Before one starts to ramble about "but I like watches", I do too. Nevertheless watches have become OBSOLETE. Let's face it, there is a clock just about everywhere. On the VCR/DVD/cabelbox, on the phone in the house. So there is no point wearing a watch in the house. Let's go out! There is a clock in the car, and what is more important, on your cell, what is always with you, so there is absolutely no reason to wear a watch. Once you are at work, or in school, there are clocks everywhere. I wonder how the watchmakig industry is doing in these days, specially that even quite good watches can be made for cheap, thus there isn't much profit in making them. I haven't worn a watch for years, except for special occasions, like attending the Watchlovers Annual Conference.... ...and I never cared for expensive watches... P.S.: As jewelry or showing off they are fine, but as timemeasuring devices, they are obsoLATE.
well i have a watch, firstly alot of retail employers concider it a warningable offence to check a mobile during working hours, secondly my phone doesnt have seconds on its clock which makes it difficult (impossable) to take a pulse or resp rate using it
I don't believe in clocks. . . . or time pieces, of any sort. I don't have a cell, land line only. Who the hell wants to put a mini-microwave oven to your head & fry your brain little by little? No thanks, they're just EVIL :bugeye: Speaking of which, how does one disable this damn clock on my pc? My son's gone for six weeks. . . . what the hell, right? If I could get rid of the clock and the calender, wouldn't life be grand?
I have lots of watches, but the one I wear most days is this; Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! It has an Altimeter, Barometer, and Compass built in. Very useful for navigating when I snowboard, or go off walking. I'm waiting for watches with built in GPS to come down to a reasonable price, then I'll get one of those. In fact, I think it's far from the case that watches are obsolete, as technology means we can make things smaller, it won't be long before you wear your cellphone on your wrist.
I did once have an infrared watch that you could tune to various televisions to change the channel. That use to be a giggle in restaurants and even pubs, If they had something on and the volume was down low or there was something on the other channel, you could pretty much be sure it would mysteriously change on it's own Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I'm a supporter and user of digital watches. My favorites are the Timex brand "Ironman Triathalon" series. I go running/jogging on a regular basis, and being able to effortlessly look at my arm to check various times is extremely useful - such as how long it took me to travel the last mile . Furthermore, it comes equipped with stopwatch and countdown timer when needed. If I'm running down a trail or in a park, then I'm not likely to find random clocks anywhere around. Another extremely useful function is the alarm. I occasionally find myself needing to set reminders for things, or signify deadlines. I haven't checked on the more recent "GPS wristwatches" as of yet. Several companies are trying to produce models which measure distance, and allow the data to be downloaded and analyzed later. If I remember correctly, the technology was still in its infancy, and people complained of frequently losing GPS tracking due to obstacles in the line of sight (trees, buildings, etc).
None of them are the general usage of watches. Wearing your cell on your wrist doesn't make it a watch, it is still a cellphone with a clock in it. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Using it as an alarmclock makes sense, but most watches don't have alarm feature. So the basicusage of watches is obsolate.... Also, the Iphone has barometer and compass in it....
watches always were a status symbol. they still are. they never stopped being a status symbol. as far as "time measuring" i think i would trust a hand made expensive watch over a mass produced stamped out cell phone any day. but... i have never enjoyed wearing a watch mostly because i could never afford the $5000.00 it wouold cost to have one designed i would like, although now i could afford to have one made i don't really want one. i really detest people asking me what the time is because 99% of those people who do never remember what time it is anyway and are just an unnecessary encumberment on ones current environment. watches will always have a place in society just as much as ear rings will for women.
I used to always wear a watch. I felt naked without it. I always like to know the time. About a year ago I finally joined the 21st century and got a cell phone. My watch battery died shortly thereafter and I just haven't gotten around to replacing it yet, since I can (almost) just as easily look at my phone. There are clocks everywhere, and I find that it's true, watches are obsolete. But I do agree with Asguard. I like having a second hand. That's one thing I miss about not having my watch.
I never wore watches- they were always cumbersome. I owned a pocketwatch in my 20's which served me well but I agree with the thrust of the OP- watches are obsolete.
The term 'watch' has evolved, that's all. You say 'watch', but actually mean 'wristwatch' because pocket watches are not in favour any longer. An iPhone that does all that other stuff, and tells the time, in your pocket, is what then? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Not really, people who have basic watches clearly like the simplicity and ease of having the time available to them, and people keep buying them. More complex watches, are still watches. Compass yes, but not a barometer? Anyway, the Iphone is not waterproof, nor good to work at subzero temperatures, or wearable on my wrist for easy viewing, like my Suunto. Long live the wristwatch.
Watches are NOT obsolete. Not amongst people who get off their couch, go into the countryside, walk, climb hills and mountains, snowboard, swim, surf, run and cycle. Sure, if you only move between home, the office, and the gym, or not even the latter, you can live without one. Only urbanites can live without watches, sedentary ones especially. That doens't make the watch obsolete, just the urbanite is living a rather sterile life.
So your point is that it is jewelry, rather than a useful electronic device. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! My wife can only tell that it is half past something but not exactly if it is 3 or 4, her watch being so small... Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
The same with the cellphone. It is basicly an electronic device for everything, including taking pictures/video, listening to music and connecting to the internet. oh yes, and measuring the time...
Why, those people do that without a cellphone? I bet 90% of them have a cell with them...(except for swim/surf)
The question is: Was the downturn in the watchmaking industry caused by the economic crisis, or the more general use of cellphones?: swissinfo: In which regions of the world has this industry been most affected? F.T.: It is especially in the Americas, north and south, and in the United States in particular, where we are noticing orders drop by 20, 30, even 60 per cent. A lot of businesses are going bankrupt. In Europe, Spain in particular has been hit over the past year because of the property market. On the other hand, the Arab countries remain stable. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/special...t=23451&sid=10500114&cKey=1238156724000&ty=st ------------------------------------------- This was BEFORE the economic downturn: "Volume 7, Number 41 - April 28, 2006 Teens Deem Watches Obsolete Surveys and sales data analyzing young U.S. shoppers show them shunning watches for snazzier time-telling gadgets, such as cell phones and iPods. The number of people who bought watches not in the Rolex and Patek Philippe stratosphere dropped 12 percent from 2004 to 2005, a leading market research group found. The runaway favorite brand for teens, Fossil Inc. of Texas, acknowledged a decline of 18.6 percent in wholesale U.S. sales of its namesake brand, The Los Angeles Times reported. Oakley Inc., which is based in Orange County, Calif., said watch sales fell 11 percent last year as it phased out digital watches and styles that weren't selling well. Many older people would also make the cell phone their primary timepiece if it didn't mean digging around for their reading glasses, said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for the NPD Group, which tracks consumer trends."
