Is the wristwatch obsolete?

I had surgery on my left wrist this winter and my arm was in cast for two months, so for the first time in more than 40 years I went without a watch.

During that time I told myself that it would be my jumping off point for wearing a watch. After all, I had a cell phone and clocks have become ubiquitous. There's one on every appliance. Plus, I was going to have a bad-ass scar on my wrist to show off.

Turns out I lasted about five weeks and I'm back to wearing a watch. First, I hated fishing my cell phone out of my pocket every time I wanted to know what time it was, especially if my hands were full. Second, my scar is a huge disappointment. The scar is so negligible it looks like a plastic surgeon sewed me up.

 

I wear a nerd holster for my phone, no hassle getting a look at the phone.

Maybe it's because I have never regularly worn a watch; I never developed the habit of glancing at it.

I have a clock on my office wall and a clock on my computer.
We have a clock on the wall of every office and meeting room on campus.
I have a clock in my truck.
I have to look at my phone dozens of time per day for a variety of reasons.

As a general rule, I usually know about what time it is in within 10-15 minutes.
If I am not sure, I look at my phone, but it doesn't really come up very often.

 

The average age (by my observation) of people that wear a watch is 40+ years old....30-something may and 20s and under don't.

 

I knew you were a hipster. I guessed it from the start.

 

Give a 20 something or a Hipster a Rolex and I'll bet
they wear it.

 

The ubiquity of clocks in my life makes me a hipster?

 

I thought the holster was for IT guys who wanted to show off the fact they had a cell phone. It's not the '90s anymore.

 

It looks ridiculous. I agree.
But comfort and ease of use trump fashion.
The iPhone is too big to be carried in the pants pocket. It's uncomfortable, and can be hard to access if you are sitting down.

I don't wear a jacket every day, and when I do it's usually hanging on the back of my chair before 8:30. So the jacket pocket is not a viable option.

My only option is the nerd holster.
Comfortable, and my phone is easier to get.
The downside = I look ridiculous.

 

Don't sell yourself short, Buck. You'd look ridiculous no matter what.

I wore a watch on a daily basis from my early 20s to about mid 30s. Had a couple of decent ones that I liked. But I'm not sure if it was when I had surgery and was in a wrist brace for a while, or I just stopped. If I were in a business where I dressed up every day, I'd definitely have some nice watches. But I'm at a computer all night, so I always have the time, and when I'm not at work I normally don't care that much.
But I agree that watches will never go out of style. The technology likely will change, but a good watch is a perfect male accessory.