Are wristwatches still viable in [currentYear] given that smartphones exist?

Are watches still considered viable? In what situation would anyone want a watch when they already have a phone.
A phone does everything a watch does without cluttering your wrist.
Some watches that are 100% mechanical are cool and could theoretically last forever if maintained properly, but they have trash accuracy compared to quartz time keeping. Even ignoring the fact that accuracy past minutes is just splitting hairs.

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There are some amazing looking mechanical ones out there, but for the most part nobody here in [currentYear] really needs them. I havent needed to look at time outside of a computer screen or my smartphone for at least a decade plus. We even have access to internet time for 99% of situations where some gov-pc sends out time.

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ghermann

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I think they're only viable as a fashion accessory at this pont, because whatever pratical use they used to have has been replaced by the smartphone. There are now "smartwatches" like the Apple watch that are pretty much just a mini smartphone on your wrist. Wristwatches have been kind of relegated to a novelty now. I remember seeing the inside of a Swiss watch for the first time when I was really young, and thinking that it must be some magic because of how small and intricately put together the parts were, how they moved perfectly together, and how if even one part was broken or missing the whole thing would stop working. I don't feel that type of wonder when I look at the inside of an Apple watch. It's just wires and batteries and signals moving in the air. It's not as real, I guess. It's just another screen to look at.
 
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half.coffee

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"What time is it? Hold on, let me reach into my aggressively branded cargo joggers and extract the half a laptop I keep within arms reach at all times in order to stave off anything approaching introspection. Just a quick fingerprint/corneal scan and ... hmm, doesn't seem to be working. Let me trace a series of runes on its surface such that it may reveal its secrets to us. No, I don't feel that we've somehow regressed past pocket watches, why do you ask?"
 

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Regal

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I am a watch collector so am biased.

Others have mentioned fashion which is a big part of it. The other thing nobody talks about in the "fashion" conversation is that watches (and wedding rings) are the only jewelry men can wear without people making a big deal out of it.

Other thoughts are about immediacy. Time is important to me for work, travel, etc. I just want to get the time and move on.

Phones are also a distraction. No distractions with a watch. The less times I have to touch my phone the better.

Lastly, battery. Some watches don't require batteries. Other watch batteries last 5+ years. Can't say that for phones. One less thing I need to charge.
 

Regal

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Post some of your collection. Do it! I need some inspo.
Sure! A handful of these are too old to actually wear, but this is them. The Seiko at the top is the one I mainly wear. Not pictured is a Rolex I assume to be fake and a Casio dw5600e
 

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Fig

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Absolutely, I love my seiko. My dad is the one who got me into watches and frankly I think (at least as a fashion piece) they'll be viable forever. They're also cool to pass down to later generations!!
 
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I bought this one for $13 some 8 years ago and it still is fully operational and on its original battery. The strap broke 2 years into that and it sat in a drawer for the remaining time. I am thinking of wearing it again until it's battery finally runs out.
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r_7

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I have a F-91WC in a translucent blue that I adore. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casio_F-91W (I have many other watches including an omega, but oddly this is my favorite and like.. significantly cheaper)

I actually prefer a timepeice that isn't dependent on some timeserver from some place I have no control over, call me paranoid... I'll add, not needing a battery is also a serious plus in the case of ones that operate that way...
 
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Orlando Smooth

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I wear a smartwatch every day because I have reason to have a baseline amount of concern about my heart health, and the blood pressure, heart rate, etc., features of modern smart watches are surprisingly good. I'm also willing to admit that I'm smooth brained enough to be motivated by the gameification of exercise and step counts, so I appreciate that it helps me stay active. Once I started wearing it several years ago, I pretty quickly realized how much less I was looking at my phone. How many times do you go to check the time, your calendar, the status of a shipment, etc., and all of the sudden you've been scrolling for 30 minutes? Wearing a watch made me much more likely to leave the phone in a backpack, in the other room, or just generally in a less accessible place.

This leaves me at a crossroads though. I have a Bulova that was a gift, and would like to have a nice Seiko or something like that, but then I'm eliminating a good portion of what attracts me to the smart watch (health and fitness). I could look like some kind of weirdo by wearing a watch on each wrist (once had a boss that did this), but that's not really my vibe. If there was an alternative wearable that got me those benefits, I would snatch it up in a heartbeat and wear nice watches. And as pointed out by @Regal, it's basically the only jewelry that men can wear in professional settings and not have it be weird. I guess the only other pieces would be wedding rings and cuff links.
 
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Jessica3cho雪血⊜青意

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I can check the time in a fraction of a glance with a wristwatch without moving my hands from whatever task they may be busy with. Wristwatches are far superior to phones for telling time.
 
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RisingThumb

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Are watches still considered viable? In what situation would anyone want a watch when they already have a phone.
Batteries, phones are more demanding in this regard. What situations? In water, in the wilds, in any situation you can check your wrist, but not pull out a giant rectangular block in needing use of both hands.
Even ignoring the fact that accuracy past minutes is just splitting hairs.
IT IS TERRIBLY INCORRECT TO SAY IT IS JUST SPLITTING HAIRS. It is correct to say most people do not need accuracy past minutes, and even further more correct to say they don't need accuracy past seconds. Accurate time measurement is why the British had such a strong navy during the Victorian period- by using something called a "Chronometer"(name coming from combining chrono, the greek word of time, and meter for measuring). This is because Longitude cannot be easily devised in methods other than accurate time measurement. Without being able to accurately get your latitude, you cannot accurately postion yourself when on the ocean, and if you cannot accurately position yourself, you put yourself at a great risk of missing your target destination, or worse, wrecking your vessel by crashing it(affects general citizens on boats, as well as trade and navy use. Also affects militaries keeping a strict timeline for their operations).

That is to say, accuracy past minutes isn't just splitting hairs, but there's enough situations where you would want accuracy past minutes. Accurate timing of how long things take can be another aspect. I don't know how a speedometer works, but I wouldn't be surprised if part of it is taking time measurements, and distance measurements(similarly for other measurements involving time, like cooking food precisely).
I stopped wearing watches of any kind the moment mobile phones became a thing. Besides I always found them uncomfortable at my hand.
Most watches use a rubber strap to go around your wrist, with holes to set a certain tightness. In my experience, rubber just irritates the wrist, is terribly inflexible, and the tightness "holes" of it were always uncomfortable, in the same way that leather belts with punched holes are usually too tight or too loose. I'm of the opinion Perlon straps are superior, as the fabric doesn't agitate the skin as much, and the strap has no predetermined holes, so will fit exactly as tightly as you want it. Perlon straps also exist for belt-form, which is what I always use for belts as I have this same issue with belts(holes punched every inch, or not enough holes punched into leather belts have historically been an issue with me needing to punch my own holes in other belts). A watch is useful in situations where using a phone is either really stupid, infeasible or wasteful(out in the woods, driving, or just generally out and about without a phone).

In general watches made for mass-consumer use, like those made by Casio, tend to be uncomfortable to wear out of the box without getting a different strap. A lot of their actual watch faces also tend to be bulky as hell.
 
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pronoundisrespecter

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The wristwatch does one thing, and does it well. The cellphone does multiple things at the same time (as well as calling, which most younger people don't even do). Most people also lack the discipline to resist having their phones turn into a clutch they turn to whenever they're bored or in an awkward situation.
I think it's nifty that smartphones can do things like tell you the time, or take notes, or play music, and it's cool from a technological aspect that we can shove all those things into one thing (a computer), combine it with a telephone, and make it small enough to carry with you. However I personally enjoy the simplicity of carrying a watch, and a notepad on me, just having things that are good at what they do and aren't also surveillance device bricks looking silly stuffed in my pocket.
 
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Mew

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i wear a smartwatch that way it isn't obsoleted by my phone it replaces it :SataniaThumbsUp:
 
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