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Why do you wear a tool watch?

6K views 106 replies 89 participants last post by  eho 
#1 ·
At the risk of sounding provocative, I do not understand the popularity of divers, pilot watches, driving watches, etc.
Unless you are a diver, etc, why would you actually wear one??

Fine, I can see how the rotating bezel can be used as an egg timer, and it's good to have a waterproof watch if you ever take a swim with it, or forget to take it off in the shower...
But whoever uses a tachymeter? Or does anyone ever rely on their watch as a rudimentary compass?

My feeling is that the nature of truly utilatarian watches has been corrupted, and that this corruption has given birth to a somewhat dubious aesthetics - a bastard child if you will...

There is a certain irony to the fact that what in other times would have been relatively cheap, rugged and functional tools designed to take a beating have now become luxury items!
 
#2 ·
At the risk of sounding provocative, I do not understand the popularity of divers, pilot watches, driving watches, etc.
Unless you are a diver, etc, why would you actually wear one??
Because it's fun. Watches are allowed to be fun.

Do you really think anyone buys a watch with a leap-year indicator, or moon phase, or 500m of water resistance because they will use the feature? Of course not. It's because it's fun to look down at your wrist and see that you have this cool little specialized machine.
 
#6 ·
Conversely the designs of many high end dress watches are boring to me. Call it a classic or perfection all you want but the Patek Calatrava bores me to tears.

I also can't fathom why some people can't seem to understand that some people have different tastes than them.
 
#8 ·
Because form follows function is appealing. A fancy gold watch with a decorated movement, blued hands and patterned dial can look beautiful but wearing it every day is just too much I think. I mean look at the graphic design nowadays. Material design is the trend because it's easy on the eyes. Same with tool watches. They have very legible dials. They are durable. They go with pretty much every outfit. They are perfect for daily wear.
 
#19 ·
I can totally undertsand that but with tool watches, the watch's aesthetics are somewhat limited by its intended function... Diving watches have common characteristics which limit the creativity of the designer.
Personally, it bothers me wearing a watch that screams I am a pilot, when I'm not.
 
#14 ·
Because I'm a tool - duh. Well, that's what my friends say.
 
#16 ·
For me it's the utilitarian nature of the tool that attracts me. Whether it's a diver or chrono (or gun or sauté pan or kitchen knife or wrench) it's the function that gets my interest first. If someone can take a tool and make it beautiful, like a Rolex Sub or Omega Speedmaster, that's a bonus. And that explains why my small collection includes a Marathon GSAR, CSAR and Rolex Sub.

Frankly, I don't quite understand why someone would choose something beautiful but functionally superfluous over something that was beautiful and utilitarian. I guess that's why a diving bezel seems infinitely more attractive to me than a moon phase complication.
 
#17 ·
Maybe for the same reason I like having a 500+ HP car..........I just simply like it!
 
#22 ·
At the risk of sounding provocative, I do not understand the popularity of divers, pilot watches, driving watches, etc.
Unless you are a diver, etc, why would you actually wear one??
The easy legibility of pilots watches also work great on motorcycles :-!
 
#24 ·
I like pilot watches because of the high contrast and easy readability you usually find with them. That's pretty practical.

I think for most people, watch companies have found that they can sell a lifestyle by styling a watch a certain way. Ultimately, they're all devices that tell the time, but if you can mix in a sense of adventure people will feel much more passionately about the product.
 
#26 ·
Why do I wear a tool watch? Because I'm a tool, duh!
;)

I get your point. That's one of the things that makes "affordable" watches more attractive to me. I think they're more honestly priced, but that's a discussion for another day. We all buy what we feel most comfortable with.
 
#28 ·
I do not understand the popularity of divers, pilot watches, driving watches, etc.
Why is understanding important to you? If you don't understand the basic premise of different strokes for different folks, is there an explanation that will satisfy you? And what will that change in your life? Maybe you're just bored and can't think of anything else better to contemplate, so you just made something up on the fly to pass the time. Not to be provocative, but I don't understand why you would wonder about such a thing as why people like different watches.

Oh! In answer to your question. I have a dive watch because I dive, but I don't use it to dive. I use a dive computer when I dive and a dive watch the rest of the time. Makes perfect sense to me.
 
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