Here’s a question: Are classic watches still desirable in the age of smartphones?
If someone asked, “What time is it?” where would you look?
Would you pull your phone out of your pocket, or would you glance down at the watch on your wrist? If you said your phone, you’re not alone, especially since 3.5 billion people in the world right now own a smartphone. One isn’t better than the other, but each way may be telling about how you’re in relationship with the world.
We’re convinced that even as smartphones become increasingly ubiquitous, wristwatches will continue to rule supreme. Here are five reasons why:
Wristwatches are timeless.
The wristwatch has been one of the most important gadgets of the 20th century. Watches have been a part of the picture when deep sea divers combed the dark blue depths of the ocean, when pilots skimmed the sky, when soldiers worked their way into battle, and when mountaineers scaled some of the world’s highest peaks. Even Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong’s co-pilot on Apollo 11, was wearing his Omega Speedmaster when he exited the lunar module and took some of those first historic steps on the grey and gritty surface of the Moon.
If you imagine people in any of these scenarios fumbling for their smartphone to check the time, the aura of the moment seems to deflate, almost completely.
A wristwatch is ridiculously customizable.
A wristwatch lends an air of professionalism to your persona, and comes with extremely versatile attributes. You’ll always be able to change the band, explore a variety of color options, and match whatever environment you’re in as needed.
Watches allows you to form a different relationship with time.
Time, for all of us, is a limited resource. None of us will be around forever. When you wear a wristwatch and use it as a way to tell time, you start to witness how you’re actually spending your time. Are the ways you spend your hours and days meaningful? This expands to weeks, months, and even years. When you allow yourself to become absorbed in the hobbies you love, the great outdoors, and “the real world” instead of scrolling for hours on your phone, your life grows richer. It’s simple, but powerful: compared to a smartphone, a watch activates an attentiveness to how you’re spending your time.
The right watch becomes an extension of you.
With a wristwatch, you can make a statement and claim your personal style. It’s all you. And, once you find the right watch, it almost becomes a part of your body. There’s form and function, and you can start living your life, a little less unencumbered by your smartphone’s constant presence.
It’s one way to form a healthier habits with your phone.
We’re pro living your life and not being addicted 24/7 to your device. A smartwatch can get bossy (stand up, walk faster) and deliver incessant notifications. If you want some peace, the wristwatch is (still) where it’s at.
And then there’s the honest-to-goodness, buck the trend of smart everything and letting things be the way they used to be: simpler. At the end of the day, when you want to go for a walk in the woods, it’s the old-fashioned watch that’s going to be the best companion. Out there, time won’t matter anyway.
