Off-Topic: Wrist Watches

There's one thing I really hate: it's people who don't wear a watch when they go to the cinema. They rely on their phone to tell the time, and every time they check there's an unpleasant flash of light that disturbs the people sitting next to them or in the row behind.

I assume that people don't wear a wrist watch in the cinema because they don't wear a watch at all. Young people today think that a smartphone replaces everything in their lives. I can see their point, but a clunky mobile phone is a bad replacement for a slick phone on their wrist. A phone needs to be charged every 24 to 48 hours, whereas my watch only needs a new battery once a year. I wear a Casio Wave Ceptor, the watch in the picture above. I've worn a digital watch since I was 16. I forget when I bought my first radio controlled watch. Was it 30 years ago? Or 40 years? It was as soon as they were commercially available. I just remember that they used to be expensive, but the price dropped fast. The important thing is that the time is always correct.

I rarely check the time when I'm in the cinema, usually only when the film is boring. I also have to press a button to turn on a light, but it doesn't disturb anyone. The light is smaller and paler. Apart from that, when I press the button my hand is over the watch, so the person sitting on my right sees nothing. I wear my watch on my left wrist. It's possible that the screen wouldn't be covered as well if I wore it on the right.

Some people with more class than me prefer an analog watch. Many men even treat watches as jewellery and have many at home to choose from. Do you remember the scene in "Doctor Strange" when Stephen Strange stood over a box of wrist watches to decide which one to wear? They were all expensive watches. I'm cheap, when it comes to watches. I only have one watch, and it only cost me $50. It's adequate for me.

Maybe it's different for women. For me a watch is something practical, for women it's a fashion accessory. All I can say is that there are hundreds of attractive watches to choose from, both digital and analog.

I've challenged friends who sat next to me using their phone to check the time in the cinema. None of them accepted my criticism. Most said, "I don't need a watch". One girl even said, "Only old men wear watches".

If you're reading this post, please take my words seriously. If you don't have a watch, buy one. And remember to put it on when you go to the cinema.