I haven't worn a watch since I started carrying a cell phone and it perplexes me why they are still so popular.
This is perhaps the best pun ever to appear on HN. I hope it was intentional!
For some people, there are some times when a watch is _way_ more useful than that phone in their pocket...
(Also, I can trust my 1962 vintage mechanical watch to not be silently tracking me and selling me out to advertising companies...)
Not having to rotate my arm to see the time was one big reason I got an always-on transflective LCD smartwatch (mine's the Amazfit Bip) instead of say, an Apple Watch.
A 10$ watch does everything the $1000 watch does. The $990 are purely a fashion statement. The quartz being low quality doesn't affect the usability of the watch in anyway. If anything, the cheap digital watch with silicone straps is the e most comfortable and fuctional of all watches.
This is unlike clothing, where the 300$ suit or jacket does often have genuinely better fit, comfort and lasts longer.
The wrist watch for men started being acceptable in WW1. Before it would be a matter of ridicule because it wearing a clock on your wrist was for women! The sheer ruggedness of the situation and making pocket watches less practical shed the stigma - nothing girly about a leather strap in muddy trenches in a hellish stalemate of a war.
There's a non-marginal privacy bonus - not having to take your phone with you...
> I haven't worn a watch since I started carrying a cell phone and it perplexes me why they are still so popular.
That very much depends on the person. I started wearing a watch again because I wanted to spend less time futzing with my cellphone, which has worked. Secondarily, it's jewellery, so I do tend to match my watch to my outfit as a result.
For some. I like having a watch on my wrist where I can glance at the time rather than taking out my cell phone.
I do have an Apple Watch but, especially when traveling, I often just wear a $30 Timex because I don't need to charge it. I see a lot of cheap watches in the store so I'm guessing I'm not alone.
A lot of people these days also wear fitness bands of one sort or another. I suppose you could consider those fashion statements in their own right.
It's hard to imagine if you haven't experienced it recently but the difference between 1) fishing in your pocket, pulling out your phone, hitting the button, looking at the time then putting it back, and 2) turning your wrist 45 degrees is enormous. I can look at the time even when I have both my hands full, I can check when it's raining without getting my phone wet, I can start a timer without unlocking my phone and hunting for the Clock app... it's really been an eye-opener for how much better a watch is than a phone.
I wear a Citizen Eco-drive and get that naked feeling if I ever leave the house without it.