Do you have the time?

According to an article on FOXnews.com, watches are going the way of the dodo. Apparently more and more people are not wearing watches in favor of keeping time with their cell phones, computers and iPods. Personally, I prefer a precision timepiece.

I'm currently wearing the beauty pictured to the left. It's a Citizen Skyhawk Black Eagle. It was a Christmas gift from Mrs. MikeTheBlog. Sure I look at the clock on my cell phone from time to time but I have to take it out of my pocket. I rarely carry my mp3 player (I'm not even sure I can set the time on mine) so that's not an option. I do look at the clock on my computer screen but it's right in front of my face. I simply prefer to push back a sleeve and turn my wrist slightly to check the current time.

I have a watch fetish but unfortualtley do not have the bank account to fully indulge. I really wanted an Omega Seamaster like James Bond wore in Casino Royale but those puppies run about 2800.00 US. Well, I'll save that for another day.

I like looking at my watch, twisting the dials and playing with all the features. It's got a flight computer built in on the face of the watch. I'm not a pilot -- yet. But when I become one I'll be ready. In the meantime I'll be able to convert from statute miles to nautical miles with a twist of the watch face;l but it's knowing that I can that makes me feel good.

Do I need a watch with all that stuff on it? Well, Yes. I like the fact that it is water proof up to 100 meters. If I'm 300 feet under water, that last thing I'd be concerned about is my watch but at least I know it can take it. I wear it when I swim and use the stopwatch feature to time my laps. So far my best has been 1/2 mile or 15 laps in 26 minutes. If I actually swam freestyle instead of side/breast stroke I could shave at least 7 or 8 minutes off that time. I digress. The watch will also allow you to switch time zones. Pretty handy if you don't feel like doing the math or resetting a watch as you travel. Plus if you are going long distances, say to New Zealand, you can "bip" it right on over to the AUK setting and start trying to adjust to the local time there. Pretty cool. The other neat thing is it's an Eco-Drive watch. It is charged by light. So unless I stay in cave for an unusually long time, I'll never have to change the battery.

So, suffice to say, watches may be losing ground to all the other gadgets and phones and various and other sundry things out there. I'll always have one on my wrist. That's the way I prefer it. I wear two pieces of flair: my watch and my wedding ring. Period.