Watches - in or out?

[MartiniDave]

Not very bushcrafty but...

When you wear a wrist watch do you wear it inside your wrist or outside?
Any particular reason or just "the way it is"?

Dave

 

[led]

Some people will say one way is better to protect the watch face, or easier to see, but I don't think there's much in it. Personally, I find it more comfortable on the top of the wrist so it's not compressing or digging into the veins and tendons when flexing the wrist. Depends on the watch as well I guess.

 

[Wayland]

I wear mine hanging from my belt.

As a living history interpeter I do not wear a watch while I am working but it took a long time to get rid of the reflexive "look at my wrist" whenever I wanted to know the time.

Now my wrist is the very last place I would expect to find the time....

 

[BorderReiver]

On the outside.Tried the inside once but it seemed to get bashed more often,so I reverted to the outside again.

 

[JimH]

Not very bushcrafty but...

When you wear a wrist watch do you wear it inside your wrist or outside?
Any particular reason or just "the way it is"?

Dave

I haven't owned a watch for 20 years. I watched Easyrider at a formative age

My house has a clock in it, as do my place of work, my motorbike and my car.

The rest of the time, I'm not too bothered...

Jim.

 

[Abbe Osram]

1. Outside
2. Feels better
3. Doesnt cut my wrist
4. Easier to use as a compass holding it towards the sun

cheers
Abbe

 

[ilovemybed]

When I own one, I wear it on the outside.
Why? Because it's designed to be worn on the outside so it fits better. I have seen a handful of watches designed to be worn inside though, if you want one like that...

 

[bambodoggy]

Certain sections of the military (snipers and that sort of lot) wear them on the inside of the wrist so they can see them while holding a rifle.

I'd say it's just horses for courses

Bam.

 

[Goose]

I have always worn my loose, so sometimes on top and sometimes underneath.

 

[Motorbike Man]

Depends on the watch. I used to wear my digital watch on the inside as I found it more comfortable that way and easier to read with gloves on, but the traser I have now goes on the outside as it's a bit bigger and definately more comfortable that way.

 

[Povarian]

Don't wear one. I have a small digital item that clips on to a zip pull on my sack. Most times I'm out bushcrafting, I don't want to know what the time is.

 

[Motorbike Man]

Don't wear one. I have a small digital item that clips on to a zip pull on my sack. Most times I'm out bushcrafting, I don't want to know what the time is.

This is something I've heard a lot, I tend to use mine a lot for navigational use, mostly as an estimate of how far I've walked.

 

[Goose]

The best place I have heard of to wear your watch is inside your hat, I was told of a bloke that when asked the time would take off his hat, hold it up shielding his eyes as he looked toward the sun, and tell the time to the minute!
Lots of "wows" and "it must be to do with shadows" from onlookers!

 

[Hoodoo]

I am totally shocked by you guys. A true bushcrafter would wear one of these.

 

[Wayland]

You forget, it's always raining in England.....

 

[MartiniDave]

Hoodoo,

I had one but it went all rusty! Besides, it was set for American time

Cheers,

Dave

 

[gregorach]

The best place I have heard of to wear your watch is inside your hat, I was told of a bloke that when asked the time would take off his hat, hold it up shielding his eyes as he looked toward the sun, and tell the time to the minute!
Lots of "wows" and "it must be to do with shadows" from onlookers!

That's pretty much how I used to tell the time when I was living in Oz - except I didn't have a watch in my hat. Best accuracy I could manage relilably was about 15 minutes either way.

I've never been able to do it accurately in Britain though - I reckon the day length varies too much.

 

[shinobi]

I am totally shocked by you guys. A true bushcrafter would wear one of these.

errm, I do. As well as a nomal watch for when it's cloudy. Which is most of the time

 

[Ahjno]

If I wear my watch, I wear it on top of my wrist. I wear mine when I've got exams, or when I have a very tight agenda.
At the moment I don't wear one ... There are clocks everywhere (everybody is in a hurry these days ...): underground / tube, at uni campus, in class rooms, and in any other public place ... and I've got one on my mobile - so that'll do just fine.

Whilst bushcrafting don't wear one at all ... (it's bad for your tan aswell: I don't like a white band on my brown wrist / arm )
IMHO there's no real use for it (accept navigation / distance calculation purposes) whilst buscrafting:
- When you wake up: it's time to get up
- When you're hungry: it's time for breakfast / lunch / dinner
- When you're sleepy: it's time to go to bed
- When it's dark, you're too late with setting up camp

IMHO it's all about being one with nature - which includes living in its pace. (I know, sounds like a tree hugger ).

PS - My watch is a Tri-lum thingie: without batteries - it works on solar power (or, in absence a lamp ).

EDIT:

Back to basics, i wear mine on the outside (and on my right!) - just seems right that way......

Forgot that one: Mine is on the left ... and I'm right handed.

 

[gregorach]

I'm not entirely sure that a watch really is needed for navigation purposes. In any conditions where you're going to need to navigate by dead-reckoning, your pace is likely to be substantially lower than otherwise. In the past I've normally worked on the assumption that I cover about 4km per hour cross-country with a pack, but practice shows that my pace can vary widely, even in good conditions. Every time I've heard someone talk about serious dead-reckoning navigation, it's invovled counting paces, not measuring time. And I have heard of people making serious navigation errors because they were judging distance by time taken, based on experience in different terrain or conditions.

The only timepiece I usually have with me is my phone, and if I'm out in the wilds it's turned off. Like Ahjno says, you don't need to know what time it is beyond time to get up / eat / pitch camp.