Until the outbreak of World War 1, the wristwatch was considered a woman’s accessory. But in the heat of battle, soldiers found they didn’t have time to hunt for a pocket watch. Thus the men’s wristwatch was born.
After the war, this new way of wearing a watch turned into civilian use. Men’s wristwatches, initially ridiculed by the public as a silly trend, soon became the norm and their practicality made pocket watches obsolete.
Nowadays, some might argue that wristwatches are becoming obsolete. After all, the cynic would ask why a man needs a watch when he could easily check his phone for the time.
We disagree with that and in this article, we give you 8 reasons to wear a watch:
Watches are convenient
Phones don’t keep you accurate. Watches make you.
“I don’t need a watch because I have a phone” is a common response from a generation that is now questioning the negative consequences of constant cell phone use. The truth is, regularly fishing in your pocket for a cell phone just to check the time seems desperate.
A quick glance at your wrist is a much classier way to keep track of time during a date or meeting. Not to mention how rude it would look to your partners if you pulled out your phone during a conversation.
In other situations where it is advisable to leave the phone hidden – such as at the beach, a funeral or a wedding, a watch is a much more discreet and convenient way to check the time.
The watches are functional
Every military-inspired item has a functional use. Wristwatches included.
Wristwatches were first used in the 19th century by the military to synchronize maneuvers during wartime. Since then, specialized watches have been used in the depths of the ocean by divers and high in the sky by aviators.
A complex watch is designed with features beyond the basic function of showing the time. Such functionality is called complication. Two of the popular complications are the chronograph, which allows the watch to function as a stopwatch, and the moon phase complication, which displays the position of the moon in the lunar cycle.
Watches are reliable
The best watches don’t use the latest microchips. They are powered by smart mechanical clockwork technology that predates electricity. So when your phone runs out of battery – you can trust the technology to keep running on your wrist.
One of the big advantages of a watch – especially over a smartphone – is its longevity in the field. Many watches are made to be powered either by self-powering through a movement or by using a small amount of power from a battery. Think years of maintenance free to say…..compare that to 8 hours of a smartphone!
When you need to track something as important as time – a unique measurement and management device is warranted.
The watches are elegant
The range of acceptable jewelry for a man is limited. Many men will appear with only three main accessories adorning their hands – one of the types of men’s watches, a stylish pair of cufflinks and a simple wedding band if they are married.
In addition to helping users stick to their schedule, wristwatches make it easy for them to show off their sense of style. It is a form of self-expression – reflecting a hint of danger, adventure and sport depending on the watch brand.
So how can a man get compliments with accessories?
Watches can communicate a lot about the wearer’s personality. For those who prefer to avoid the bulky slap on their wrist, buying a Rolex can be a way to carry a subtle, timeless and incredibly masculine accessory.
Clocks are wonderful heirlooms
It’s not just a watch that’s the quintessential gift – it’s the quintessential heirloom. Regardless of your philosophy on the end of life, we can all agree that people can live on through the memories of those who knew them.
Owning watches from a different era is a reminder of people who lived before you. Owning their watches makes you think of them, in a real way. One of the best reasons to wear a watch is to carry on a tradition. Take your relative’s watch with signs of use, care and love and wear it with pride.
A watch collection is also an heirloom. It doesn’t necessarily have to be worth a mini treasure – but leaving your watch to someone you care about is essentially passing on values that were important to you to someone else.
Clocks prevent distractions
When you look at your watch, you have time – and nothing else. (If you’re wearing an aviator’s watch, you might have an extra time zone or two.) When you look at your phone, you get the time, a text message, Facebook notifications, a bunch of emails…and half an hour later, you’re back to watching funny cat videos and you have completely defeated the purpose of checking the time.
Don’t fall into this trap, gentlemen. Check the time on a clock…not a time sink.
You can also check your watch without distracting other people. If you want to check the time in a meeting and you pull your phone out of your pocket in front of everyone… now the whole meeting room knows how bored you are. Not a good look in a business environment, gentlemen. You are too rude, not to say anything disrespectful to whoever is talking. A watch allows you to subtly check the time without telling you that you have better things to do.
Watches give you a relationship with time
Since the time of the sundial (and probably before) – men have been obsessed with time-keeping devices. It is a reminder that our time is limited.
Wearing a watch has a positive effect on my attitude towards time. I am more careful in how I spend the 24 hours of each day.
Beyond the technical and mechanical intricacies of a watch, men are fascinated by these devices that claim to mark and control time.
There is a passionate community of watch lovers who immerse themselves in the details of watch making and collecting.
The only other obsession that matches the passion for this inanimate object is the passion men share for cars. A watch collection is much easier to maintain and less expensive as a hobby.
Wearing a watch is a great way to add interest to an outfit, especially if you’re a man.
Find a wristwatch that really stands out from the rest – it could be the start of a long-lasting friendship.
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