Watches have gotten really huge

I was looking at my grandfather's Swiss gold watch from 1952. The case is only 31mm in diameter. Today, the typical man's watch case is 42mm, and 31mm is considered a woman's size.

I'd be worried that my grandfather was gay, except he had three kids, wore wifebeater shirts, and drank Pabst Blue Ribbon non-ironically (along with other classic brands like Rheingold and Schlitz).

* * *

Too bad it's a less prestigious brand than Rolex or Jaeger LeCoultre. I wound it up last night, and the time is still correct; if it's off, it's by less than 30 seconds. Not bad for a 60-year-old watch.

Comments

[Fetzen]

Fashion has gotten very dumb over the last decades, preferring showiness to utilitarianism and practicality.

Blue jeans may be the most infamous example. They do not protect against cold, they are hard on the legs and the ass, they were meant for mine workers and cow-boys, but no student or office worker would imagine wearing anything else today.

[Jon]

"I wound it up last night, and the time is still correct; if it's off, it's by less than 30 seconds. Not bad for a 60-year-old watch."

Even a second per day is bad for a semi-decent watch. I've been using $25 plastic Casio watch for close to 30 years (they are basically disposable) and it goes off by about 20 sec in a month. Super light, very thin, has light, alarm and timer. For my needs, no Rolex or Jaeger LeCoultre comes even close.

[HS: But when you hold it up to your ear, do you hear mechanical ticking? Nope. (Of course, I am told that super-expensive watches today don't tick at all.) Once I get a new band for it, I think I will wear it for a while to see how people in the 1950s knew what time it was.]

[Twain]

I never wear a watch, but if I did I would get a small one.

I never understood the big school rings.

[Jason]

Dress watches are still fairly small. 38mm if round, and 38x32mm wide if tonneau shaped. Back then a small watch movement was more technically difficult, so a small watch was a sign of wealth. Much of it has to do with purpose though. The original flieger (pilot) watches were much larger than modern watches for visibility, with bands long enough to be strapped on over a flying coat in an un-pressurized aircraft. There're obviously good reasons for a scuba or racing watch to be large and visible as well. The trend toward large modern watches has quite a bit to do with people wearing sport watches everywhere, much as they wear running shoes everywhere. Once that becomes the norm, dress watches get scaled up to match. But that's kind of a prole thing to do. Truly high end dress watches are still a more reserved size.

[Turambar]

I believe that the Times had a think piece on the 'giant' time of modern watches recently.

[Eddie Willers]

I love old mechanical watches - I bought a bunch of 1940's and 1950's ones from Ebay, all badge-engineered Swiss movements, for about US$25 a piece. They all keep time to within a minute or so a day and that's good enough for me.

If I wanted accuracy, I would go with quartz. What I wanted was a little more style than we see today.

Now...pocket watches? Whole other ball game. Pulling out a silver-cased 2.5" diameter half-hunter from the end of your Albert chain and winding it by key - that's stylish!

[chucho]

Half, sorry for the OT post, but why did Zimmerman's case not go to grand jury? I'm not sure if you followed this case in the news, but recently a man in Staten Island was cleared of murder charges by a grand jury when surveillance video showed he was being attacked by guidos.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/staten_island/surveillance_videos_show_new_evidence_Sdc9b9kxUbjjBf1ymDY2xH

[HS: New York State requires the grand jury in all felony prosecutions. Florida does not.]

[anonymous]

"Pulling out a silver-cased 2.5" diameter half-hunter from the end of your Albert chain and winding it by key - that's stylish!"

I like to wear a pocket watch with my 3 piece suit. Makes me feel like that little guy from "Monopoly".

I'm just teasing. I've always liked pocket watches, too. I had a little Westclox Scotty when I was in 1st grade. It was dorky but I was 7 so cut me some slack.

[M]

"Even a second per day is bad for a semi-decent watch."

That's true for a quartz watch. However, a mechanical watch that runs between 4 seconds slow and 6 seconds fast is very accurate, and high-end watch consumers pay big bucks for a certification that verifies the watch is operating within that 10 second window. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COSC.) Of course, a lot of people think its silly to spend thousands of dollars on a watch that is less accurate than a $25 Casio. And I suppose I agree. But it's kind of like comparing an Accord to a Ferrari. Both cars will get you from A to B, and the Accord may even do so more efficiently, but there are a lot of other semi-legitimate considerations that might motivate a person to go with the Ferrari.

[Prole]

Why would you wonder if you grandfather was gay? It's those 42 mm watches that look gay. Most modern men's shoes too.

[ibejeph]

Mr. HS, would you please post a picture of the watch? I'd like to see it. Thanks.

[Erik]

Hey Half,

I'm 23 and just graduated (top 15). Recently started a job in consulting. Actually I guess I'm a yuppie now.
Basically, I've never worn a watch since I never needed one (cell phone), but I feel like I should get one since it's the primary accessory for a man.
I actually have my dad's gold Rolex when he died but I don't want to wear $5000 on my wrist regularly, especially since I usually use public transportation.

What's a solid watch you can pick up for a couple hundred that's appropriate for my demographic, can be worn w biz cas/suits?

[HS: You should wear the Rolex. I haven't ever been mugged.]

[Tanizaki]

"Once I get a new band for it, I think I will wear it for a while to see how people in the 1950s knew what time it was."

While you are getting the new watchband, have the watchmaker service it. He should be able to tune it so it is in proper working order. The decades take their toll on a mechanical watch.

[Jon]

Here is a link for that Casio watch, by the way:

http://classicdigitalwatch.wordpress.com/2010/08/10/casio-mens-w71-1v-classic-digital-watch/

Looks like Casio may have stopped making it because it's sold out at a lot of places and is now $40 at Amazon. I did buy it for $25 at a department store for $25 few years ago. Going to buy another one right now that that I have it before it completely disappears.

[whiskey]

Don't wear the Rolex, you can get mugged or damage it. I would recommend something like a Seiko Orange Monster Diving Watch, can get them on Amazon for under $200:

Link here

Advantages: great lume shows up at night well, screw down crown (resists the rain), rotating bezel (good for timing food/cooking), stainless band (looks good) and Seiko quality and parts. Won't have to buy a battery/hassle for years.

Also looks good, screams masculine. Seiko has other diving watches (the SEALS in the 1970s were fond of the "Pepsi" blue/black watch) at Amazon quite reasonable. The watches lose about 20 seconds (or gain) a day, hey they are mechanical. But they work great, you can wear them for decades. Parts/service available globally too.

For a battery watch, Swiss Army at the same price points will give you good options as well. A bit lighter on the wrist if that is important.

[WillieMaize24]

I don't understand why anyone needs to pay more than $25 for a watch. You can get a reasonably good one for $10-$15 ($20-$25 if you want something more stylish) at a drug store.
BTW, I have a 40 year old Timex that goes off by a minute or so a day, but otherwise is just fine.

[WRB]

"I don't understand why anyone needs to pay more than $25 for a watch."

To communicate status.

[Florida resident]

Cassio digital watch is best in the "Illuminator" series: with bluish self-lighting (indigo ?), when you press the proper button. It is really bright.
Meanwhile, just option "light" in

http://classicdigitalwatch.wordpress.com/2010/08/10/casio-mens-w71-1v-classic-digital-watch/

is pretty dim. So, buy "Illuminator".
The price at Walmart was $14.00 about 5 years ago, but when my plastic chain broke, I had to buy new watch at the same place for $18.00. They are perfectly waterproof: I swim regularly in a pool with stop-watch function activated --- very convenient.
Best to esteemed Half Sigma.
Your truly, F.r.

[The Undiscovered Jew]

OT

Sigma, could you please start getting on the case of the college scam? Tens of thousands of dollars in non dischargeable debt, 4-6 years wasted on school that could have been used to invest just to wait tables.

Btw, even during the 90s tech boom, 41% of college graduates were underemployed.

If a college degree is useless for at least 41% of students even DURING an economic boom, why shouldn't ever non-engineering university president be charged with fraud?:

http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/one-in-two-new-college-graduates-i-jobless-or-underemployed/

About 1.5 million, or 53.6 percent, of bachelor’s degree-holders under the age of 25 last year were jobless or underemployed, the highest share in at least 11 years. In 2000, the share was at a low of 41 percent, before the dot-com bust erased job gains for college graduates in the telecommunications and IT fields.

Broken down by occupation, young college graduates were heavily represented in jobs that require a high school diploma or less.

In the last year, they were more likely to be employed as waiters, waitresses, bartenders and food-service helpers than as engineers, physicists, chemists and mathematicians combined (100,000 versus 90,000). There were more working in office-related jobs such as receptionist or payroll clerk than in all computer professional jobs (163,000 versus 100,000). More also were employed as cashiers, retail clerks and customer representatives than engineers (125,000 versus 80,000).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/note-to-class-of-2012-more-than-half-of-young-college-graduates-now-jobless-or-underemployed/2012/04/23/gIQAPEnObT_story.html

Taking underemployment into consideration, the job prospects for bachelor’s degree holders fell last year to the lowest level in more than a decade.

“I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” says Michael Bledsoe, who described months of fruitless job searches as he served customers at a Seattle coffeehouse. The 23-year-old graduated in 2010 with a creative writing degree.

Initially hopeful that his college education would create opportunities, Bledsoe languished for three months before finally taking a job as a barista, a position he has held for the last two years. In the beginning he sent three or four resumes day. But, Bledsoe said, employers questioned his lack of experience or the practical worth of his major. Now he sends a resume once every two weeks or so.

snip

Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University who analyzed the numbers, said many people with a bachelor’s degree face a double whammy of rising tuition and poor job outcomes. “Simply put, we’re failing kids coming out of college,” he said, emphasizing that when it comes to jobs, a college major can make all the difference. “We’re going to need a lot better job growth and connections to the labor market, otherwise college debt will grow.”

snip

College graduates who majored in zoology, anthropology, philosophy, art history and humanities were among the least likely to find jobs appropriate to their education level; those with nursing, teaching, accounting or computer science degrees were among the most likely.

snip

Note to Class of 2012: More than half of young college graduates now jobless or underemployed

(Elaine Thompson/ Associated Press ) - In this photo taken Thursday, April 19, 2012, barista Michael Bledsoe smiles as he chats with a visitor in the coffee shop where he works in Seattle. The college class of 2012 is in for a rude welcome to the world of work. A weak labor market already has left half of young college grads either jobless or underemployed in positions that don’t fully use their skills and knowledge.

(Elaine Thompson/ Associated Press ) - In this photo taken Thursday, April 19, 2012, barista Michael Bledsoe smiles as he chats with a visitor in the coffee shop where he works in Seattle. The college class of 2012 is in for a rude welcome to the world of work. A weak labor market already has left half of young college grads either jobless or underemployed in positions that don’t fully use their skills and knowledge.
(Mark Humphrey/ Associated Press ) - In this photo taken Thursday, April 19, 2012, Kelman Edwards Jr., working out at an apartment complex gym near the campus of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro,Tenn. The college class of 2012 is in for a rude welcome to the world of work. A weak labor market already has left half of young college grads either jobless or underemployed in positions that don’t fully use their skills and knowledge.
(Elaine Thompson/ Associated Press ) - In this photo taken Thursday, April 19, 2012, barista Michael Bledsoe prepares a two-shot coffee drink in a coffee shop in Seattle. The college class of 2012 is in for a rude welcome to the world of work. A weak labor market already has left half of young college grads either jobless or underemployed in positions that don’t fully use their skills and knowledge.
(Mark Humphrey/ Associated Press ) - In this photo taken Thursday, April 19, 2012, Kelman Edwards Jr. works on his laptop in an apartment complex clubhouse near the campus of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro,Tenn., as he searches for a job. The college class of 2012 is in for a rude welcome to the world of work. A weak labor market already has left half of young college grads either jobless or underemployed in positions that don’t fully use their skills and knowledge.
(Elaine Thompson/ Associated Press ) - In this photo taken Thursday, April 19, 2012, barista Michael Bledsoe adds to his tip jar after making a drink for a customer in a coffee shop in Seattle. The college class of 2012 is in for a rude welcome to the world of work. A weak labor market already has left half of young college grads either jobless or underemployed in positions that don’t fully use their skills and knowledge.

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By region, the Mountain West was most likely to have young college graduates jobless or underemployed — roughly 3 in 5. It was followed by the more rural southeastern U.S., including Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. The Pacific region, including Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, also was high on the list.

On the other end of the scale, the southern U.S., anchored by Texas, was most likely to have young college graduates in higher-skill jobs.

Personal Post

The figures are based on an analysis of 2011 Current Population Survey data by Northeastern University researchers and supplemented with material from Paul Harrington, an economist at Drexel University, and the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington think tank. They rely on Labor Department assessments of the level of education required to do the job in 900-plus U.S. occupations, which were used to calculate the shares of young adults with bachelor’s degrees who were “underemployed.”

About 1.5 million, or 53.6 percent, of bachelor’s degree-holders under the age of 25 last year were jobless or underemployed, the highest share in at least 11 years. In 2000, the share was at a low of 41 percent, before the dot-com bust erased job gains for college graduates in the telecommunications and IT fields.

Out of the 1.5 million who languished in the job market, about half were underemployed, an increase from the previous year.

Broken down by occupation, young college graduates were heavily represented in jobs that require a high school diploma or less.

In the last year, they were more likely to be employed as waiters, waitresses, bartenders and food-service helpers than as engineers, physicists, chemists and mathematicians combined (100,000 versus 90,000). There were more working in office-related jobs such as receptionist or payroll clerk than in all computer professional jobs (163,000 versus 100,000). More also were employed as cashiers, retail clerks and customer representatives than engineers (125,000 versus 80,000).

According to government projections released last month, only three of the 30 occupations with the largest projected number of job openings by 2020 will require a bachelor’s degree or higher to fill the position — teachers, college professors and accountants. Most job openings are in professions such as retail sales, fast food and truck driving, jobs which aren’t easily replaced by computers.

College graduates who majored in zoology, anthropology, philosophy, art history and humanities were among the least likely to find jobs appropriate to their education level; those with nursing, teaching, accounting or computer science degrees were among the most likely.

In Nevada, where unemployment is the highest in the nation, Class of 2012 college seniors recently expressed feelings ranging from anxiety and fear to cautious optimism about what lies ahead.

With the state’s economy languishing in an extended housing bust, a lot of young graduates have shown up at job placement centers in tears. Many have been squeezed out of jobs by more experienced workers, job counselors said, and are now having to explain to prospective employers the time gaps in their resumes.

snip

Bawden said his friends who have graduated are either unemployed or working along the Vegas Strip in service jobs that don’t require degrees.

snip

After earning a biology degree last May, the only job he could find was as a construction worker for five months before he quit to focus on finding a job in his academic field. He applied for positions in laboratories but was told they were looking for people with specialized certifications.

“I thought that me having a biology degree was a gold ticket for me getting into places, but every other job wants you to have previous history in the field,” he said. Edwards, who has about $5,500 in student debt, recently met with a career counselor at Middle Tennessee State University. The counselor’s main advice: Pursue further education.

“Everyone is always telling you, ‘Go to college,’” Edwards said. “But when you graduate, it’s kind of an empty cliff.”

[The Undiscovered Jew]

OT

Sigma, could you please start getting on the case of the college scam? Tens of thousands of dollars in non dischargeable debt, 4-6 years wasted on school that could have been used to invest just to wait tables.

Btw, even during the 90s tech boom, 41% of college graduates were underemployed.

If a college degree is useless for at least 41% of students even DURING an economic boom, why shouldn't ever non-engineering university president be charged with fraud?:

http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/one-in-two-new-college-graduates-i-jobless-or-underemployed/

About 1.5 million, or 53.6 percent, of bachelor’s degree-holders under the age of 25 last year were jobless or underemployed, the highest share in at least 11 years. In 2000, the share was at a low of 41 percent, before the dot-com bust erased job gains for college graduates in the telecommunications and IT fields.

Broken down by occupation, young college graduates were heavily represented in jobs that require a high school diploma or less.

In the last year, they were more likely to be employed as waiters, waitresses, bartenders and food-service helpers than as engineers, physicists, chemists and mathematicians combined (100,000 versus 90,000). There were more working in office-related jobs such as receptionist or payroll clerk than in all computer professional jobs (163,000 versus 100,000). More also were employed as cashiers, retail clerks and customer representatives than engineers (125,000 versus 80,000).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/note-to-class-of-2012-more-than-half-of-young-college-graduates-now-jobless-or-underemployed/2012/04/23/gIQAPEnObT_story.html

Taking underemployment into consideration, the job prospects for bachelor’s degree holders fell last year to the lowest level in more than a decade.

“I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” says Michael Bledsoe, who described months of fruitless job searches as he served customers at a Seattle coffeehouse. The 23-year-old graduated in 2010 with a creative writing degree.

Initially hopeful that his college education would create opportunities, Bledsoe languished for three months before finally taking a job as a barista, a position he has held for the last two years. In the beginning he sent three or four resumes day. But, Bledsoe said, employers questioned his lack of experience or the practical worth of his major. Now he sends a resume once every two weeks or so.

snip

Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University who analyzed the numbers, said many people with a bachelor’s degree face a double whammy of rising tuition and poor job outcomes. “Simply put, we’re failing kids coming out of college,” he said, emphasizing that when it comes to jobs, a college major can make all the difference. “We’re going to need a lot better job growth and connections to the labor market, otherwise college debt will grow.”

snip

College graduates who majored in zoology, anthropology, philosophy, art history and humanities were among the least likely to find jobs appropriate to their education level; those with nursing, teaching, accounting or computer science degrees were among the most likely.

snip

About 1.5 million, or 53.6 percent, of bachelor’s degree-holders under the age of 25 last year were jobless or underemployed, the highest share in at least 11 years. In 2000, the share was at a low of 41 percent, before the dot-com bust erased job gains for college graduates in the telecommunications and IT fields.

Out of the 1.5 million who languished in the job market, about half were underemployed, an increase from the previous year.

Broken down by occupation, young college graduates were heavily represented in jobs that require a high school diploma or less.

In the last year, they were more likely to be employed as waiters, waitresses, bartenders and food-service helpers than as engineers, physicists, chemists and mathematicians combined (100,000 versus 90,000). There were more working in office-related jobs such as receptionist or payroll clerk than in all computer professional jobs (163,000 versus 100,000). More also were employed as cashiers, retail clerks and customer representatives than engineers (125,000 versus 80,000).

According to government projections released last month, only three of the 30 occupations with the largest projected number of job openings by 2020 will require a bachelor’s degree or higher to fill the position — teachers, college professors and accountants. Most job openings are in professions such as retail sales, fast food and truck driving, jobs which aren’t easily replaced by computers.

College graduates who majored in zoology, anthropology, philosophy, art history and humanities were among the least likely to find jobs appropriate to their education level; those with nursing, teaching, accounting or computer science degrees were among the most likely.

In Nevada, where unemployment is the highest in the nation, Class of 2012 college seniors recently expressed feelings ranging from anxiety and fear to cautious optimism about what lies ahead.

With the state’s economy languishing in an extended housing bust, a lot of young graduates have shown up at job placement centers in tears. Many have been squeezed out of jobs by more experienced workers, job counselors said, and are now having to explain to prospective employers the time gaps in their resumes.

snip

Bawden said his friends who have graduated are either unemployed or working along the Vegas Strip in service jobs that don’t require degrees.

snip

After earning a biology degree last May, the only job he could find was as a construction worker for five months before he quit to focus on finding a job in his academic field. He applied for positions in laboratories but was told they were looking for people with specialized certifications.

“I thought that me having a biology degree was a gold ticket for me getting into places, but every other job wants you to have previous history in the field,” he said. Edwards, who has about $5,500 in student debt, recently met with a career counselor at Middle Tennessee State University. The counselor’s main advice: Pursue further education.

“Everyone is always telling you, ‘Go to college,’” Edwards said. “But when you graduate, it’s kind of an empty cliff.”

[The Undiscovered Jew]

This quote deserves another post because it illustrates the arrogance of academic reality distortion field.

A biology undergrad can't get a job in a laboratory because his degree wasn't specialized enough. When he complains to an academic Borg drone, he's told to "pursue further education", i.e., go into more nondischargeable debt on behalf of the college pyramid scheme to learn the skills we didn't teach you because while you were an undergraduate we were too busy indoctrinating you in leftist general education requirements to give you specialized skills that would make you useful to laboratory scientists.

Oh, your undergraduate debt payments start in 6 months. Unless you go into GRADUATE school debt where you may or may not learn skills that will get you a job.

Again, shouldn't these colleges be charged with fraud?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/note-to-class-of-2012-more-than-half-of-young-college-graduates-now-jobless-or-underemployed/2012/04/23/gIQAPEnObT_story_2.html

After earning a biology degree last May, the only job he could find was as a construction worker for five months before he quit to focus on finding a job in his academic field. He applied for positions in laboratories but was told they were looking for people with specialized certifications.

“I thought that me having a biology degree was a gold ticket for me getting into places, but every other job wants you to have previous history in the field,” he said. Edwards, who has about $5,500 in student debt, recently met with a career counselor at Middle Tennessee State University. The counselor’s main advice: Pursue further education.

“Everyone is always telling you, ‘Go to college,’” Edwards said. “But when you graduate, it’s kind of an empty cliff.”

[Twain]

""I don't understand why anyone needs to pay more than $25 for a watch."

To communicate status."

If you are in Big Law, why do you need to communicate that. Everybody knows your job. If you are a bus driver, people will eventually find out.

I wonder if Bill Gates wears an expensive watch.

"Here is a link for that Casio watch, by the way:

http://classicdigitalwatch.wordpress.com/2010/08/10/casio-mens-w71-1v-classic-digital-watch/"

Digital watches are ugly. Ones with hands are better looking.

[The Undiscovered Jew]

Again, how to use the college debt crisis to defund the liberal arts departments:

1) Slap federal price control mandates and require colleges to cut tuition costs as a prerequisite for receiving governments funds (if the left can impose price controls on healthcare via Obamacare because the middle class supposedly can't afford this basic service, then why should colleges be allowed to inflate *faster* than health insurance premiums?).

2) Copy the British and Australian systems by creating 60 credit degrees that have no gened requirements and allow the 80% of college students studying a vocational field to pass over the gened requirements, which are loaded with liberal arts classes, and focus on a specialized degree program that employers will find useful.

3) Make both federal and private student loans dischargeable in bankruptcy court.

4) Make colleges cosigners to student debt.

5) Mandate colleges make wider use of online teaching to teach non-STEM and non-business courses.

[Sheila Tone]

Did he tell you what part of his body he used to smuggle it out of the POW camp?

Your anecdote makes me want to swat you for some reason. Next class test should definitely have a question about whether one has jewelry from grandparents.

[Peter]

On a different note, cnn.com - yes, that alleged hotbed of liberalism - has a feature story on the Daniel Adkins shooting. No mention of race, however.

[Jon]

WRB: "[expensive watch] to communicate status"

More like "to communicate conformism". Every lawyer puts on useless expensive watch - the only thing that it communicates to me is either 1) the guy is a conformist always doing what everyone else does, or 2) the guy is stupid enough to think that willingness to spend on blings communicates high status to intelligent people.

Ceteris paribus, I'm much more likely to hire and trust a lawyer that wears $50 watch.

[John]

For a long time, man didn't wear wristwatches because they look "girly". It wasn't until WW I soldiers started wearing them that they became socially acceptable. Now that everyone carries cell phones, fewer people are wearing watches. In another generation or so, they might be "girly" again.

[Nedd Ludd]

"I don't understand why anyone needs to pay more than $25 for a watch."

"Every lawyer puts on useless expensive watch - the only thing that it communicates to me is ...the guy is a conformist ...or the guy is stupid..."

Would you want your lawyer to buy his suits, shirts & ties at Walmart too? Would that be non-conformist & smart enough for you? Do courts value non-conformism?
That would certainly be the right sort of outfit to go with a $25 watch.

You might be making a mistake here.
I think you might do better hiring a prosperous,
successful lawyer,(or doctor, or accountant.)
BTW, have you ever actually hired a lawyer?

Worn for regular business wear, the suggested Casio digital watch brings to mind Margaret Thatcher's quote about men over 26 riding the bus...

Check out these status communicating,
very affordable,(free) Rolex screensavers...
(Not Mac compatible I'm told.)

http://www.timekeeperforum.com/showthread.php?13116-Rolex-screensavers-by-Colemanitis

("caeteris paribus" - In real life, all things are never equal.)

[Erik]

[HS: You should wear the Rolex. I haven't ever been mugged.]

I have. Granted, this was in Baltimore when I was at college and where I fortunately no longer live (Boston currently, though I'm in D.C. atm).

Also, the watch is like 20 years old... its face is somewhat scratched up and there are some nicks in the metal (though the former can probably be replaced and the latter polished). Mainly I'm averse to wearing it cos of lingering sentiment. It's also kind of heavy and irritates my skin, especially when you're typing all day. I was thinking maybe a leather banded Moldova? Is that effete or plebeian?

[GP]

I would not wear an old Rolex on the subway. A new, huge, garish $8,000 Rolex - well that's different: Everyone will assume its a $20 knockoff. The only problem is, they may take it anyway.

My 12 year old Omega Seamaster is no longer 'man size' compared with the current product line. I prefer it anyway; and it still gives me a feeling of Bourgeois satisfaction each time I look at it.

[Erik]

Movado*... fuckin spell check

[Skeptique]

Why are people so obsessed with expensive watches. It has become obscene. I can understand 200,000 cars compared to a 20,000 sedan toyota because the 200k cars are faster and more luxurious (leather and stuff) and it's 10x more expensive. But mechanical watches are orders of magnitude less accurate and 100x more expensive. In your right hand you hold a latest and greatest smartphone that just came out and on your wrist you feature a last millenium technology.

It is just doing what everybody else is doing without a thought or mental independence.

[drole prole]

Watches are cumbersome, uncomfortable and provide very little utility for the amount of annoyance it creates. They can look nice, but they don't really do much to enhance a person's overall appearance. If you want to be hold on to antiquated technologies that provides a better utility/discomfort ratio, get yourself an astrolabe.

[Sgt. Joe Friday]

When I graduated from college 30 years ago, I told myself that when I'd really "made it," I would treat myself to a Rolex.

Well, by just about any standard, I've made it (own a successful business, nice home in suburban OC CA, etc. etc.), but DO NOT own a Rolex, nor do I want one anymore. At least here in southern California, the only people that wear Rolexes are athletes, entertainers, drug dealers, and members of, ahem, certain ethnic groups. IOW, it's not a tasteful timepiece anymore, it's "bling."

[Jon]

drole prole: "Watches are cumbersome, uncomfortable and provide very little utility"

My low status Casio watch is so light and thin that frequently I could not tell, without glancing, if I put it on or not. So it creates zero discomfort. And I very frequently use it as an alarm clock (on trips) and as a timer (in the gym). Lots of utility there! Particularly considering that I swim and run with it. And of course, looking up time on a wrist watch is a lot faster and more convenient than on a cell phone.

[Tanizaki]

"At least here in southern California, the only people that wear Rolexes are athletes, entertainers, drug dealers, and members of, ahem, certain ethnic groups. IOW, it's not a tasteful timepiece anymore, it's 'bling'."

I think it depends on the Rolex. I have been wearing the same Rolex pretty much constantly since 1988, including my entire time in high school (a private prep school, though). It looks pretty much like the one linked below (mine has phosphorescent pips instead of the Roman numerals):

http://www.omegarolex.com/rolex_details/oyster_281.html

No jewel-encrusted bezel or gems for numerals, just a black face on a stainless steel band. I do not find it to be "blingy".