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Comment by bane | Hacker News Reader

I'm strongly cross-dominant [1], I write left-handed and mouse right-handed (I also swing right-handed in baseball and golf, but box southpaw so go fig). As a result, I have no comfortable hand to wear a watch. In high school I got by with cheap pocket watches for awhile. But let's be honest, pocket watches are not a great fashion statement.

The mas market adoption of cell-phones was great for me, since they're essentially pocket watches with a phone (and now a computer) attached.

I've seen various smart watches over the years, but I inevitably fall back to "but I'd have to wear a watch".

1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-dominance

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Wow, I'm the same and never knew it had a name. I write left-handed use use a fork with my left-hand and generally consider myself left-handed. But, I throw right-handed and swing right-handed (although I became a decent switch hitter in little league, I had more power left-handed but more accuracy right-handed). Some tasks I have trouble picking a hand and go back and forth between the two. When I bowl (which is usually only about every 5 years or so) I spend the entire time switching between both hands to find one that feels more comfortable. I also pass a tennis racket from hand to hand depending on which side the ball is on, but I play ping-pong solely with my left hand. When I first started using computers in elementary school I made a conscious effort to use the mouse with my right hand because even then I knew that every computer I came to would have the mouse on the right side. However, I usually use a laptop trackpad with my left hand. I, like you, found wrist watches uncomfortable to use. I wore one in high school and always put it on my left wrist but I had to remove it every time I sat down to write or type. I think smart watches could have some useful applications, especially when cycling as a glance-able cycle-computer paired with a ride tracking app, but I just don't think I could put up with the pain of wearing a watch every day to get any benefit from one.

Yeah watches just ended up being a huge irritant to me as well. It bothered my father tremendously as he thinks not wearing a watch is a symbol of being a "layabout". But of course I always had a watch or clock on me or near me, just not a wrist watch.

I do some things right-handed, some left. I manage to get along with wristwatches just fine. They're going to occasionally get in the way regardless.

Yeah, it just turns out that all the things that require my wrist to be moving around on top of my desk I do with both hands. Dragging a wristwatch around gets old fast.

I would go as far as saying I am cross dominant, but I certainly have a weird mix in that regard. I tend to take watches off as soon as I am stationary (I've lost a few F-91W's this way). I guess you could just take the watch off when you sit down like myself.

Though to refer to your original comment I don't think you are too concerned either way.

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