Not over for me I have a bit of an accessories fetish and that wholeheartedly includes a variety of wristwatches. I actually swoon over them at Fossil regularly. There I can get lots of metal finishes and style for very reasonable prices that hold up more than decently.

I have a purple watch I really like but it stopped running and I feel bad about putting a new battery in it when I rarely wear it. Just leaving it ticking in my jewelry box feels wasteful. On the other hand wearing it nonfunctionally seems a bit silly.

I wear a watch every single day - I have four. That's how I tell the time. Wrist watches will never be over for me. I can't handle taking out my phone to check the time.

I love my watches --from my prized antique to my newest glow in the dark number. I often work where cell service is poor or nonexistent, AND I'm a creature of habit: I put my watch and glasses on first thing in the morning, even though that means I have to take them off to shower ten minutes later! And really, I couldn't possibly turn down a legitimate opportunity to add another accessory.

Another fun discussion! I stopped wearing one for a year or two there, but am back into it now. I have several that I consider beautiful and that I love to wear. I so sick of seeing people constantly checking their phones in meetings, while at restaurants, in conversations etc. I agree with all those who feel it more discreet - and it's a heck of a lot easier than pulling out a phone . Wearing a watch again has broken me of that horrible habit of always checking my phone.

I now wear fewer accessories as a beautiful and strong looking watch makes a great statement.

WOW. I hit a nerve! Lots of emphatically pro-watch people here.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating that we get rid of watches. They can be beautiful accessories. But maybe this is the wrong place to ask "if watches are over". What I mean by that is, will watches eventually disappear in the future? Will they become quaint, charming relics of a bygone era? Like the pocket watch? You still see those, but they are definitely not mainstream. They have a retro, steampunk vibe.

I would probably get a more accurate answer by looking at young people. Women above a certain age (myself included) were around before mobile phones, and are more likely to have got used to wearing watches. This forum has a pretty broad representation of age groups. Also, I wonder what the response would be if I asked the question to a random group of women (as opposed to women on a fashion forum)? I'm guessing that the average woman here is particularly interested in fashion, and thus more likely to collect accessories and wear a watch for reasons of style.

There are lots of strong opinions about how it's rude to check your phone. Interesting. I don't find it so. If a person checks his watch or checks his phone, I see it either way. Checking your watch is slightly more subtle, but humans are pretty perceptive. Even a quick downward glance at the wrist is easily seen. I do think that texting or web-surfing on a phone can be either rude (if you do it when supposed to be interacting face-to-face with people) or dangerous (if you're driving).

Another here who wears watches daily (doesn't feel right when I skip it!). And I do use mine to check the time over my phone; I don't keep my phone in my pockets and don't really care to have it nearby all the time, so it can be a chore to use it for my sole time keeping purposes. If I had more money to spend on a good watch, I'd love to get a proper wind-up vintage watch.

As to whether the wrist watch disappears? I doubt it, though perhaps they'll become less common. But have you seen some of the new smart watches? REALLY cool, especially that one that's out/almost out with a round face. Sure, it's limited to Android phone users, but still something I hope continues developing.

I wear a watch every day. I think it says a lot about me without me having to actually say anything - sort of like my handbag, or the type of shoes I wear.

I don't like pulling out my phone all the time to check what time it is, and I find it annoying when other people do (especially people around my age). A lot of my peers though wear watches because we all use them as self-expression. It says a lot about you if you're wearing a Cartier Tank (one of my bosses) vs. the plastic $12 Timex watch from Walmart (another one of my bosses).

I dislike wearing watches, but there are some situations where it is rude or unseemly to "check" one's phone, so wearing a watch is imperative. I substitute teach at school, and it is crucial to know the time when one has a classroom outdoors for some reason, but it would be inappropriate to check the phone instead. So I own two watches and normally wear one when I am at school.

Lyn, what do you mean by "people your age"? I'm not sure how old you are, but you're certainly younger than me. Is it more annoying if I, a woman in my 40s, check my phone to see the time, or if a 20-year-old checks her phone?

Echo, don't they have clocks on the walls at school?

If I wear a watch, it's because it looks good with the rest of my arm party :-). I use my phone to find out the time.

I see your point about watches someday being phased out as unneeded or old fashioned. Unless they are somehow being integrated with technology, I could see how that could happen.

Loving this watch topic!

Hi back to Dianthus - I bet you have more than one la mer watch by now - they are so much fun.

JAileen I get what you mean about the phone...I totally love to toss it aside once I get home.

Aziraphale - one thing I like about watches as well is the second hand - you can time something without pushing a button (for example checking your pulse). Also, a watch is handier than a phone for timing yourself during a swim or run. So I don't see them becoming obsolete, although maybe the phone will become a wrist-borne item. Like an mp3.

I love my wristwatch, but I keep losing it because I'm not allowed to wear it in production. Arghh!

My boyfriend has one of those Pebble Android smartwatches - he seems to like it.

I like wrist watches and sometimes wear a boyfriend watch. However, I spend the majority of the day on a computer and have had significant wrist pain over the past few years off and on. Ergonomics help, and I have wrist braces (though hope to avoid having to wear them again!) I usually have to take a watch off when I type to avoid extra pressure/pain.

I wear a watch every day as jewelry and as a timepiece. I love my watches. LOVE.

I just asked DD (22) and she wears her Michael Kors watch unless she is babysitting at the beach, and her SO wears his watch every day ("It's one of his 'four' when he leaves the apartment: phone, keys, wallet, watch."). When she thinks of her friends who are transitioning from college to jobs, she said most seem to be wearing watches, both as jewelry and as timepieces -- although some still rely on their phones.

So I don't know if they are dying out. I think Michael Kors has done a lot to revive watches among women, and there are a lot of cool styles out there for guys too.

My son has never worn one but is talking about getting one. Fashion will keep them around for awhile but I sense they are waning.

I adore watches and see them as a piece of jewellery. I wear one daily and find it much easier to check the time on it than having to dig in my bag looking for my phone! X

Another thought: it's more practical for me to wear a watch now that I have a dog with me a lot (My pup accompanies me to work most of the time.) wrangling a purse and laptop backpack on my shoulders is enough when I have her on leash; pulling out a phone can be impractical, even dangerous, when walking through the city with her during our commute.

My husband and I love our Swiss watches. They are a beautiful as a time piece and as an accessory. After my diamond wedding band my watch is my favourite and most expensive piece of jewellery. My sons on the other hand, have nice watches that we bought for auspicious milestones in their lives, and they go largely unworn. They always use their iPhones.....which are basically glued to their hands anyway!! Ha!! Personally I find it easier to look at my wrist than to rummage in my bag for my phone to know the time. There is a decline in watch purchases globally but hopefully they will always be an option. In fact I was reading an article recently about upcoming iPhones that are worn as watches!

A few years ago, it seemed that everyone around here had stopped wearing watches. (In fact, I checked to see if this was an old thread that had resurfaced.) I started to wonder if wearing a watch was making me look old! But now, with the whole "big watch" trend, I'm seeing them again, and even on young people. So no. I don't think their popularity is waning at the moment.

I keep my phone in my clutch when I'm out, so it's much easier to check the time on my wrist watch than to unfasten my purse and fish out my phone. I imagine it's much easier to check the time on your phone if you keep your phone in your back pocket at all times, but I don't always have a back pocket so I've never gotten into that habit.

I love wrist watches. I use a cell phone because it is necessary. I do not tell time with my phone. I tell time with my watch. I have some beautiful watches and I will always wear them.

I have one watch, a DKNY, that I wear. I had originally bought it in Australia, as I was tired of buying cheap watches that always broke down. One day, I lost it, and sadly went to the Bay to buy a new watch. As luck would have it, they had the same style!, and it was on sale! I was so worried that someone would buy it before the sales person came to me. I use it as both jewellery and a timekeeper. I never think to use my phone, unless I forgot to wear my watch. http://m.fhinds.co.uk/Watches/.....36713.html

I prefer glancing at my wrist vs. digging out my phone. I now use watches as accessories, esp. after I figured out that ordering watch batteries on Amazon is so much cheaper than a drug store or watch place. Doh!

I wear a watch most days, even though I am constantly surrounded by electronics that can also tell me the time. If I'm out and about it's sort of a pain to dig my phone or ipad out, and even if I am sitting at the computer (which has a clock right there in the corner!) I am still prone to glancing at my watch.

This is a really interesting discussion. I got used to wearing a digital watch all the time because of working in the lab - I am obsessive about hand washing because of potential hazards in the lab and don't like to touch my phone without washing my hands first. I also don't see how I could possibly use a phone to check the time while teaching - a watch is much better for this. On the other hand, I see my students carry their phones with them all the time, including in the lab.

So while I feel like there are practical reasons for people in some occupations to keep using wristwatches (aside from lab workers, I would think of landscaping, construction, teachers, customer-facing occupations) but on the other hand I too wonder if they will gradually just disappear...

I love to wear watches sometimes for the jewelry aspect, but something in my body chemistry kills the batteries extremely fast. So I wear watches that don't work. This has led to rather confusing exchanges with strangers who wanted to know the time... I should probably give up watches, but I think some of them are really cool and most people can't tell at a glance that the time is all messed up!

Yes- I like to wear my watch when I am going out. I feel 'dressed' with it.
At work I don't carry my phone, and I agree that taking out a mobile phone is fiddly and obtrusive at times!

I wear a watch on work days. It is rude and distracting to take put your phone to check the time in meetings. I also wear one if I am going to be outside. It is hard to see the time at the park in the direct sun. And, a lot easier to not drop my watch than my phone.