Media is full of wearables these days. And that’s OK. We’re doing social and technology experiments of which some will fail and some will succeed. Our lives are going to be integrated with technology even more in the future, in one way or another; it’s inevitable. That’s why I’m not going to write about Android Wear, Apple Watch, Pebble or some other gadget. I will write about my dumb analog watch. And it’s going to be subjective and personal, so be prepared.
Most people had dumped their watches when they started carrying mobile phones years ago. And it makes perfect sense for majority of people. So why do I insist on wearing one? I’m very punctual and knowing the exact time is very important to me; it’s easier, quicker and more socially acceptable to use a watch for that purpose than a phone. I’ve also worn it since I was a very, very young, so it’s a habit, not denying it. But the biggest reason why I really love my watch is that I have it for six years now and I’ve never changed the battery and never corrected its time. Yes, six years without intervention and that’s almost since the first iPhone was unveiled.
The watch has solar cells so it recharges automatically when I’m outside and receives a radio signal every night if I’m in Europe, USA or Japan, which sets it to the correct time. I don’t have to think about it—it just works. In that regard it’s really a rare piece of technology.
Every other modern wrist gadget provides a lot of distractions and/or requires a lot of attention, either daily recharging or some other device that enables it to function properly. They are almost like Tamagotchi and we all know how that ended.
The real estate on my wrist is scarce. For something else to replace my dumb watch, it has to match current functionality, at least to a point, and then add some extra value. There will come a time when this will be true. But not yet.