Bye, Bye Watch, Thank You Cellular!

A social phenomenon maybe in the making due in part to the deployment of intelligent cellular devices. The death of the wrist watch. Connect the dots. This going on for the last 3 weeks on Amazon vs this observation over at Instapundit –

YESTERDAY’S POST on the ongoing phenomenon of watch markdowns led some readers to wonder if it’s driven by a change in behavior. Reader Chris Arfaa writes:

I suspect the frequency of watch sales is a result of a decline in watch wearing. I rarely use a watch, relying on the clock on my mobile phone. While I seem to be an exception in my age group (45), younger generations – those who grew up with mobile phones – seem not to wear watches. Wrist watches qua wrist watches may go the way of day planners and non-wireless PDAs (other items of personal technology whose functions are now built into the mobile phone).

And another reader emails: “I asked my son about a possible watch as a gift for his girlfriend. Both are late teens while I’m from the age of dinosaurs. He said no one wears them anymore because they just rely on their cellphones. Perhaps that might be one reason for the big watch sale?”

Yeah, my daughter is in the same boat. I try not to carry my cellphone with me all the time — not because I’m worried about infertility (at this point, I’m not sure if that’s a bug, or a feature), but because I don’t like the interruptions that come with carrying a cellphone that’s turned on. But when you’re texting your friends 24/7, the attitude’s different. Of course, once cellphones are small enough to go on your wrist, we may come full circle . . . .

Both my son (26) and step-daughter (20) are sans wristwatch. I know for a fact that my daughter does not even care for a watch as she admits to using the cellphone clock exclusively. Back in the late 70’s, then 80’s as technology changed the nature of timekeeping intially the swiss were taken back and had to retool. But that was a metaphor of improved time keeping. This time it is a case of outright replacement of one form subsumed as a sub-function in a larger context of wireless communications. I have to admit not having to change your clock settings as you march across times zones is a nice little benefit.

The watchmakers revenge? How about a cellular on a key fob with Bulova stamped on it? Use is via a Bluetooth earpiece and it announces the hour thru a text to speech dsp on the ‘watch’.

Linky.