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I own an Apple Watch, and before, I wore regular watches...

  • Never

    Votes: 49 14.1%
  • Not since I got a cell phone

    Votes: 50 14.4%
  • I've got one that I wear on special occasions

    Votes: 25 7.2%
  • I've only worn fitness watches lately (Garmin, Suunto, Polar, etc)

    Votes: 27 7.8%
  • I've got a daily beater

    Votes: 89 25.6%
  • I have a regular rotation

    Votes: 70 20.2%
  • People look at me funny when I say how many I've got

    Votes: 37 10.7%

  • Total voters
    347
Stopped wearing a watch once i was always carrying a mobile phone, so since 1998. Apple watch has changed this as it does more than tell the time the same as a modern mobile phone does more than just make phone calls.
 
I pretty much feel naked without a watch on. I have one that is waterproof for canoeing etc, I have a dress watch, I have my daily timex, and I have the apple watch (that I now wear daily in place of the timex). I don't have much urge to change them up on a regular basis but different situations will require a different one,
 
Your selections are missing a key option. I chose daily beater, but the watch I wore every day wasn't a beater... it was a nice watch.. but I wore that one every day, 24x7 before getting my Apple Watch. Now I just wear the Apple Watch.

Yeah, "daily driver" would be a better term that covers both.
 
Arni99, your OP Date looks like it was made yesterday. Great find.

Guys, can I edit the poll to say "daily driver" or "daily wearer" without losing the data?
 
I responded that I have a daily beater. I wore the same Citizen watch for years, because I bought a second one just like it on sale so that if and when the first died, I'd have a replacement (I loved it that much). When the second one died, I actually found a small-faced watch at Michael Kors that was very similar, so I bought it. That's what I was wearing (and still have) when I bought my Apple Watch.

For me the only thing that has taken some getting used to with the Apple Watch is having to wear it more snugly; I have always liked my watches to fit a little more like bracelets.
 
I have quite a few Invicta watches and a Movado ESQ. The missus even bought me a fancy watch box. It has my initials an all...
 
A followup poll might be:

If you stopped wearing your AW, did you...

- Go back to your regular watches you already owned.
- Bought regular watches to replace the AW.
- Stopped wearing a watch at all.
 
I wore a fitness tracker daily (Nike Fuelband), I own a Pebble but I only wore it whenever I left the house - with the Apple Watch I wear it constantly regardless of where I am. But since getting an Apple Watch I've found it much easier for checking the time. So now even if my watch broke and I never replaced it, I'd start wearing my old Casio G-Shock again.
 
After I said this in the "Show off..." thread,


... the next guy in the thread said to start a poll. So here it is.

I'm not sure whether it's worth our time to further complicate the poll by also asking for non-Apple Watch-owners, so I'll just leave it specifically for those who've gotten one of their own.

Came here through a link…..

I don't wear a watch; haven't done so since the flash waterproof brand name ana-digi model I got back in the early 80's proved better at keeping water in than out when it was just out of warranty. Repair cost a pretty penny, and was unsuccessful, so I chucked it.

I don't own a smart phone, and seldom carry the $20 Nokia I got several years ago because there was no land line to my apartment. Since they strung fibre around the neighbourhood a couple of years ago I have had a reasonably fast internet connection…… but when I leave my desk I prefer to be off-line. When I owned said watch the district I lived in was still a few years away form getting mains electricity, and the nearest phone was about 15 km away. We survived and kept in touch OK.

As a commuter cyclist and otherwise reasonably active, I guess I am moderately fit. I have no desire for a device to tell me how I am doing; I just do it.

I am generally more punctual than most watch wearers. I rely on the environment and what is happening around me, rather than a timepiece to know the time of day.
 
Came here through a link…..

I don't wear a watch; haven't done so since the flash waterproof brand name ana-digi model I got back in the early 80's proved better at keeping water in than out when it was just out of warranty. Repair cost a pretty penny, and was unsuccessful, so I chucked it.

I don't own a smart phone, and seldom carry the $20 Nokia I got several years ago because there was no land line to my apartment. Since they strung fibre around the neighbourhood a couple of years ago I have had a reasonably fast internet connection…… but when I leave my desk I prefer to be off-line. When I owned said watch the district I lived in was still a few years away form getting mains electricity, and the nearest phone was about 15 km away. We survived and kept in touch OK.

As a commuter cyclist and otherwise reasonably active, I guess I am moderately fit. I have no desire for a device to tell me how I am doing; I just do it.

I am generally more punctual than most watch wearers. I rely on the environment and what is happening around me, rather than a timepiece to know the time of day.
So... do you wear a watch now?

[edit] Never mind, I see you said at the beginning of your post that you don't wear a watch.

My intent for the poll was to see how many Watch owners—specifically people who have bought and wear an Watch—already owned, or didn't own, regular watches.

It was mainly because so many questions I've seen on MR and elsewhere, especially within the first few months after the AW's launch, were basic daily-wear questions that most regular watch owners would've already known about. They were questions about how to keep them clean (or why is it so dirty), or how to prevent scratches, ... things like that. Basic Wristwatches 101 stuff.

And, yeah, I was curious how many people were drawn to wearing an Watch even though they don't regularly wear watches. The conventional wisdom about smartwatches includes doubts about the size of the market, with most cynics arguing that not many people wear watches at all anymore -- they get their time from their phones, computer screens, car radios, etc., and if they have anything on their wrist, it's probably just a basic fitness tracker.

I expected that most Watch owners would already be regular watch wearers simply because they're accustomed to wearing watches. In this little poll, I figure that over a third were not regular wearers, which is a larger number than I had suspected.
 
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As per my own thread, I have a Swiss mechanical that I couldn't wear on a daily basis; I found I missed the functionality of the AW.
 
As per my own thread, I have a Swiss mechanical that I couldn't wear on a daily basis; I found I missed the functionality of the AW.

You didn't miss just the functionality. You missed the ease and customization. Two best likes in the Watch in my opinion.
 
Followed your link here from the "main draws of the Apple Watch" thread. I fall into the category that has always worn a watch - just felt weird to be out and about without one. I answered "daily rotation", though I don't have a large collection (and don't chase after timepieces for their rarity, gadgetry, artistry, or cool factor); below is an old pic of my 4 favorites, for different purposes: an old Casio G-Shock (GWM5610, solar powered, "atomic timekeeping", pretty much bulletproof) with strap adapters and one of several Zulu straps, my beloved 42mm Space Gray Sport (series 0, with a 3rd party red Leather Loop), a Marathon "Diver's Quartz Medium" (36mm case, wonderful tritium markers, ridiculously accurate for something with moving parts), and a Mondaine Swiss Railway Watch (36mm diameter, 6.2mm thick, classy, comfortable, clear and easy to read in most lighting conditions).

The G-Shock is mostly for "might get smashed into things" situations, and is the only large-ish watch I have (not a fan of the "dinner plate on your wrist" trend), the Mondaine is lovely and sentimental (my wife had lived in Switzerland for a year, and her family all had Swiss Railway watches) and surprisingly readable; but the Marathon... is the one I'm most sad about not getting to wear more, I really like it. I would never call it a "beater", but it was my daily driver before the Apple Watch, and I've got far too many straps for it. And it's astonishingly accurate for a mechanical device, it gains about half a second a week.

But, these days, the Apple Watch wins, because it's a combination of watch and information device. Being continually sync'd with NTP, it doesn't drift at all, like the others do, and _always_ shows the right date and hour (handling DST and such). So it absolutely wins for effortless timekeeping, and it provides all sorts of information the others don't - notifications, mostly, but also the built-in FitBit-equivalent, calendar display, timers that are easy to read and set, an Authy client for 2FA, and of course Apple Pay. I might be tempted to wear the others more, but the information is handy, and the activity streaks are addictive.

FavoriteWatches.jpg
 
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i have a collection of watches (rolex, IWC, AP) and i haven't worn any of them since i bought the apple watch around thanksgiving. i seriously considered wearing two watches, but i realized that would be lame.

I have rolex, and a couple of others...finding I wear my iwatch 95% of the time.
 
I have rolex, and a couple of others...finding I wear my iwatch 95% of the time.

I have since given away my Apple Watch. I love the convenience, but I couldn't let my mechanicals sit and collect dust. Plus they are real time pieces that I enjoy.
 
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I had a Seiko I purchased in Japan in route on TDY to the PIs in the mid-1970's, lost it on TDY in Germany in 1987. Never wore a watch since, until the 2nd generation Apple Watch. Purchased it for health reasons, to monitor my heart rate on bike rides, and not exceed 150bpm, works great, plus the Strava App. When riding uphill or into a 25mph wind I have a button on my bike I can press which reduces my heart rate to 130. It's an electric Assist Trek xm700+ bike, with a Bosch motor, paired with the Watch it's a life saver. Plus all the other great watch functions and Apps - gps/navigation, phone, messages, email, appointments, etc. 30 years without a watch and now I can't live without it. My wife thinks it's great too, I never ask her what time it is.
 
I'm one of those that just feels weird not having something on my wrist. I've worn a watch daily since I was in elementary school. (Close to thirty years at this point.) My wife gave me a nice metal Seiko analog watch in 2005 when we were dating that I wore for over ten years going through multiple batteries before it finally stopped working. Locally at least no one repairs Seiko watches and I'm not willing to trust shipping a watch with such enormous sentimental value to their repair facility in New Jersey. (One day I'll try again to get it repaired.) Once I discovered that I finally got a Pebble that I wore for a year before getting an AW Sport. Really wish I had just gotten the latter from the beginning.
 
I used to have a regular rotation until I bought my first smartwatch, AW3.

My other watches tell time and some of them have alarm and date function. But AW3 is a computer on the wrist that tells time also. And it doesn't look like a hockey puck. Apple got it right. I don't carry my phone all the time in the house or at work but I wear my watch all the time, so it tracks all of my steps and calories even at night when I am sleeping or sleepwalking. I love it!
 
I feel naked without a watch on. I probably own about 50 watches from $30 Casios to dozens of more costly Omega and Rolex watches (AKA Doc Jekl on a watch forum). I would wear my nice watches on the left with a fitness tracker like a Misfit or a Withings Pulse O2 on the right wrist, and then I got the Apple Watch Series 0 in April 2015.

I needed the Apple Watch so that while walking with crutches or in a wheelchair after a serious car accident in Dec 2014 I could more easily answer calls and check text messages. But I kept wearing my nice mechanical watches on the left wrist still. It's not so bad wearing both since my Apple Watch is a black SS version to stay muted and unremarkable.

People think I'm nuts for having so many watches in my rotation, and for even rotating through them at the same time as wearing an Apple Watch. I got my Series 3 AW with LTE on Friday 9/22 when they came out, handed my Series 2 with GPS down to my son today, and my daughter with get my old Series 1 next weekend (the S1 replaced the S0 that was destroyed in a bike accident).
 
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I have about 3-4 automatics and a couple of retro Casios, which I love. Currently saving up for a big purchase like a Nomos, Sinn, or Grand Seiko. My daily driver is a Hamilton.

While I really want to have an Apple Watch, but I fear once I use one, it’ll displace all my automatics. Somehow this is unacceptable, so I haven’t plunged into the Apple Watch world yet.

Feels like I’m missing out, but there’s also this horrible feeling that after 2-3 years, Apple Watch will need to be replaced. By its essence as a tech marvel, it’s value is in being the cutting edge. Whereas traditional watches carry their value in being something that never changes and can be kept for a long time.

Anyone else feel this way? I’m a watch fan that is kept from getting an Apple Watch because I hate to see a Watch essentially become useless after several years.
 
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I have about 3-4 automatics and a couple of retro Casios, which I love. Currently saving up for a big purchase like a Nomos, Sinn, or Grand Seiko. My daily driver is a Hamilton.

While I really want to have an Apple Watch, but I fear once I use one, it’ll displace all my automatics. Somehow this is unacceptable, so I haven’t plunged into the Apple Watch world yet.

Feels like I’m missing out, but there’s also this horrible feeling that after 2-3 years, Apple Watch will need to be replaced. By its essence as a tech marvel, it’s value is in being the cutting edge. Whereas traditional watches carry their value in being something that never changes and can be kept for a long time.

Anyone else feel this way? I’m a watch fan that is kept from getting an Apple Watch because I hate to see a Watch essentially become useless after several years.

I know exactly what you mean - well said, especially in bold.

I deal with it by wearing both. Right now I've got a Ti Planet Ocean Chronograph on the left, and a Series 3 AW LTE on the right.
 
Since I didn't see any of the choices applicable to me I didn't answer. I have worn a watch regularly for the last 12 years. I got myself a Seiko SKX173 when I got accepted to the Academy and put it through hell for 4 years. When I graduated I got a Suunto Elementum Terra All Black as a graduation present to myself. It is still worn but I mainly wear it in the field since my wife got me an Apple Watch Series 2 last year. It replaced both my Suunto Elementum Terra All Black and Fitbit that I wore together. The only time I don't wear a watch is when I am in a secure area that prohibits it.
 
Since I didn't see any of the choices applicable to me I didn't answer. I have worn a watch regularly for the last 12 years. I got myself a Seiko SKX173 when I got accepted to the Academy and put it through hell for 4 years. When I graduated I got a Suunto Elementum Terra All Black as a graduation present to myself. It is still worn but I mainly wear it in the field since my wife got me an Apple Watch Series 2 last year. It replaced both my Suunto Elementum Terra All Black and Fitbit that I wore together. The only time I don't wear a watch is when I am in a secure area that prohibits it.

You were probably a combination of these three, if you count two watches as a rotation - you went from a daily beater Seiko to a Suunto + fitbit "lately", and maybe rotated those with the Seiko before the Apple Watch:


  1. I've only worn fitness watches lately (Garmin, Suunto, Polar, etc)
    14 vote(s)
    5.1%

  2. I've got a daily beater
    75 vote(s)
    27.5%

  3. I have a regular rotation
    57 vote(s)
    20.9%
 
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Yeah, USAF2008, either "just fitness watches lately" or "daily beater".

I notice now that there's some overlap between "fitness watches" and "daily beater" since it's entirely normal to wear a fitness watch (like your Suunto) every day. My original intent behind that category was to have a slot for people who'd wear a fitness watch only for workouts and then leave it off the rest of the day.
 
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