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Comment by kamaal | Hacker News Reader

>>A watch is primarily a piece of jewelry.

Not actually though. A watch is still a watch. There are so many places where you can't carry or even have the opportunity to use your smart phone to check time. Students can't carry it to exam halls, people who are driving cars, workers, there many professions and use cases where a simple device strapped to your hand is indispensable when it comes to keeping track of time.

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A watch is not just a watch to many people. Otherwise companies like IWC, Brietling, Rolex etc wouldn't be making as much money as they do.

Anything you put on your body that is visible to the public affects how people see you. Whether you care about this influences if you think a watch is fashionable or purely functional.

He didn't say a watch is "just a watch", he said a watch "is still a watch".

Its a bit of both.

But when it comes to utility. A simple watch has not been replaced by smart phones yet. That is because there are places, instances and people where/who just can't pull out their phones and check time.

Why do you think anyone cares whether phones replace watches? How is that at all relevant to the purpose of watches?

I'm not sure what you are trying to say. Are you saying we don't need watches at all? Or that some how modern day humans don't need to keep track of time? Watches started going out of fashion when mobile phones came along with Real time clocks, so people just didn't feel they should have a wrist watch when they check the time on their phones.

But that didn't cover all people and all use cases. There are many use cases where you can't use your phone to check time. And in such places a wrist watch is a indispensable utility.

The poorly dressed nerds you hang out with may not wear watches as often as they did in the 20th century, but that has little to do with fashion.

It is pretty funny how you continue to bring up timekeeping as if you believe that matters.

There are still professions where it's a requirement. Telling the time can be very important for divers, pilots, service men, etc.

Your examples are not really strong. Most cars have digital clocks, exam halls usually have wall clocks also cannot imagine plane without clock. I would say scubadivers, parashuters would need it but how many are there? There are also workplaces where you cannot wear jewelery and watches (working with food, machinery) but company phone is permitted or must. I would say that in places where keeping track of time is needed there are already placed clocks, otherwise it is not indispensable.

I would say that it is primarily a piece of jewelery.

> I would say that it is primarily a piece of jewelery.

Disagree. I've been too lazy to replace the battery of my 12EUR retro Casio watch for a couple weeks now and my girlfriend's getting sick of me asking all the time "what time is it". When I'm walking around outside or when on my bicycle, pulling my phone out of my pocket to check the time is a pain. When I'm in the shower I really want to know the time to the minute cause I know I have to leave the house at exactly 7:30.

So I would put you with scubadivers and parachuters so you are special case. If I take you and my four co-workers then it will statistically be primarily piece of jewelery. You are writing about yourself. That is why I described vast population of people who cannot wear watches while working as contrast to finding people who need. Besides I shown that a lot of those who were indicated as people who need watches, really don't need those. Like drivers who have dashboard clocks.

I use it to know when I need to start running to catch the bus. There are not so many clocks outside. Anyone who works outside or spends a lot of time outside and needs to keep track of time will find a watch useful.

And sometimes you need to use your necklace to strangle someone because the security people took away your garrote. It's nice that it can be used that way, but if you think that's what it's for, you're probably mentally ill.

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