, I give the watch to you."

Poll is fail. I used to wear a watch, now use my mobile. Where's that option? eh? eh?

Why do people still wear watches? Mobile phones, computers etc all have the time on them is there really still a need? Are we just throwing money at the Swiss?

Because not everyone feels compelled to carry a security blanket ... um ... I mean cell phone ... around with them 24/7. Or to be within 20 feet of the internet at all times for that matter.

I still wear my watch although I have a phone. I personally don't like the phone, and I don't like people to know I have a cell phone, I still don't even want the damn thing. There is also the added convenience of having the watch right there, and it seems a little less likely to get lost as it's attached to your person.

Something you notice once out of Europe is the complete lack of public clocks, I suppose there was a time when building a clock was a permanent mark of something, like, 'look at the clock on our building, we're important'.

So you're always reasonably within reach of the time, yet you just don't have public clocks outside Europe that much.

Where are you? Most cities and towns in the US have clocks all over the place. You can rarely a bank without seeing one of those time and temperature displays. And many of the older buildings in downtown areas have clock towers, particularly court houses.

i dont wear a watch (i got sick of being chained to time) but there are times when it would be soooo much easier to glance at my wrist instead of fishing around for my cell phone.

I wear my watch as an accessory, not a timepiece.

I wear my watch as an accessory, not a timepiece.
the first lady of nicaragua must feel the same way. i saw i picture of her at the summit of the americas and she was wearing 2 watches on the same arm.

I didn't wear a watch for the longest time. Way before I even got on of those evil cell phones, so really didn't have timepiece at all. But then I was on the internet one day and found a badass looking watch so I bought it and now I have watch that I wear sometimes like if I'm going out.

I stopped wearing a watch about 7 years ago. I found myself constantly checking the time, without any reason for it. It made me nervous. I became hyper conscious of time, for no real reason. If I really need to know what time it is, it's not that difficult. Totally worth the freedom. Plus, they didn't make watches that could predict Indian Time.

Analog clocks can be used to determine direction during sunny days. By laying it flat and pointing the hour hand at the sun, you can find south (or north for our austral friends) by bisecting the angle between the hour hand and the 12.

I stopped wearing a watch about 7 years ago. I found myself constantly checking the time, without any reason for it. It made me nervous. I became hyper conscious of time, for no real reason. If I really need to know what time it is, it's not that difficult. Totally worth the freedom. Plus, they didn't make watches that could predict Indian Time.

Yeah I stoppd wearing a watch soon after starting work as a butcher. I kept braking them. Now of course with my wrists all tat'ed up, I just don't wear them any more.

I don't wear a watch, they die on me.

As for wearing a watch when you have a cell phone, have you ever rummaged through a purse or backpack trying to find the damn thing? It's easier just to lift your arm and look at your wrist.

I have to have a watch for correct and often synchronized timekeeping. Phones aer not reliable especially downrange.

Eh, theyre kinda stylish.


But Pocket Watches are superior.

Why do people still wear watches?
They look cool and make you look cool. Is that not enough?

Plus, looking up the time on your watch is WAY cooler than on your mobile. If you get out your mobile, you look like a teenager or at most a college student.
And of course there's a class of ultra-high-end watches, like the $500,000 Seiko Credor. These are there just to show you're long past counting your money.


Mobile phones, computers etc all have the time on them is there really still a need? Are we just throwing money at the Swiss?
At the Japanese predominantly, many Swiss watches use a movement made in Japan.

I wear a honest Seiko Kinetic - yes, it's more expensive than a cell phone, but it's also more functional, it works easily in the water, and it's way cooler.
I like the styling of some Tissot, but if you wear one (let alone a Rolex), everyone always assumes it's a fake.

But Pocket Watches are superior.

Damn right. (http://www.watchandmarvel.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/breguet-grand-complication-ref.-1160-pocket-watch.jpg)

They are a type of jewelry.

Watches bother me. I feel weird with extra weight on one arm and not on the other.

I don't really need to know the exact time......I need to know "running late" or "on time" but not if it's 12:56.......the only time I need to know the exact time is when something bad happens and I have to file a police report, since I recognize those times I just check my cellphone to note the time.

I'm really fucking tired of the phrase "time for you to buy a watch" when I ask someone what time it is.......just tell me what time it is, quit being an arrogant prick.

I've worn a watch for years, and now I don't feel completely dressed without one. I also find that it's much more convenient to look at my watch than to dig through my purse or backpack for my cell phone.

I wear a watch to keep track of time when I exercise. because a cell phone just gets in the way.

Analog clocks can be used to determine direction during sunny days. By laying it flat and pointing the hour hand at the sun, you can find south (or north for our austral friends) by bisecting the angle between the hour hand and the 12.
You're so hawt when you're all 'survivor man'.

Yeah I stoppd wearing a watch soon after starting work as a butcher. I kept breaking them. Now of course with my wrists all tat'ed up, I just don't wear them any more.
This is also a great point, and one I hadn't even thought of. I wouldn't want a watch to hide my wrist tats.

Cause their stuck in the 1940's

Cause their stuck in the 1940's

Well they need to invent a wrist cell phone then.

I always lose my watch so I just stopped wearing one. Now I have a phone, a PDA, laptop, ipod all those tell the time, I don't need a watch anymore. Plus I think I have extra insentive to keep all the the things I have that tell the time, the whole thing where "the only thing a watch is good for is telling time." really applies here, I just forget about the watch and lose it.

Seems it is just me then, I find watches as unpleasant to wear as ties. I do have a pocket watch though but never really use it. Can't say I ever feel the need to know the exact time at every single moment.
They make ones you can strap to your arm now.

Glancing at my wrist is easier than fumbling about in my pocket, especially in places such as cinemas where I turn my phone off.

There is still as much as a 'need' to wear a watch now phones have the time on them, as much as there is a 'need' for bikes now cars, too, can travel from A to B.

I wear mine because it's nice knowing the exact time (Atomic G-Shock FTW!) and not having to dig through my pockets for my phone. (Which is usually off anyways.) It also gives me something to look at when I'm bored. Not just watching time go by, but looking at the design of the watch.

I really like watches because as pointed out, you can't really pull a cell phone out while teaching (given you're not supposed to have them at school) and check the time. And yes there's a clock in my room, but it's rather inconveniently placed. On the other hand, I am currently without my watch as I took it off somewhere and misplaced it while on a roadtrip. I tend to take off jewelry type things and put them down and then forget about them.

Currently I have a mobile phone, but I do not have a watch. The poll is therefore useless to me. This shouldn't strike me as odd, because the person who created the poll clearly didn't think about it for more than a few seconds. Most of that time probably went into coming up with "Merthyr", which may or may not have something to do with Merthyr Tydfil, a town and county borough in Wales.

It's not very discrete to pull out a cellphone to find out how long that windbag who called the branch meeting has been talking. :)

the poll sucks. i used to wear a watch, then mobile phones came and i don't any more. taking the phone out of my pocket and pressing a button takes only marginally longer than looking at a watch. plus its a phone, alarm clock, calendar, reminder thingy, etc, too.

what i want to know is, who wears their watch upside-down? ie with the face on the bottom of the wrist? cos that's weird. and wrong.


i do feel a bit bad though, as the last watch i had was a nice gift from my parents, and i probably wore it all of 6 months before deciding i no longer needed a watch :(

I wear a watch partly out of habit, partly because I consider it exceedingly rude to pull out a cellphone while talking to just about anyone, and partly because when I am teaching, I really can't take out a cell phone.

Some watches look quite trendy, so that's a reason. I can't wear those kind of watches however, the metal on my skin causes my skin to rash.

Wow, I'm surprised so many people wear watches, I honestly don't know that many people who do anymore, having said that I met the owner of, something like, www.watches.com, not that but something similar, who does $20M a year online just selling watches so I suppose there's still some huge market.

"...Five long years, he wore this watch up his ass. Then when he died of dysentery, he gave me the watch. I hid this uncomfortable hunk of metal up my ass for two years. Then, after seven years, I was sent home to my family. And now, little man, I give the watch to you."

I love Pulp Fiction

I have a phone but it's a lot less convenient to have to carry around a phone and then turn in on when I need to check the time, since it can't be on while I'm in classes, than to just wear a watch and look at it and know the time right then. No need to wait for the phone to turn on and listen to the annoying beeps with a watch...

But I don't know how to answer the poll, I have a mobile phone but I don't carry it with me.

Can I ask those of you who feel that you save time by looking at a wristwatch, what productive use you put that time to?

Can I ask those of you who feel that you save time by looking at a wristwatch, what productive use you put that time to?
Looking cool.

It's faux pas to take out your cell phone and visibly check time at a meeting, while perfectly fine to slightly tilt your wrist and glance at the watch.

Also, if you're hurrying somewhere, you don't get distracted by the watch, unlike you do by the phone.

Plus, they didn't make watches that could predict Indian Time.

What the fuck?

Looking cool.

It's faux pas to take out your cell phone and visibly check time at a meeting, while perfectly fine to slightly tilt your wrist and glance at the watch.

Also, if you're hurrying somewhere, you don't get distracted by the watch, unlike you do by the phone.

At all the meetings I go to, everyone always takes out their mobile or Blackberry and puts it on the table in front of them.

I don't wear mine to know the time, I wear it because its a looks good.

Time and time again I watch my watch...

Oh, and: I'd vote 'Merthyr', but I'm missing 'Tydfil'. :(

I've been wearing a watch since I was about 8. I feel really weird without it. Besides, it's much easier to look at my wrist than to get my phone out of my pocket. Safer too, some scumbag could snatch the phone out of my hand and run down the street.

I've been wearing a watch since I was about 8. I feel really weird without it. Besides, it's much easier to look at my wrist than to get my phone out of my pocket. Safer too, some scumbag could snatch the phone out of my hand and run down the street.

The question is, where is the face? On the inner or outer wrist? Left or right wrist?

Plus, they didn't make watches that could predict Indian Time.

What the fuck?

To honor Buddha, each Indian clock has 6 hands.

The question is, where is the face? On the inner or outer wrist? Left or right wrist?

Left outer. Digital and analog with a backlight and glowing hands.

To honor Buddha, each Indian clock has 6 hands.

Dude, you've got your facts messed up. You might be thinking of the bodhisattva Vasudhara, which sometimes is represented with six arms in Nepalese religious art. Granted, the six-armed version of this bodhisattva of wealth, prosperity and abundance originates in India, but very few examples have been unearthed over the years.

Dude, you've got your facts messed up. You might be thinking of the bodhisattva Vasudhara, which sometimes is represented with six arms in Nepalese religious art. Granted, the six-armed version of this bodhisattva of wealth, prosperity and abundance originates in India, but very few examples have been unearthed over the years.

I love it when nerds dont get silly jokes ;)

Hell, I just like to get serious every once in a while. Just stick around, you might actually learn something!

Hell, I just like to get serious every once in a while. Just stick around, you might actually learn something!

Ive been here three years now, when is it going to happen? ;)

It helps when you're not drunk while being on the forum. However, this forum is way funnier when you're inebriated.

The question is, where is the face? On the inner or outer wrist? Left or right wrist?

Outer right wrist. Yes on thr right because I am left handed.

Left outer. Digital and analog with a backlight and glowing hands.

Ohh I used to be an iny!

Can I ask those of you who feel that you save time by looking at a wristwatch, what productive use you put that time to?

Well, it's a lot easier to look at a watch during a test or in class and that saves time and is probably smarter when at the beginning of class they asked everyone to make sure to turn off their phones...

On some tests I've taken they've even confiscated phones preemptively for the duration of the test, and if the test took place in an auditorium like some of them did they didn't really have a clock on the wall. A watch was really important in that situation for timing, unless you wanted to completely rely on the "you have 20 minutes left" warning.

Can I ask those of you who feel that you save time by looking at a wristwatch, what productive use you put that time to?Checking your watch a hundred more times.

I wear a watch and carry a mobile phone. My mobile phone has a perfectly good MP3 player on it, but I carry my iPod around. My debit card essentially replaces cash for me, but I still carry a purse with money in it.

Anyway, I like my watch, it's pretty.

In Soviet Russia, wrist-based timekeeping device watches you!

I wore a watch for about a decade.

I decided that it was a shackle, and only to wear another if it was an accessory and looked good. Since I've never bought one for that purpose, and not received one as a gift, I've never worn another one.

We don't tell time, time tells us.

I just thought of something funny. Walk into a crowded place - like a mall - and just sit down in an open area, and hold your watch up to your face and then start talking to it like it was a Dick Tracy video-phone. Add in some yelling and arguing for good measure.

Maybe someone will throw you a dollar if you're shabby-looking enough. Mind you, video-phone watches are technologically possible, but they're just not as practical as the common mobile phone.

Well, it's a lot easier to look at a watch during a test or in class and that saves time and is probably smarter when at the beginning of class they asked everyone to make sure to turn off their phones...

On some tests I've taken they've even confiscated phones preemptively for the duration of the test, and if the test took place in an auditorium like some of them did they didn't really have a clock on the wall. A watch was really important in that situation for timing, unless you wanted to completely rely on the "you have 20 minutes left" warning.

This is one of the many reasons why people still wear watches. Some others include not having a mobile phone (shocking, no...,) using it for running purposes, and convenience. I find it much easier to simply press the "start" button on my watch than take out my phone, open up accessories, tools, and eventually stopwatches. That and my phone's stopwatch is incomprehensible. In addition, it is very useful when running, biking, etc. I personally don't like to have by phone bouncing around in my pocket while I'm running, and taking it out to check my time is somewhat pointless. I find it easier to just glance down at my watch.

In addition, there are new types of GPS watches that can tell you how far you've traveled, mph, etc. It's extremely convenient to have all that information simply a glance away.

Maybe someone will throw you a dollar if you're shabby-looking enough. Mind you, video-phone watches are technologically possible, but they're just not as practical as the common mobile phone.
Yeah. If they start becoming popular, I'll be the last person to buy one. When I'm calling in sick for work, I want my boss to hear my gasping voice, not see the bottle of whiskey in my one hand and the hot new German movie on the screen!

I occasionally wear a watch (not usually) and don't have a mobile phone. I make a habit of checking the time before I leave the house and I know where I can find the time for free in some places.

I don't usually know what time it is. I should really replace the batteries in my watch so I do. :S

I occasionally wear a watch (not usually) and don't have a mobile phone. I make a habit of checking the time before I leave the house and I know where I can find the time for free in some places.

I don't usually know what time it is. I should really replace the batteries in my watch so I do. :S

I find that I always have a rough idea what the time is, I think many people do.

watches are worn as a sign of indenture to symbolic value.