I've seen a lot of big sales on wrist watches lately. The newspapers seem to be going the way of smoke signals. I'm thinking that with clocks being on computers, cell phones, in our cars and just about everywhere we go, that wrist watches are going by the wayside, like pocket watches.
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The Endangered Wrist Watch
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Andy Griffith
Member
No, I don't think so.
Many people still seem to think that having a Rolex is a status symbol, to which some degree it is...
I just never could stand something on my wrist, so I have stuck with my pocket watches, and vintage ones at that. The new battery powered pocket watches are just plain junk- I just don't understand who buys them. There are so many good new Swiss made mechanical pocketwatches made today for just a bit more than the cheap junk battery powered pocketwatches there isn't much excuse not to get one.
I don't think they will, but I am certain that the trend will be away from throw-away watches back to quality ones.
Many people still seem to think that having a Rolex is a status symbol, to which some degree it is...
I just never could stand something on my wrist, so I have stuck with my pocket watches, and vintage ones at that. The new battery powered pocket watches are just plain junk- I just don't understand who buys them. There are so many good new Swiss made mechanical pocketwatches made today for just a bit more than the cheap junk battery powered pocketwatches there isn't much excuse not to get one.
I don't think they will, but I am certain that the trend will be away from throw-away watches back to quality ones.
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Wyatt Burp
Member
You're right. In fact, I was just thinking about this the other day when I was checking the time on my phone. I don't mind the demise of newspapers but I refuse to read a book on a computer, or Kendall or whatever. I like good old fashioned real books made from the ground up pulp of old growth redwoods. But they'll soon be as archaic as prehistoric drawing on cave walls.
I don't wear one, currently. I didn't wear a watch for a period of nearly 20 years because of the work I did around machinery would get them banged up. Then I wore one because I had to keep up with how long I had left on my lunch hour. Since around 2003, I've had a cell phone hanging on my belt and I'm not a "bling" kind of guy, so I don't care to have one. Besides, I have skinny wrists. I'm with you on the books, Wyatt, but I like real newspapers too.
NFrameFred
Member
Watches long ago became some of the first "throw-away" items in a now long line of things we no longer refurbish or repair, we just use it up and throw it away.
Once upon a time a wristwatch was a quality implement and there were people and an infrastructure designed to repair and maintain them. No longer the case. To put the watch into a price range for the common consumer, they had to cheapen the design and manufacturing process like many other things. Progress . . . .
As with cobblers - hard to find a shoe shop at all these days that will repair shoes and the trend is toward cheap disposable footwear. I say cheap, but I think they are considerably over-priced for the quality delivered. But a good quality pair of leather shoes these days that can be re-heeled and re-soled that will last for years can still be had - but they are almost a hand-made specialty item and they are expensive.
Once upon a time a wristwatch was a quality implement and there were people and an infrastructure designed to repair and maintain them. No longer the case. To put the watch into a price range for the common consumer, they had to cheapen the design and manufacturing process like many other things. Progress . . . .
As with cobblers - hard to find a shoe shop at all these days that will repair shoes and the trend is toward cheap disposable footwear. I say cheap, but I think they are considerably over-priced for the quality delivered. But a good quality pair of leather shoes these days that can be re-heeled and re-soled that will last for years can still be had - but they are almost a hand-made specialty item and they are expensive.
I still like having a wrist watch, and I a quality piece. To me, Rolex is too much of a 'status shout.' So, I wear an Omega Speedmaster, Broad Arrow. Very nice watch, without the puff of wearing a Rolex. As for 'status,' people that know watches, know how good Omegas are, and it slides under the radar of those that don't. That's the way I roll...
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MPSGT
US Veteran
In 1989 for our 20th anniversary, my wife bought me a Rolex, Explorer II, in stainless steel. I wore the watch everyday for the past 23 years. The other day I noticed it had stopped and I couldn't reset the time. Turns out the mainspring and a few other things need replacement . Long story short, the value of my watch has increased to such a degree that rather than have my watch repaired, I'm able to upgrade, with a minimal additional investment, to a newer, rebuilt, two tone (steel/18K Gold) Submariner. The moral of my story; In the end quality tells.
Snapping Twig
Member
In the mind of the masses, wrist watches are no longer "must haves".
Too many alternatives, quartz and digital have brought the price to a point of a Bic lighter, with just as much attachment.
However...
Among those that value a mechanical watch for the wearable art that it is, there is no slowdown.
Many fine brands, wonderful features and adornments, precious and exotic materials.
I bought a Rolex Sub Date in 1982, first of the sapphire/fast movement models. Still have it and it looks as good as the day I bought it. I've tried my level best to beat the snot out of it and so far I have had limited success. Each time I get the upper hand, a trip to the service center makes it new again.
Currently I own 2 Rolex, 3 Seiko's. The watch I am wearing right now is the Seiko 6105, for those that know 'em. Direct competitor to the Rolex Sub in its day.
A quality watch is the only jewelery a man can wear discreetly. Rings and chains, an earring perhaps (not for me), but a fine watch on your wrist makes a statement.
Some like cars, guns, fishing equipment, etc., but a watch is universal. Most men and women that appreciate fine things have one - or more.
Fine watches will always have a home.
Too many alternatives, quartz and digital have brought the price to a point of a Bic lighter, with just as much attachment.
However...
Among those that value a mechanical watch for the wearable art that it is, there is no slowdown.
Many fine brands, wonderful features and adornments, precious and exotic materials.
I bought a Rolex Sub Date in 1982, first of the sapphire/fast movement models. Still have it and it looks as good as the day I bought it. I've tried my level best to beat the snot out of it and so far I have had limited success. Each time I get the upper hand, a trip to the service center makes it new again.
Currently I own 2 Rolex, 3 Seiko's. The watch I am wearing right now is the Seiko 6105, for those that know 'em. Direct competitor to the Rolex Sub in its day.
A quality watch is the only jewelery a man can wear discreetly. Rings and chains, an earring perhaps (not for me), but a fine watch on your wrist makes a statement.
Some like cars, guns, fishing equipment, etc., but a watch is universal. Most men and women that appreciate fine things have one - or more.
Fine watches will always have a home.
Retired LTC USAR
US Veteran
In the summer of 1975 I worked all summer managing the city swimming pool. Saved my money and when I started college that fall (as a sophmore) I took my money and purchased a Rolex Submariner---for the pricy sum of $499 plus tax. I have worn this watch since then and will wear it till one of us dies first. It is stainless steel and I have the crystal replaced a couple of times. As stated above, quality tells.
Maximumbob54
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I keep replacing the battery in my Timex Ironman and Casio G Shock and have done so for about ten years. My Citizen Dive Watch eats a battery each year so I don’t wear it anymore. The Seiko Kinetic I bought around the same time as a nice dress watch still ticks away as long as I wear it every now and then. The Seiko Kinetic that was passed on to me from my father is the same way. So until either of them fail me and are deemed not repairable I am set on nice wrist watches. If the Swiss Army pocket watch that I was given had a cover over the front I would wear it but it came with a small leather pouch that falls off in my pocket and the watch itself is just too big for any blue jeans watch pocket.
As the dinosaur I am, at all of 45 years old, I'll always wear a watch. I currently have 3 working ones. A Tag Heuer that my folks bought me in 1987, my Dads Hamilton Automatic that he got when he graduated high school in 1957, and a Timex Indiglo. Just a big "thank you" for Timex, I had another Indiglo that I bought about 8 years ago for $45. It stopped working, and a new battery didn't fix it. I sent it in to Timex and they sent it back saying it was beyond repair. But in the box was a brand new Indiglo and a bill for $10. I looked on their website and it retails for $75. That impressed me. I like the Indiglo as a watch for when I'm out late (which is most of the time). Press the stem and it lights up. It also looks pretty good. My late Father had a Rolex, which will probably be mine someday. This Timex is almost a dead ringer for it, but I'll bet it keeps better time.
LedFowl
Member
A wrist watch still has this advantage over a cell phone as a timepiece, just as it had over a pocket watch: You don't have to dig it out of your pocket to tell the time.
Watches have always had a big profit margin for retailers. I think that the internet is hurting store front sales, since prices are often much lower, and you're getting exactly the same product.
Watches have always had a big profit margin for retailers. I think that the internet is hurting store front sales, since prices are often much lower, and you're getting exactly the same product.
JohnnieB
US Veteran
Back in the 70's, Mistake #2 bought me an Accutron and like with her, I had a few issues with it, but not the same ones. 
It took both hands to find out what time it was since you had to push a button to get the LEDs to light up.
I needed bifocals to see the small LED display long before I was old enough for presbyopia to set in.
I became obsessed with knowing exactly what time it was.
I soon got rid of both.
The wrist watch I carry these days has no numbers, only two hands and is mounted on a leather thingy with a small carabiner attached that clips into a belt loop.
It was a 25th wedding anniversary gift from SWMBO, who is #4 and definitely not a mistake.
It took both hands to find out what time it was since you had to push a button to get the LEDs to light up.
I needed bifocals to see the small LED display long before I was old enough for presbyopia to set in.
I became obsessed with knowing exactly what time it was.
I soon got rid of both.
The wrist watch I carry these days has no numbers, only two hands and is mounted on a leather thingy with a small carabiner attached that clips into a belt loop.
It was a 25th wedding anniversary gift from SWMBO, who is #4 and definitely not a mistake.
I never realized it, but my father was ahead of the curve. On the day he retired from the Army Corps of Engineers, he walked out of the Customs House on Broad in Nashville, took off his watch, and threw it as far down the street as he could. In the remaining 29 years of his life, he never wore another one.
Buck
Buck
I like watches. But I have girly-wrists and I have worn wrist-watches all my life. I have had trouble fitting watches these days. There is no provision in society for guys with small wrists short of wearing women's watches. The watch repair shops of the old days are gone. I like watches over cell phones.
I have my "disposable" Casio G-Shock on my wrist as I type this. I did go through a spell of a couple of years where I didn't wear one, but I missed it, and I like to just glance and know the time.
It's not fancy, and I don't know how many batteries I've put in over the years (they last a long time, I don't replace them till they die), and I don't have to worry about water, sweat, powder, bumps, or much of anything else.
I'm pretty sure it will outlast me.
It's not fancy, and I don't know how many batteries I've put in over the years (they last a long time, I don't replace them till they die), and I don't have to worry about water, sweat, powder, bumps, or much of anything else.
I'm pretty sure it will outlast me.
ArcticFox
US Veteran
A watch may offer convenience but is often not needed. There are few times during the day when the exact time is needed from a watch due to the presence of clocks nearly everywhere and other time markers like bells, the coming and going of things or other people, the sun, etc. And, many people have a sense of time that has developed into an inner clock. One of my daughters and myself are usually within 15 minutes of the correct time when asked even though we do not wear watches. We often try to stump each other on this by surprise but each of us has a pretty good sense of time.
I have an absolute need for an accurate watch almost daily . Bells , whistles , the sun , or any other crude method of estimating the time just won't cut it .
Marshwheeling
Member
I probably wouldn't wear one, except I have a buddy who peddles watches on the internet. Among other things, he gets Chinese and Russian "military" watches, big clunky things that you have to wind daily. They look cool, but they are impossible to read in anything less than perfect light. I find a lot of watches are like that, especially the ones with chrome hands on a black dial.
The watch I am wearing now is something that he dropped off a few months ago, a freebie called a Theorema Automatic. It is a very pretty, if somewhat bulky self-winder with three little dials for day of the week, month and 24-hour clock, and another hand with a red tip for day of the month, especially with the extra hand. The band is leather with a butterfly clasp that doesn't like to stay shut, and like so many others, it is impossible to read in low light. So why wear it? you may ask. Well, it was free.
For my money, the best watch you can buy is a Timex Indiglo, preferably with black hands on a white face. The little bit of light it sheds can be handy for more than just telling time, especially camping, where I might wake up and need to know right now who is in my tent, my wife or a bear cub.
The watch I am wearing now is something that he dropped off a few months ago, a freebie called a Theorema Automatic. It is a very pretty, if somewhat bulky self-winder with three little dials for day of the week, month and 24-hour clock, and another hand with a red tip for day of the month, especially with the extra hand. The band is leather with a butterfly clasp that doesn't like to stay shut, and like so many others, it is impossible to read in low light. So why wear it? you may ask. Well, it was free.
For my money, the best watch you can buy is a Timex Indiglo, preferably with black hands on a white face. The little bit of light it sheds can be handy for more than just telling time, especially camping, where I might wake up and need to know right now who is in my tent, my wife or a bear cub.
