Wrist Watches

[roadman65]

I have had many watches in my time as today's watches are disposable pretty much.  Though batteries are easy to obtain, many of my watches I buy at Walmart which sell less than the battery replacement costs.  So when the battery dies, instead of replacing it, I buy another watch despite the watch being in such good shape.   So I have so many dead watches I have found when I moved a few years back.

Anyway, another thing I noticed is the watches with the three hands and dials in the center which are for stop watch functions, have some that are not really stopwatches at all.  Just printed on the inside face along with the extra buttons on the side being just there and not hooked up to anything.  Basically the center dials are for show not use.  I bought one of them just to see the nature of the center dials to find out, that they are their on the watch for aesthetics and not a feature.

Are there any watch brands that do have working stopwatches and actually have real center dials that work?

[renegade]

Yeah.  Buy a Rolex.

[kphoger]

Growing up, I always wore a watch.

When I was a freshman in college, I bought a fake Rolex in Tijuana, and the hands fell off a few weeks later.  For the next few months, I just did without a watch and, by the time I might have bought a new one, I had my first cell phone.  Watch no longer necessary for telling time.  That was 21 years ago.

[Max Rockatansky]

Personally I just use my Fitbit as a wrist watch.

[JayhawkCO]

I have a Garmin Instinct.  I like it for its altimeter (obviously not necessary for most of you) and getting a vibration when I get a text/call.  When I used to wear a suit to work, I could never feel my phone buzz and missed a lot of calls.  Much nicer to be able to check quickly who it's from on my wrist and not need to pull out my phone.  Has a stopwatch too if you need it!

Chris

[jakeroot]

Galaxy Watch user here. Have been for about five years. Primarily use it for health/fitness but it does a lot of other stuff too.

[Brandon]

Haven't worn a watch I about a decade or more.  I've just kept the phone in my pocket and use it like a pocket watch if I need to see the time.

[frankenroad]

I have had many watches in my time as today's watches are disposable pretty much.  Though batteries are easy to obtain, many of my watches I buy at Walmart which sell less than the battery replacement costs.  So when the battery dies, instead of replacing it, I buy another watch despite the watch being in such good shape.   So I have so many dead watches I have found when I moved a few years back.

Anyway, another thing I noticed is the watches with the three hands and dials in the center which are for stop watch functions, have some that are not really stopwatches at all.  Just printed on the inside face along with the extra buttons on the side being just there and not hooked up to anything.  Basically the center dials are for show not use.  I bought one of them just to see the nature of the center dials to find out, that they are their on the watch for aesthetics and not a feature.

Are there any watch brands that do have working stopwatches and actually have real center dials that work?

I have a Fossil watch with working features (that I honestly don't use).

[Rothman]

I ask my wife what time it is.  She wears a watch.

[kkt]

I have had many watches in my time as today's watches are disposable pretty much.  Though batteries are easy to obtain, many of my watches I buy at Walmart which sell less than the battery replacement costs.  So when the battery dies, instead of replacing it, I buy another watch despite the watch being in such good shape.   So I have so many dead watches I have found when I moved a few years back.

Anyway, another thing I noticed is the watches with the three hands and dials in the center which are for stop watch functions, have some that are not really stopwatches at all.  Just printed on the inside face along with the extra buttons on the side being just there and not hooked up to anything.  Basically the center dials are for show not use.  I bought one of them just to see the nature of the center dials to find out, that they are their on the watch for aesthetics and not a feature.

Are there any watch brands that do have working stopwatches and actually have real center dials that work?

Of course.  The most famous is probably the Omega Speedmaster.  Although designed originally for auto racing, it was selected as the survivor out of a series of torture tests as the watch issued to NASA astronauts of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo eras and is still authorized for space flight.  It's a purely manual wind watch - not even automatic, let alone battery.  The stopwatch functions count seconds, minutes, and hours up to 12 hours.

There are many fakes and homages.  If you buy a fake, don't expect it to work like a real one.

I guess Rolex makes some watches with a stopwatch function?  But that's not the style of watch I most associate with them.  I think of diving watches like the Submariner, classic simple watches like the Explorer, and Datemaster, and dress watches like the Cellini.

[1995hoo]

I believe I have 12 or 13 watches. I had five or six of my own. Then in 2019 when my father was dying, he had my brother and me sit down next to the bed he was in and he had our mom bring in all his watches (he had a dozen or so) and he had us take turns selecting them to divide them up. I have kept all of his, even though I don't wear all of them on a regular basis, and not surprisingly I have favorites among them just as do I among the ones I already had.

I feel naked if I'm not wearing a watch.

[hbelkins]

I feel naked if I'm not wearing a watch.

Same here. I've worn a watch since I was a kid. I have several; most given to me by my wife as birthday or Christmas presents. I'm currently wearing a Timex analog watch. It displays the numerical date, but I long ago gave up trying to keep it current when a month has less than 31 days.

I see no need to wear an Apple watch that serves as an extension of my phone, and don't wear a FitBit because I don't keep track of my (lack of) fitness activities.

My watch only comes off when I shower; otherwise it's on my wrist at all times. And if I forget to put it on after I shower and before I leave work, I feel naked. I rely on it, rather than my phone, to tell me what time it is.

[webny99]

I tried wearing a watch for a while, several years ago. I suppose I thought it would be cool. Instead, the only ones I liked enough to wear were metal, and I couldn't stand the weird metallic smell (and as a result, feeling like I had to wash my hands) when I took it on/off.

So that was the end of me wearing a watch, and it will probably be for good considering my phone is usually in my pocket or nearby if I need to check the time.

[Takumi]

Yeah.  Buy a Rolex.

Nah. Hublot. People will beat up an old man for one.


I don't wear watches. They give me circulation problems, even if they're loose around my wrist.

[In_Correct]

My Watch collection includes Stop Watches and Pocket Watches I at times wear around my neck. I also have worn a watch on each wrist to see how long it takes before some body asks why. My next project is to wear two watches on each wrist to see if they notice even faster. As for Digital Watches I do not like smart phones. I use Solar Lights as Lanterns ... Some even have On Off Switches. I will not buy a Smart Phone if I can not open it up and change the battery. I also change batteries in my Watches. How ever, some of my Watches set the time Automatically. Atomic Time Watches or some thing.

[Rothman]

My next project is to wear two watches on each wrist to see if they notice even faster.

Someone wants to go back to the 1980s and Swatches.

Don't be so worried about bringing attention to yourself.

[kphoger]

Someone wants to go back to the 1980s and Swatches.

Swatch just might be the only kind of watch I'd go back to wearing.

[SP Cook]

In my observation, the only people under 40 that wear watches, other than Apple watches, are people whose jobs require them, or as jewelry.  In my little circle of friends, I know a number of people in health care, mostly nurses and nurse's aids, who wear watched to do pulses and like that; and a guy who works at the Toyota plant who isn't allowed to look at his cell phone and there are no clocks in the place. 

Personally, I have a TAG I bought at a duty free in the Caribbean over 20 years ago, which has never been a problem, and a cheap Seiko I wear if I go out of the country.

[frankenroad]

I feel naked if I'm not wearing a watch.

Me, too.   I've been wearing one since I was in Kindergarten (I'm almost 65).  The only time I don't wear one is when I'm sleeping, working out, or showering.  I dislike leather straps, so most of my watches have metal bands.  I have one sports watch with a nylon strap - I usually only wear that one when I'm boating, which is rare since I no longer have a boat!  It's also the only digital watch I own.

[kphoger]

I feel naked if I'm not wearing a watch.

Same here.

Me, too.

What's wrong with feeling naked?  I think it feels good to be naked.  Well, not in February...

Seriously, though, I only want stuff on my body that actually keeps me warm.  No extra junk.

[formulanone]

I almost always wore watches from the age of 8 until last year. Usually I'd just pick up some Timex or Casio and use it for about 4-5 years (something would break or I'd break/scrape it) and just get another one for $30-40. Personally, I don't really like strangers commenting about my belongings, I don't like to show off my wealth, I'm not impressed with most others' fancy things, so cheap, reliable, and boring is fine with me.

But I never replaced that last one...haven't really bothered with getting a new one since I always have my phone. I have a dress watch my job gave me about 15 years ago which presumably needs a battery, but I don't feel like paying for a new battery if the entire thing is shot.

I'm on the fence about an Apple Watch, since it really doesn't do anything "special" that the phone already does. I think it might just be more of a nuisance.

[1995hoo]

....

Seriously, though, I only want stuff on my body that actually keeps me warm.  No extra junk.

I believe that is known as "diphallic terata."

(The main reason I know this is because it's a question in Trivial Pursuit, "What does a man with diphallic terata have?" I had the misfortune to get that question when I was playing the game with my brother, mother, two cousins, and grandmother, and my grandmother read the question. I got it right because the etymology of "diphallic" is obvious, but talk about things you don't normally say to your grandmother....)

[kphoger]

I got it right because the etymology of "diphallic" is obvious, but talk about things you don't normally say to your grandmother....

Before I married my wife, the two of us were playing Scattergories with her grandparents.  My excellent and appropriate answer for "bad habits" beginning with m was overruled.

[dlsterner]

I got it right because the etymology of "diphallic" is obvious, but talk about things you don't normally say to your grandmother....

Before I married my wife, the two of us were playing Scattergories with her grandparents.  My excellent and appropriate answer for "bad habits" beginning with m was overruled.

Maybe because it can be considered a good habit?   

[formulanone]

Before I married my wife, the two of us were playing Scattergories with her grandparents.  My excellent and appropriate answer for "bad habits" beginning with m was overruled.

We won't make fun of your map collecting here.