Did you know that before World War I, wristwatches were considered primarily a women’s fashion accessory? A gentleman always carried a pocket watch. However, during WWI, soldiers found it impractical to fish around their pockets to tell time and started wearing the pocket watch on a bracelet around their wrists.
The trend caught on, though initially it was ridiculed, due to the bracelet being considered a woman’s jewellery item. But the convenience overruled everything else and soon the wrist watch became the norm, making the pocket watch obsolete.
Some might argue that with the advent of smartphones, the wrist watch itself is now slowly becoming obsolete. Why should a modern man or woman wear a wrist watch when we can easily check our phone for a quick time check?
Today, we give you 5 reasons to continue wearing a watch.
1. Convenience
If you want to know what time it is, or if someone asks you for the time, all you have to do is flick your wrist. Smart phones are almost always in your pocket, handbag, or laptop bag. Or if you are driving, it may not be immediately accessible. But the wrist watch is right there, on your hand! Takes you barely a second to look at your wrist and know what time it is.
2. Function
The primacy function of a watch is to help you tell time, unlike a smart phone. Smartphones are like mini-computers and you are using them for multiple functions to get through your day. After 6-7 hours of power use, your smartphone runs out of battery. That’s why people who work in time sensitive professions such as being a pilot, in the military, or a scuba diver where every minute counts, rely solely on their watch. The function of being able to tell time is the sole responsibility of the watch! The battery lasts years, or if it’s a mechanical watch all it needs is a wind up every few days.
3. Simplicity
When you look at your watch, you are only looking at the time. Once you’ve seen it, you move on. But when you check the time on your smartphone, almost always it leads to other distractions.
‘oh, I got a new message’, ‘I need to call this person’, ‘ let me play a quick game of angry birds’.
The simplicity of a watch makes life less distracting. It allows you to focus in on the time and keeps you on track of whatever you are doing without distraction.
4. Style
Wearing a watch enhances your style quotient. The kind of watch you wear says a lot about your personality. People will inevitably be drawn to an attractive, classic timepiece on your wrist. Your choice of watch can convey your status in life if you wish. For women, it can compliment your other accessories or jewellery, and complete your outfit. For men, it’s often the only piece of jewellery they wear, and can really pull together a look, be it formal or informal.
5. Craftsmanship
When it comes to the building of a watch, especially the more complex, high-end watches such as the ones from the Bernhard H Mayer collection or the Chairos range of watches, anywhere between two to three craftsmen have put in several months of work into constructing a single piece. A lot of the things that go into a watch are not things that can be stamped out at a factory assembly line. Many of these parts are hand made by master craftsmen and the exquisite detailing and design are to be celebrated.
If you take care of your quality, high-end mechanical watches, they can become heirloom pieces to pass on to the next generation.
As you study and learn more about watches, you will realise that you develop a special relationship with time. The more you observe, understand and learn about watches, the more you will learn to appreciate the value of a good quality watch. A watch is more than just a timepiece. It’s an extension of your personality.
Have you checked out these latest watches from QNet?
