# What is the point of wearing your wrist watch down? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413 "2004-02-04T01:33:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hiigaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@hiigaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hiigaran)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/1 "2004-02-04T01:33:08Z")
This is a stupid little question that’s been puzzling me for a while. Does anyone know of any particular reason why some people wear their wristwatch with the face on the underside of their arm? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/2 "2004-02-04T01:38:08Z")
For me, it’s easier to see the time, and they just seem to fit better and don’t flop around as much. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/3 "2004-02-04T01:40:57Z")
I started wearing mine facing inside when I was a kid because someone told me nurses do that (so they can time a pulse) and I thought it was cool. Now it is a habit. I have also been told that people do it to protect the watch. It is easier to smash a watchface that is sticking outwards. ---
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/4 "2004-02-04T01:43:37Z")
Some people just find it more convenient to wear it that way. I foundout it can beat the hell out of a crystal ---
**Author:** ![Teelo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@Teelo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teelo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/5 "2004-02-04T01:47:02Z")
I saw a teen on T.V. with his watch like that years ago, and I copied him and have done it ever since. I keep it like that, because nobody else does. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/6 "2004-02-04T01:51:00Z")
Mine used to slide down. I put on weight, and now I struggle to put it on the right way. Hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/7 "2004-02-04T02:00:31Z")
I have ridiculously tiny wrists. I got one of those adjustable Fossil watches where you can remove links to make it smaller. I removed all the links that I could, and the watch is still loose. The face usually ends up on the underside of my wrist just because it’s heavier than the band. ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/8 "2004-02-04T02:13:29Z")
I wore my wristwatch that way for many years after someone told me that it would protect the watch face from getting scratched. Unfortunately, I had just the opposite reaction so I went back to wearing it the “normal” way. (Also I found that it was harder to unobtrusively sneak a peek at the watch during boring meetings when I was wearing it face-in.) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/9 "2004-02-04T04:48:02Z")
I’m a guitar player, and I got into the habit on long-ago gigs, when it allowed me to see what time it was while playing without inverting my hand. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/10 "2004-02-04T04:55:23Z")
I generally wear men’s sports watches or a heart rate monitor and they look too big and chunky on my wrist with the face up. And now I’m so used to wearing it that way, it feels weird the other way. It is true the face tends to get a little more banged up that way tho’… ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/11 "2004-02-04T05:48:20Z")
Military people did it to prevent the crystal from getting broken. You’re more likely to hit something hard with the outside of your wrist. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/12 "2004-02-04T05:58:41Z")
I heard a second-hand account that wearing it that way allows you to see your watch while holding a rifle against your shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/13 "2004-02-04T07:01:09Z")
Try checking your watch while holding a mug of hot steaming coffee. If the watch face is on the outside of your wrist, you’ll spill the coffee into your lap. If it’s on the inside, you’ll harmlessly dump the coffee into the lap of the person seated next to you. ---
**Author:** ![lonelocust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/73ab20/32.png) [@lonelocust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lonelocust)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/14 "2004-02-04T12:18:06Z")
I’ve been told (and by the way, I have no idea if this is accurate info) that it’s out the fashion sense of the time when wristwatches first became commonplace. Before then it was just pocket watches and they were kept, well, in your pocket except when you were actually reading the time. I guess it was considered rude/low class or something for the crystal to be exposed. BTW, I wear my watch in this fashion because it just feels more comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![NE\_Texan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e99b99/32.png) [@NE\_Texan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NE_Texan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/15 "2004-02-04T14:22:30Z")
I turn it to the inside like that if it’s raining. It seems to be easier to keep the face dry that way, closer to your body. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/16 "2004-02-04T15:15:48Z")
> [@Johnny Bravo](#): > > I heard a second-hand account that wearing it that way allows you to see your watch while holding a rifle against your shoulder. This makes little sense to me. Do riflemen need to be punctual? OK, I can imagine using a watch for maybe timing one’s shots. But it still doesn’t seem useful to me. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/17 "2004-02-04T17:24:42Z")
When I had a chunky watch I would sometimes bash the body of the watch against door frames as I walked through, to prevent this I would wear it down. ---
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/18 "2004-02-04T18:00:52Z")
My wristwatch (Seiko kinetic) is fairly top heavy, so sometimes I’ll put the face downwards because it’s more comfortable at times. The bad thing is sometimes I bang the crystal on my desk if I’m not paying attention. It’s just a preference–aesthetically, though, ‘face down’ looks silly with most watches, because then the most apparent feature is the clasp, which is not styled as attractively as the face. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/19 "2004-02-04T18:04:16Z")
> [@KGS](#): > > Try checking your watch while holding a mug of hot steaming coffee. If the watch face is on the outside of your wrist, you’ll spill the coffee into your lap. If it’s on the inside, you’ll harmlessly dump the coffee into the lap of the person seated next to you. Thanks! I really needed a good laugh right about now and that worked nicely. ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/20 "2004-02-04T18:12:52Z")
IIRC, airplane pilots wear (wore) them on the inside as well, so that they could see the watch without taking their hands off the stick/rudder/steering wheel doo-hickey (can you tell I’m not a pilot?). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413.md?page=2)