Still wear a watch?

Watches are apparently for old people. When the band on my most recent watch broke, I gave up on them myself. I have my phone with me all the time and often my iPad, so why bother? I think we're in a time of transition around watches and other technologies as mobile devices grow in use in our culture. However, I have a few observations.


It is relatively recent in the history of the world that we have personal devices to precisely tell time. I read Longitude a while back about the development of a clock that would work on a sailing ship (which is an interesting story itself and enabled greatly improved navigation). Building on that, we came to pocket watches and now the modern digital watch.

At one time, the pocket watch was the height of personal technology and partly a status symbol. My late uncle Bob was fascinated by them and learned to collect and repair them. I have some from him and enjoy getting them out every now and then. They are very intricate and take some knowledge to set and wind. They're also attractive - not just functional.

I also came across a site recently with top-end watches.  There are some really eye-popping designs there that are more about form than function.

I bring all this up to ask: why do (or do you not) wear a particular watch? Is it necessary for your work? Do you have a replacement device? Can you not afford one? Is it a fashion accessory or status symbol?

Technology serves many purposes - I encourage us to be thoughtful about even the simple ones.