WATCH THE TIME

It would seem that today our wrist watches are no longer considered a necessity to tell time.  Glance at your cell phone or laptop and tiny digital clocks appear to tell you what time of day it is.  Are wrist watches more of a status symbol now?  I like wrist watches for the same reason I like books better than e-books.

Back in the 16th century wrist watches were called wristlets and only women wore wristlets.  Men turned up their noses at them.  They liked pocket watches--more of a manly thing. They were quoted as saying they “would sooner wear a skirt as wear a wrist watch.”  Apparently, they didn't ask the Scots.

During the 19th century soldiers discovered pocket watches were not useful in wartime situations.  They were awkward to carry and clumsy to operate in combat.  Hence the birth of wrist watches for men. 

After World War 1 came the demand for reliable, accurate wrist watches.  Companies were improving technologies and introducing new models to keep up with the demand.

I’ve loved watches since I was old enough to tell time.  I bought my first wrist watch from a pawn shop.  It was a Lord Elgin and pre-quartz.  I still have it.

Another “keeper” was a Dueber-Hampton watch made in Canton, Ohio in 1918.  It still runs but very sporadically.

Watches take the place of bracelets for me.  Over the years there have been a lot of them. Too many.  

Everything from the Lord Elgin on up.  I’ve given a lot of them away. In my late 70’s how many watches do I need?  

I can’t recall my mother ever wearing a wrist watch or my father either.  We had a huge clock in the kitchen above the “icebox”.  That must have sufficed.

As long as there are beautiful and pricey watches out there to be had I wouldn’t expect them to be obsolete any time soon.

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Next Post, Next Monday.

Thanks for stopping by!

Joan