--- title: "Wearing two watches" date: 2021-02-28 language: en topics: ["art", "lifestyle", "people", "watch"] source_url: https://willem.com/en/2021-02-28_wearing-two-watches/ --- # Wearing two watches *Both a mechanical and a smartwatch* > For the past weeks I have been wearing two watches, and boy this is a thing! I love my mechanical watch, but I needed the modern connectivity of a smartwatch. I couldn't choose between them, so I decided to wear both. It's not as bad as you think, let me share some thoughts on my experience. ## Mechanical watches If you have been following the blog, you know I like watches (https://willem.com/en/watches-and-time-a-decade-of-horology-technology-and-craft/). They always fascinated me and this goes beyond any rational reason. This admiration is emotional, intangible and personal (https://willem.com/en/2020-11-30_designing-my-own-watch/). I am not (https://www.ablogtowatch.com) alone (https://www.hodinkee.com) - mechanical watches are popular, despite the rise of modern wearables like smartwatches. ![Wearing my mechanical watch because I like it](https://willem.com/global/images/921434406009.webp) ## Smartwatches In part because of my professional background in technology, I am into gadgets. I love how technology has evolved over the years and how computers have gotten smaller and smaller. It is amazing what you can do with mobile devices like tablets (https://willem.com/en/building-a-tablet-os-what-happens-when-you-reject-the-mainstream/), smartphones (https://willem.com/en/inside-and-outside-apple-using-questioning-and-escaping-the-ecosystem/) and smartwatches (https://willem.com/en/inside-and-outside-apple-using-questioning-and-escaping-the-ecosystem/). I wondered_if_the_smartwatch_is_the_modern_toolwatch (https://willem.com/en/2018-11-02_is-the-apple-watch-the-modern-tool-watch/). ![Wearing an Apple Watch Series 6 because it is useful](https://willem.com/global/images/ced0cc310480.webp) ## Double wristing After toggling between either a mechanical watch and a smartwatch I came to the conclusion that choosing between them is very difficult for me. I realise that if this is the kind of problem you have, one could argue that you're experiencing "first world problems". But, I genuinely believe there is something more fundamental, more human, fuelling my indecision. ![Double wristing: wearing two watches at the same time](https://willem.com/global/images/474b0f66ec77.webp) ![Mechanical watch and Apple Watch](https://willem.com/global/images/19c652569268.webp) ![You wear both on the wrist, yet they are very different things!](https://willem.com/global/images/1cdce86c5e47.webp) ## Painting versus TV Over the past few weeks during which I alternated between different "wrist configurations", I very much realised that I was trying to choose between a painting and a television. Both can occupy the same physical space (on a wall or wrist), but they are very different things altogether. It has everything to do with how we perceive them, how we attach meaning to them, what we consider valuable. ![The heart and soul of the watches are very unlike - they are created and powered differently](https://willem.com/global/images/24ecc12d975c.webp) The modern smartwatch offers connectivity that can save (https://willem.com/en/2021-02-02_realtime-service-uptime-monitoring/) you, even literally (https://duckduckgo.com/?q=apple+watch+saved+life)! It enables control and tracking (https://willem.com/en/2018-09-27_swimming-and-cycling-with-apple-watch/) of everything you do, which in combination with some proper_planning_and_tuning (https://willem.com/en/2021-02-22_the-value-of-notifications/) can save you a lot of time. A mechanical watch on the other hand can be something that can move_beyond_generations (https://willem.com/en/2020-08-23_cleaning-a-vintage-watch/), picking_up_patina_and_character (https://willem.com/en/2018-01-21_something-the-smartwatch-will-never-have-patina/) over time. Most of its value is not derived from its technical capabilities. This is probably why people collect watches in similar ways as how people collect art (https://www.sothebys.com/en/departments/watches). One could imagine a mechanical watch to be a wearable piece of art. ## Minimalism and human expression People differ, but I am not a guy that likes to wears a ton of ornaments, jewels and frills. I prefer minimalism (/en/digital-minimalism-doing-more-with-less-technology/ism/) in my daily life, but I do appreciate the wonders of how humans express themselves. I love live_music (https://willem.com/en/2018-07-10_enjoy-a-festival-without-alcohol/), I sometimes_create_something_useless (https://willem.com/en/2017-10-23_from-tree-to-table/), I_love_to_lose_myself_in_a_game (https://willem.com/en/2017-03-26_repairing-a-nintendo-gameboy-advance-sp/) or to_feel_the_adrenaline_by_needlessly_burning_rubber_on_a_circuit (https://willem.com/en/2017-05-31_beast-of-the-green-hell/). ## Conclusion If you can't choose between a mechanical watch or a smartwatch, then don't: try both! It isn't all that weird if you take a minute (pun intended) to consider why you have this "problem" in the first place. We're creatures that attach emotional value to otherwise worthless things. Or did you think worshipping a 379x453cm_piece_of_canvas_with_some_old_oil_on_it_made_sense (https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-C-5)? Of course not! But, that's fine because being irrational is part of being human. Now wear your two watches and enjoy being crazy! ![The Night Watch (De Nachtwacht), Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642 - oil on canvas, h 379.5cm × w 453.5cm - rijksmuseum.nl](https://willem.com/global/images/08693ca263c3.webp)