# Not wearing a watch because it is supposedly replaced by phone/other device - I do not get it. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 20, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824 "2010-10-20T21:40:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/61 "2010-10-21T13:11:06Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > I never much liked wearing a watch. So once I started carrying a cell phone I just stopped wearing the watch. > [@Leaper](#): > > Think of it as a return to the pocketwatch. With a phone added. Both of those. I happen to be wearing my watch today, but I tend to find them uncomfortable, plus all those years of working in labs where watches and jewelry were no-nos got me accustomed to using my wristwatches as pocket watches anyway. > [@msmith537](#): > > I believe having a high quality precision timepiece is something most adult men should have. I’m reasonably sure I’m not an adult man. Specially the man part. Those times I’ve needed to count seconds, either I had a company-bought stopwatch or the machine I was using had the functionality embedded. And for trains, they run on the train company’s time anyway, not on mine. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/62 "2010-10-21T13:15:29Z")
What’s funny about the “It’s a manly thing to do” argument is that when wristwatches first came out, (1880s in home made versions–first commercial one was 1905-ish for some aviator or other) the manufacturers had a horrible time (30 years or so) convincing men to wear female jewelery like a bracelet. It took some protracted ad campaigns and WW1 to convince the male population that wearing a bracelet (even if it did have a pocket watch attached) wouldn’t cause their testicles to drop off or something. (And even then, it was called a “strap-watch” for a while to insure that it wouldn’t be confused with the sissified “wrist-watch”. ) History lesson aside, I’ve never worn a watch. I carry a cell-phone and rarely look at the clock. I’ve never seen the point. How often do you have to be somewhere where the time matters to the minute? On the off-chance you do have something important that needs to be planned to the minute (an interview/meeting/catching a train), you’re an idiot if you don’t plan ahead to be there early. That train example above? The “The train is going to leave at 11:35 and it’s around 11:33 so I need to know if it’s 11:32 (so I can amble leisurely in that general direction) or 11:34 (in which case I’ll have to shove old ladies out of my way running for the platform) so I’m going to waste precious seconds glancing at my wrist (but will save a few extra seconds by not having to yank my cell-phone from my pocket)” misses the basic point: If you’d planned to get there 10 minutes early you wouldn’t have to worry about something unexpected happening. Wanna wear a watch? Great, more power to you. Me? I don’t see the point. I’ve never seen a watch that to me wasn’t either old-fashioned looking or stupidly ostentatious, they’re clunky and uncomfortable (to me) and the vast majority of people really don’t “need” them (most people don’t have down-to-the-second type schedule. I suspect that within a decade, the wristwatch will be like the pocket-handkerchief or ladies gloves: quaint, old-fashioned and mostly obsolete. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/63 "2010-10-21T13:17:18Z")
I only wear a watch in situations where I want to check the time very often, like when I’m catching a flight or maybe a train. Other times, when there is no clock in immediate view, the minor downsides of watch-wearing that people have mentioned outweigh the minor inconvenience of retrieving my phone from a pocket. I just don’t need to check the precise time that often. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/64 "2010-10-21T13:20:21Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > but I can’t do without my phone. One of the most laughable statements I’ve read on here, but one I’m sure commonly shared. I have carried a cell phone for the last 15 years. It is definitely something that when I’m not working, on the weekends, I easily can leave on my bedside table, on purpose, so that I’m not tethered. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/65 "2010-10-21T13:39:16Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > On the off-chance you do have something important that needs to be planned to the minute (an interview/meeting/catching a train), you’re an idiot if you don’t plan ahead to be there early. That train example above? The “The train is going to leave at 11:35 and it’s around 11:33 so I need to know if it’s 11:32 (so I can amble leisurely in that general direction) or 11:34 (in which case I’ll have to shove old ladies out of my way running for the platform) so I’m going to waste precious seconds glancing at my wrist (but will save a few extra seconds by not having to yank my cell-phone from my pocket)” misses the basic point: If you’d planned to get there 10 minutes early you wouldn’t have to worry about something unexpected happening. I’m guessing you’re unfamiliar with train travel in Europe. In Switzerland, when you take the train, you have usually 3 or 4 minutes to make your connection, going from one track to another. You’ve got to move pretty quick. In Germany (the OP’s location) I imagine it’s the same. Plus, if you take a train to work every day, there are bound to be times where you are running late. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/66 "2010-10-21T13:39:40Z")
I used to be a dyed-in-the-wool watch wearer but the battery died in my watch. I haven’t replaced it. I don’t miss it much. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/67 "2010-10-21T14:18:23Z")
I used to wear watches, but the bands would break or I would scratch up the face by banging on things. I like using my phone instead, it’s like going back to an old-fashioned pocket watch. I actually do have a gold railroad pocketwatch which belonged to my great-great grandfather when he worked on the Lackawanna back in the early 1900’s – I’ve thought about carrying that around but it is too valuable (literally and sentimentally). ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/68 "2010-10-21T14:22:28Z")
Reading about degloving injuries has cured me of any desire to wear a watch or a ring. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/69 "2010-10-21T14:32:24Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > I’m guessing you’re unfamiliar with train travel in Europe. In Switzerland, when you take the train, you have usually 3 or 4 minutes to make your connection, going from one track to another. You’ve got to move pretty quick. In Germany (the OP’s location) I imagine it’s the same. Plus, if you take a train to work every day, there are bound to be times where you are running late. I actually have ridden trains and subways in Europe (including in Switzerland and Germany–the Swiss trains I was on were nicer. 😉 ). I understand that you’ve only got 3 or 4 minutes to make some connections\*, but if you’ve only got 3 or 4 minutes, why futz about with a watch or a cell-phone? Just _get_ there as fast as you can. Besides, you can look at your cell-phone as the train is pulling into the station and then run or walk accordingly. \*Admittedly I was looking at it from the POV of a vacationer rather than someone who had to do it daily. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/70 "2010-10-21T14:35:13Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > You’re not out of touch, exactly, but I think you’re missing a point: a watch is yet another thing I need to remember to grab in the morning. Why bother, when I’ve already got a device (my phone) that I take with me everywhere I go? > > I can do without a watch, but I can’t do without my phone. So if I want to minimize the stuff I’m carrying, the watch goes. See, I think of it as the opposite. The watch is small, compact, and ATTACHED TO ME so it’s quite a bit harder to forget (in fact, I wear it 24 hours a day and only take it off for showering etc.). Whereas a phone requires a purse or clothing with pockets. If purse, you just grab the that but if pockets, you have to remember to grab it and toss it in the pocket (along with wallet and other essentials). Now, I do carry a phone and iPod (both of which are in the purse most of the time) but _they_ serve as backups to the _watch_ (which does one thing, very very well). ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/71 "2010-10-21T14:43:29Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I believe having a high quality precision timepiece is something most adult men should have. And adult women, too. I agree, though. It took me forever to (gently) convince my SO to get rid of his old crappy leather-strap watch and get a nice metal banded watch. Finally when his mother, on her own, without me saying anything, started saying the same thing, and offered to buy him one for Christmas, he agreed. And I love the look of it and the weight of it on his wrist. It looks good. My watch is as much decoration as it is function. And it is old school. Well, semi. I don’t wear a digital watch, absolutely not. It’s got diamond (zirconia) Roman numerals and tells me day and date and time, and that’s it. It was a gift from my father, but if I’d had my druthers, I still would have bought the identical thing, minus the diamonds. They are tiny, though, so they don’t bother me. It helps that I don’t have a Smartphone and just have a cheap little Trac Fone. But I tried going without a watch for a while. It didn’t do any good, I just kept checking my wrist anyway. I do not wear my watch 24 hours a day, but I put it in the same place, and it’s the work of a moment to grab it and put it on. The cell phone travels with me most of the time, but it’s not on most of the time (it doesn’t have a lock feature, and sometimes it dials people by itself when something is leaning on it). ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/72 "2010-10-21T14:44:39Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Then again some people enjoy living a life that is not completely based on functionality and practicality. What an odd thing to imply about people based solely on their choice to wear a watch or not. I wear a hat that has zero functional value. I just like it and I like how it looks. On occasion I like to wear a (manly) necklace, too. It doesn’t necessarily follow that because I have something else that works just as well for telling time and thus don’t need or want a watch that I am a soulless efficiency-based automaton. I just happen to not want a watch. Does that really require judgment? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/73 "2010-10-21T15:18:31Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > I understand that you’ve only got 3 or 4 minutes to make some connections\*, but if you’ve only got 3 or 4 minutes, why futz about with a watch or a cell-phone? Because it tells you how fast you need to walk, or if you need to run, and how many people you need to knock down. Looking at your watch takes you less than a second. Depending on the track, where you get off the train, if the train is 30 seconds late, can make a difference in how fast you want to go. In the US I get lazy and let my watch be a few minutes off, but in Switzerland I was setting it right it once a week. P.S. The part about only idiots not giving themselves enough time to get somewhere in advance tells me you probably live by yourself, and definitely don’t have kids. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/74 "2010-10-21T15:29:03Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > because it is way easier to consult the watch when I only have one hand free (or even when I have got zero hands free), and/or when I am in a hurry. When I walk to the platform of the 13:37 train with a bag in each hand a quick glance at my wrist is enough to determine if it is 13:35:05 and I can take it easy, or 13:36:32 and I need to run flat out, leaving bowled over seniors and trampled small children in my wake. Similar considerations apply to meetings, shop closing hours, etc. - also a watch is much easier to waterproof, sweatproof, shockproof etc. so you can wear a suitable, relatively inexpensive watch really all the time. I rarely am ever in a situation in which I need to know the time down to the minute immediately with only one hand free. And when I am in such a situation, there’s almost always a clock around somewhere within eyesight. Trains, airplanes? All the notice boards have clocks, and more importantly, those are the clocks that the trains and planes are using. What are the chances that my wristwatch is so well-coordinated that knowing the time down to the minute is going to be helpful? Meetings? There’s a clock on my computer. There’s a clock on my desk phone. There’s a clock on the wall in the meeting room. There’s a clock in my car. And how often am I going to a meeting with so much stuff I can’t grab for my phone if I need to? And if I’m already on my way to the meeting, what’s the point of repeatedly checking the time? Store closing? Likely I’m driving there. Clock on the car dashboard. In any case, stores don’t close by some magical connection to atomic time. And their clock is rarely going to match my wristwatch down to the minute. Waterproof, sweatproof, shockproof? What are you doing? Diving, Jogging? Why do you need to know the time down to the minute so immediately? You know what time you started and approximately how long you’ve been running. Pull out the phone the next time you pause at a street crossing. Whenever I see a man actually pause and turn his wrist to see the time I feel like I’m looking into a time machine. And I’m over 40 years old. I see no need for that. If I feel like consulting a superfluous time piece, I pull out my pocket watch on a chain. It’s much more elegant and attractive than any wristwatch anyway. But most importantly, I hate wearing metal or leather or buckles next to my skin. I wear no jewelry at all, and I can’t stand wearing rings or wristwatches. Hate 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/75 "2010-10-21T15:37:18Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > But I think a man should have a watch for the same reason a man should have a nice suit. There are occassions like job interviews, wedings and so on where you are expected to look put together. > [@jz78817](#): > > in other words, it’s jewelry. Bingo. And I don’t think much of a man who even notices the absence of a wristwatch on another man. That’s too much attention to another man’s personal choices. > [@Anaamika](#): > > And I love the look of it and the weight of it on his wrist. It’s that heaviness of presence that looks out-of-place to me. It’s a big piece of jewelry. It’s like Flava-Flav wearing a Mercedes-Benz hood ornament around his neck. It’s dick-swinging. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/76 "2010-10-21T15:41:28Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > I like wearing a watch, and probably will for a long time. I don wonder what people who only use phones do when they go somewhere without cell reception. I know there are places like that as I own property in one. With no cell reception my phones have never told me the time. No time, no alarm no nothing like that. What kind of crappy phones have you been buying? Every phone I’ve ever had has kept time without cell reception. Like, on airplanes, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/77 "2010-10-21T15:46:48Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > It’s that heaviness of presence that looks out-of-place to me. It’s a big piece of jewelry. It’s like Flava-Flav wearing a Mercedes-Benz hood ornament around his neck. It’s dick-swinging. It can certainly look good with a suit. The layers of the suit offset the heaviness of the watch and it punctuates the end of the sleeve, kind of like cufflinks. Big heavy watches with short-sleeved shirts are ugly as sin, though. Big reason why I stopped wearing mine, because I rarely wear long-sleeved shirts. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/78 "2010-10-21T15:47:33Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > It’s that heaviness of presence that looks out-of-place to me. It’s a big piece of jewelry. It’s like Flava-Flav wearing a Mercedes-Benz hood ornament around his neck. It’s dick-swinging. Obvoiusly, I heavily disagree. And to think of my SO doing anything so ostentatious as dick-swinging is ridiculous. He is very tastefully understated in all things and one of the best dressers I know. Not that some watch-wearers can’t be dick-swingers, I guess, but I know not all of them are. And am I too dick-swinging because I wear a gold metal watch? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/79 "2010-10-21T15:57:36Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Using a phone for one of its other functions while somebody is speaking to you isn’t as offensive as checking the time while somebody is speaking to you? I, personally, think it is, but judging from the amount of texting some of my acquaintances do while in conversation with each other (and me), it’s apparently not seen that way by an increasing number of people. I’ve actually heard of people interrupting an intimate moment to answer a text! That would not end politely if someone did it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824/80 "2010-10-21T16:08:54Z")
I used to carry a watch. In my pocket. Now I still carry a watch in my pocket, but it’s built into my phone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-wearing-a-watch-because-it-is-supposedly-replaced-by-phone-other-device-i-do-not-get-it/557824.md?page=5)