Watch or Apple Watch

Ben Brooks's grandmother gifted him his late grandfather's watch. He stopped using his Apple Watch shortly after.

Pick up my wrist, and I see a fine timepiece which is never in a hurry to tell me what to do but always there no matter how I pick up my wrist or glance at the screen.

It turns out; the best watch is an actual watch.

Who knew…The Wrist

I wanted an Apple Watch. But I found myself contriving reasons I need it. I would use it to get notifications from CGMS via my iPhone. I would use it to track my activity. But ... those reasons never felt compelling. There was something missing.

I remember telling my wife "No" when she asked if I wanted an Apple Watch for my 50th birthday. To me, a watch is more than just a timepiece. It's a family heirloom. A watch doesn't have to be expensive to fit that nostalgic image. It just has to be something that reminds you of that person.

When I was a boy, my father wore a Seiko 5 Automatic. It wasn't expensive. At least, I don’t think it was. As a boy, I loved trying on that watch. I loved the heft of it. It was solid. It did not have a battery but was wound by movement my Dad made as he moved. I was fascinated by the way that works. A watch that stored kinetic energy. I always hoped that one day my Dad would give me his watch, but he chose to give it to my younger brother. I am ok with that. Dad gave me the Asahi Optical Co. Pentax Spotmatic II he used to take photos on our family vacations and many explorations around Bequia, St. Lucia, Barbados, and St. Vincent.

That camera has sentimental value to me. It is associated with memories of my youth and my Dad and the happy childhood spent on the beach. To set the record straight, my Dad is very much alive and will be for many years to come.

For me, what the Apple Watch lacks is that intimate connection to people and memories. It feels like electronics. Electronics, unless they are old shortwave radios, don't have that same feeling to me. Electronics outgrow their usefulness, especially electronics that must be updated via software. I don't see anyone passing on an Apple Watch in the same way as Ben describes in his post.

Author: Khürt Williams

A human who works in information security and enjoys photography, Formula 1 and craft ale. #nobridge

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