# 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:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/41 "2004-02-06T08:19:29Z")
I have tried wearing my watch both ways around for a period when I used to work offshore on oilrigs. Whilst on the inside of the wrist I did not have a breakage I found the watchglass got scratched a hell of a lot more. After replacing it twice as I could barely read it through the scratches I switched back to the outside of the wrist. BTW I think we have another potential entry for the > [@](#): > > Uniquely Distinct Americanisms thread or whatever it was called. Crystals? WTF?!? Never heard of that one before - in the UK I think people call it “watchglass” or just “the glass”. ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/42 "2004-02-06T11:16:27Z")
Huh… I was told years ago it came from workers who wanted to look at the time but not draw the attention of the boss by looking at the clock. Sound like urban legend to me now that I’m older (slightly wiser). ---
**Author:** ![Limbo\_Donni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Limbo\_Donni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limbo_Donni)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/43 "2004-02-06T12:47:23Z")
I was always snagging the winder on things when my watch was on top. Also, when down it looks more like an id bracelet, just less of a big jewelry item. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/44 "2004-02-06T23:59:20Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > exactly. dw-240 Well _that_ sucks. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![johncole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5f9b8f/32.png) [@johncole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johncole)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/45 "2004-02-07T01:48:26Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > I have a casio digital watch, the common black type, model dw-240 if that makes any difference; probably the impoprtant fact is that it has 4 buttons. And I would like to change the hour format to 24 hour from 12. FWIW you might try this casio DW-5600E, also with 4 buttons press **adjust** (top left) - the _seconds_ flash **light** (bottom right) will now toggle between 12/24 hour clock ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2004, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413/46 "2004-02-07T02:24:34Z")
I don’t wear it upside-down on purpose, it just ends up that way as I prefer my watch loose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-wearing-your-wrist-watch-down/227413.md?page=2)