If I Could Save Time in a Wristwatch

I have a brand new watch that is almost worthless as a timepiece, but wasn’t cheap. It has a crystal front and back that lets you see the mechanisms at work. Since there is no clock face, however, it is a little difficult to read. Not only that, but it has to be hand-wound everyday . . . and it runs down quickly.

Several years ago the demise of wristwatches was predicted. The killers of watches was cell phones, pads, and electronic books that show the time. Actually, the article I read acted like watches were so obsolete no one was buying them any more and the demise was a “fait accompli.” Not so. They are still selling.

Why choose a watch over a cellphone? Actually, I do have a cell, but I mostly use it for verbal communication and finding crossword puzzle clue words. Besides, I’m shy and self-conscious, at meetings and concerts, and other events when I want to know the time. If it’s semi-dark the glow of my cell tells people I’m not paying attention. Pulling the cell out of my pocket and checking the time seems a little rude. With a wristwatch, however I can check the time by just glancing casually down at my wrist. There is no glow and no one is disturbed.

But why then do I have a watch that is almost useless for reading? The answer is esoteric. James Bond likes driving cars with stick shifts, because he likes being in control. I control my watch. Winding reminds me that relationships need at least some effort every single day. Watching the gears and spring in motion whispers that time is fleeting. We can’t create time, we can only see it passing. Not being able to see the hands tells me that there are many unapparent things happening . . . and time, like motives is often hidden and hard to understand.

Best of all, if I do nothing, and don’t even wind my watch, I can still be right twice a day.