« The End of Email -- Not! | Main | Random Notes »
Latest Stories
- Bubbles are Good For You Because ... They Are
- Quote of the Day: Commodities Markets
- San Diego Homes Bottoming?
- The Myth of the Angel Investor
- Pete Peterson on Subprime, Bailouts, etc.
July 16, 2006
What Me No Watch
I haven't owned a watch for ... well, pretty much ever, but this is still interesting:According to a new survey by Seiko Watches, the proportion of Japanese aged between 16-49 wearing wristwatches has plummeted from 70% in 1997 to 46% today. The culprit, if you haven't already guessed, is the mighty cell phone.Straw poll: How many readers wear a watch?
Sphere It
| 
Digg it
| 
Bookmark it
| 
Stumble it
there's a nice google graphical ad for a seiko next to this post :)
Kyle -- I saw that! All this talk of the Decline of Watches gives you a new appreciation for those Rolex spammers, doesn't it ...
I'm 23 and from Canada.. I've been without a watch for 5-6 years now. Ever since I got my cell phone I don't see why I need one.
My wach pin broke, again, for about the third time in a year. At first I just kept forgetting to take it along with me to the mall to get fixed. Then I just stopped mising it. That was 3-4 months ago, now I couldn't even tell you where the watch is, probably under the seat of the car or something (it almost made it to the store a couple of months ago, but it was a long walk back to the car and I couldn't be bothered.)
No watch for at least a decade here.
I feel lost without it. -Cellphone or not. Sometimes lost is a good feeling, so I take it off for a while only to return back home.
Watches are jewelry. Looking at the time is one functional reason to wear one, but look at how many people own multiple watches. I own 4:
Timex plastic thing for sports
Diving style silver watch
More formal evening looking black leather watch
Skater-style Nixon wide leather band watch
It's not like people buy a Rolex because it keeps good time ...
I wear a watch but I don't own a cell phone, and since I can't really tell the time by looking at the position of the sun, it works out well for me.
Although the battery did fail for the first time in a couple of years and now I'm wandering around the streets asking people what time it is. Because it does make a difference.
Gave up wearing a watch 22 years ago. Used to enjoy telling people: " I don't Do time... " , even though I knew it was not really true.
Amazing. A day after you wrote this, I commented about watches and their downfall at the hand of the mighty cellphone. I hadn't read your post at that point, it was merely from observing people walking by in a mall, waiting for my wife...
http://www.igotnewsforyou.com/blog/2006/07/monday-morning-musings-cellphones-vs.html
Now at least I have some data to back up my observations!
Your poll is blowing up with 'page not found'. But I'll answer - I own a watch, but never wear it. I'm not even sure where it is at the moment.
Same culprit as your story - I own a cell phone and it knows what time it is.