Friday, August 08, 2014

Somebody Please By Me a Rolex — How To Choose The Right Watch





Summer of Change

I’ve been writing a little about my experiences with what I call The Summer of Change. (You can catch up on the serieshere, here and here. )


One of the other things I’ve had to change this summer was finding a new watch. For many years, I always tried to have the latest and greatest watch available — usually several varieties — and wore them all the time. Then a couple of years ago, — Boom! — I just stopped wearing one altogether.

·      I didn’t like the way it felt on my arm.
·      I figured didn’t really need a watch since I have a cell phone
·      I didn’t like the concept of time.

For the last couple of years, I didn’t even keep up with the time on my phone because I didn’t really buy into the concept of time.

All We Have Is Now
Physicists over the last 150 years or so have sort of debunked time. It really doesn’t exist, at least in the way we think about it. Einstein wrote a paper about time and how weird it is called the Special Theory of Relativity.

The guys at Physics Minute did a nice job of explaining here:





Time is relative. And it’s relative in your life too. Tomorrow is already gone. Tomorrow will never come. All we have is “Now.”

So I didn’t need some gizmo to tell me it was “now.” Thus, I didn’t need a watch.

Also, to me having a watch meant answering to The Man. I didn’t like The Man. I didn’t want to be a slave to The Man. I was The Man.

But in all honestly, I wasn’t The Man, I was a jerk.

Maybe you’ve experienced the same thing. But here’s the problem.  

The world we live in runs on time.

The Man and most other people, who are going to do nice things for you like make your latte and sell you Big Macs or do something simple like pay you, are all running on time.

So in the Summer of Change, I needed a new watch.

Do You Really Need A Watch?

The short answer is yes. Yes, you do. You need a watch. I’m not talking about your cell phone, I’m talking about a timepiece on your wrist. And here are 3 reasons why.

1. It’s part of your fashion statement. A watch is part of who you are. It’s one of those items that you wear that says, “Hey, this guy pays attention to the details.” It’s a nice addition to any outfit from going to the gym to business casual to boardroom attire.

2. It’s easier than digging around in your pocket. You don’t want to be continually fishing around in your pocket for a cell phone. Plus, if you are like me, you are concerned about battery life. My cell phone usually lasts all day unless I do something crazy like make a phone call or text somebody or try to use Google maps. Then it lasts about an hour.
Get a watch.
3. The rest of the world runs on time. It’s time for you to face facts. The rest of the world runs on time. Even though next week doesn’t exist, that job interview you’ve been waiting for is scheduled for then. Don’t obsess over next week’s appointment or last week’s failure — live in the now — but keep a watch around just in case The Man wants to throw more money your way.

Tips For Picking Out a Nice Watch:

1.     Pick a watch that’s classy — I know their current trend in watches is the giant watch face that looks like a grandfather clock on your wrist. Buy one of those if you wish. But also get one that will you can wear to meet your new mentor, who understands a little class.

2.     Pick a watch that’s timeless — Buy a cheap trendy watch if you must, but get a nice watch or two that will still be stylish 40 years from now.

3.     Pick a watch that costs as much as you can afford — A watch is an investment, an heirloom. It doesn’t have to be a Rolex, but if you can afford one why not?

4.     Pick a watch and wear it.


Now it’s your turn. Do you wear a watch? Do you think a timepiece on your wrist is important or do are you satisfied with your cell phone? Let us know in the comments section. Please be sure to leave a comment. And if you like The Summer of Change series, why don’t you share it on Twitter or somewhere you hang out. And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter here.

Oh wow, look at the time. I better be going.


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