Why do we still wear wrist watches?

Spats. Monocles. Top hats. What were once seen as wardrobe essentials have long since disappeared from closets. So why are we still wearing watches? After all, most of us carry devices in our pockets which tell the time. Not to mention that pretty much every space we are in – homes, offices, cars, public transit – the time is somewhere to be found. And it’s not only the function of watches that brings up this question but their cost. Few people are willing to spend $2000 on a pair of fine shoes or $5000 on a bespoke suit. And yet most luxury watches – painstakingly crafted with mechanical movements – sell regularly for far more than that. Just how is it that watches upset the normal trajectory of menswear?

As usual, I’ll start with some history to try to get to the bottom of this. Even though they had been around for centuries on the wrists of women, men did not start wearing watches en mass until the late 19th century. And they only did so because of war. In an attempt to coordinate troop movements without signalling – a sure bet to tip off to your enemy – small pocket watches were fixed with wire lugs to support thin wristbands. Or they were housed in large leather “wristlets.” Pocket watches on their own were simply too clumsy to use in the heat of battle. Shortly thereafter, at the turn of the last century, companies emerged that made purpose-built wrist watches. But up to and including WW1, they were still seen as a necessity of combat, not a sartorial choice.

That changed after the Great War. Since the wrist watch became so essential during the war, most soldiers wore them. And they kept wearing them after the Armistice of Compiègne. As with other items of men’s wardrobes at the time – white tie, frock coats, stiff collars – pocket watches seemed old fashioned and fussy. The wrist watch was much more practical and, thanks to 1920s design and construction, far more modern and sophisticated. By the end of that decade, the pocket watch all but disappeared from waistcoats around the world.

The wrist watch became the one constant accessory of the 20th century. There were sartorial changes, as sport/tool watches – divers, chorongraphs, etc – of the 1950s and 60s became every day wear for men who hardly if ever raced cars, owned wet suits and voyaged into space. The traditional mechanical watch even survived the quartz crisis of the late 70s, a time when cheap, extremely accurate watches threatened to kill off the previous generation. But somehow they didn’t. Unlike every other element of a man’s wardrobe, price and convenience didn’t trump quality and heritage. In fact today it seems to me that mechanical and vintage watches – both the real thing and heritage releases by major and boutique brands – are more popular than ever. Just what is going on?

While it is true that there are still moments when a watch is essential – like backwoods camping or deep sea diving – that is true for other items currently residing in the sartorial waste bin of history, items we have simply learned to live without. Certainly the increasingly dangerous radiation hitting the earth’s surface due to climate change is as good an argument as any for hat wearing. And yet look around and all you see are bare heads. Function alone does not explain the wrist watch’s continued survival.

Another reason I’ve come across is the aspiration. Watches can convey to the world how we see ourselves or who we wish to be. Whether a luxurious Rolex, an ornate sport watch or a simple vintage time-only, there is no question a watch communicates our sense of ourselves. But so does the rest of your wardrobe, perhaps not as obviously, but the same sentiment is there. Everything from your choice of sweater to your footwear expresses something about who you are or where you think you are headed. The wrist watch does not have a monopoly on ambition.

And finally, I’ve read more than a few articles that attribute the success of watches to an appreciation of style, engineering and legacy. I certainly feel this way myself: every time I look at my vintage watch I am connected to decades of craftsmanship while appreciating the design. Newer mechanical watches which are built with see-through backs specifically cater to this fetishistic pleasure. But I am also amazed by my custom shoes. Knowing the construction and skill that went into them, every time I wear them I think about the history and legacy of shoemaking and marvel at how they perform despite the punishment of being walked on day in and day out. So appreciation alone also doesn’t account for the success of wrist watches.

I believe the main reason we still wear wrist watches comes down to some deep-seated concepts about masculinity. A friend recently told me the watch is one of the few acceptable forms of male jewellery. As I’ve written about before, most men in the West are reluctant to wear much if any jewellery. If they do, it must be functional, not ornamental. The wrist watch ticks all these boxes perfectly. In fact, its functionality allows it to be ornamental. Many men will wear large watches, covered in all kinds of designs and dials, that are far more decorative than anything else they would wear. Or perhaps their watches are simple but luxurious, (unnecessarily) made of gold or studded with jewels. While they won’t wear bracelets, extra rings or necklaces of equal flamboyance, watches get a pass because they do something. The fact that they are remarkable creations of mechanical engineering allows men a tiny bit of freedom when it comes to self-expression. And for that reason, as much as the others, I am glad watches are still around. Their continued use suggests there is hope for an appreciation of craft and art as well as a new definition of masculinity, one that allows us to embrace our extravagant sides.

What do you think? Why do you wear a watch? Please comment below.