Like VCRs and face-to-face communication, watches have lost their importance in modern life. We've got cell phones to tell us the time, not to mention our computers, tablets and whatever other gadgets the kids are carrying these days.
But we remain firm believers that watches are still worth wearing. Here's why.
It's rude to check your phone all the time.
Chefs at restaurants hate it, brides hate it and your mother definitely hates it. Peeking at your phone in the middle of something important, whether it be a date, a wedding or an interview, is often bad form. A watch makes it much easier to check the time on the sly.
With watches, you can check the time hands-free.
Got your hands full of shopping bags, books or, um, shopping bags? Checking the time on your phone is going to be difficult. Watches to the rescue.
Sometimes, you just don't want to bring your phone with you.
It's already a struggle to tear ourselves away from email, texting and all the other distracting features on our small screens (Candy Crush, anyone?), so it can be freeing to leave your phone at home. When all you need is to check the time, your phone just isn't necessary.
You feel "naked without it."
After years of wearing a watch, many people grow attached. Feeling "naked" without your timepiece is a common feeling, and it's not a bad one. Own it.
It makes it look like you put effort into getting dressed that morning.
Cleverly layering on necklaces, bracelets or rings can complete an outfit, but it also takes effort. (Hey, we're lazy.) But strapping on a watch makes an outfit feel complete -- in just jeans and a tee, the addition of a watch makes it look like you tried.
Unlike the rest of your work wardrobe, it's acceptable to go wild with watches.
Neon colors or risqué logos usually don't fly in the office, but watches are one small item with with you likely have free reign. A colorful face, a shiny band, even playful fonts for the numbers -- your supervisor would be hard pressed to get you in trouble for style statements as small as that.
The kind of watch you wear becomes a part of your identity.
As one of our editors admitted recently, "I needed a Michele watch when I was a teenager." Like handbags, watches are highly visual symbols of status, association and identity. Just think about the business man you see wearing a Rolex vs. the hipster you see with the Casio gold digital watch -- each one says something about the wearer, intentionally or not.
Grown-ups wear watches.
Getting your first watch as a kid was a milestone because it meant something real: You had finally learned to tell time. (Extra points if it was an analog watch, not digital.) As an adult, wearing a watch just feels grown-up.
Great watches for men (that women can probably pull off, too):