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Digital Generation Rediscovers Analog Wristwatches
Hugh Pickens writes "As recently as a half-decade ago, time seemed to be running out for the wristwatch; the mechanical device was declared to be going the way of the abacus. But now the NY Times reports that the 'sundial' of the wrist is experiencing an uptick among members of the digital generation, particularly by heritage-macho types in their 20s and 30s who are drawn to the wristwatch's retro appeal, just as they have seized on straight razors, selvedge denim and vintage vinyl. 'A cool machine that is all moving parts has got to be intrinsically interesting to someone born into this generation,' says Mitch Greenblatt, an online retailer of design-forward watches who is seeing a surge in business, 'because there's just nothing like that in their life.'"
This really isn't much of a surprise. The Steam-punk genre is quite popular with the 20-40 crowd.
I'm 37. I've had combo analog/digital watches almost continuously since I was about 10. I source them from exotic boutiques like K-Mart where they sell obscure brands like Timex.
If the NYT article wasn't behind a registration screen ... maybe something the summary didn't cover would make some sense here.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
I'm 36 and I own an analog wristwatch. I've owned several over my lifetime as well. My 5 year old son is familiar and will continue to be familiar with analog wristwatches as most everyone in his extended family wears one. How is this retro, unique or something terribly interesting because it has moving parts and is not digital? Watches have always been fashionable and (IMHO) will continue to be for all generations for the rest of my life. It's not like we're talking about 8-tracks, cassette tapes and to some extent vinyl for example. Those devices will definitely be retro to my kid as they have never (and probably never will be) a part of his life.
At night I drink myself to sleep and pretend I don't care that you're not here with me
I still think that digital watches are a pretty neat idea.
(Besides I have some difficulties to read analog watches).
"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
And right now, I have my Dad's old analog on my wrist.
And ok, get off ... etc etc...
"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes" - Winston Churchill
The pocket watch is back and these days it's more popular than the wrist watch. When you ask someone the time, what do they do? They reach into their pocket and pull out a device that has the time on it. The pocket watch is now almost exclusively digital and has a phone built into it but multi-purpose watches are nothing new either. Just ask Dick Tracy...
"Digital Generation Rediscovers Analog Wristwatches"
It was on my wrist this whole time!
...reading an analog clock is a lost art with many of our young people. I often find my high-school students asking me "Mister, what time is it?" while staring directly at the analog clock in my room. It took me a while to figure out that they do not know how to read time on a clock with hands. So now, at the start of the year, we have a clock-reading activity that I stole from a 3rd-grade workbook.
Seriously.
I've always worn a watch, never saw the point of lugging a cell phone around just to know the time,
Cell phones are known for having other functionality as well as being able to tell the time. I've never seen the point of strapping a somewhat functional piece of jewelry to my arm when I have a small device in my pocket that tells the time, as well as doing a hundred or more other things that I find useful.
It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds. - Captain Hammer
Shaving is for losers who are ashamed of their neck beards. Go Unix or go home. This is slashdot. You goddamned kids better get off my lawn, or I'm going to seize control of your botnets by exploiting a hole I wrote into the IRC protocol before you were born.
This story feels a bit like one of those "suits are making a comeback!" stories.
In fact, maybe an iWatch wouldn't be a bad idea.
Oh god, no. You wouldn't be able to share the time with anyone else, and you'd have to use Apple's proprietary software to set it. Not to mention that it would be twice as expensive as any other comparable digital watch, and I'm pretty sure that they would pay a license fee to the RIAA for some weird reason for each one sold, which would then mean that the RIAA would now have enough money to start suing other digital watch manufacturers for infringement because apparently the "beep! beep! beep!" of their alarms is copyrighted.
Don't get me started on how you can't replace your iWatch's battery when it runs out...
This really isn't much of a surprise. The Steam-punk genre is quite popular with the 20-40 crowd.
Nah, steampunk is a faux-Victorian genre loved almost exclusively by the irredeemably nerdy. This, like the straight-razor comeback, is more "Mad Men" '60s (or even '40s) nostalgia; it's people borrowing symbols from a time when "men were men" -- a way for men to assert their masculinity in a way that they see as intelligent and sophisticated, rather than uncultured or brutish. Since, for a while in the 90s, the latter seemed to be the only conception of masculinity being promulgated, I appreciate the trend, albeit with reservations.
You can check the time on a wristwatch without being obvious about it. The same can't be said for a phone. How do you explain to the person you are talking to that checking the time is seemingly more important than what they are saying?
When I look at a timepiece it's rare that I want to know what time it is. Much more often I want to know "how long since" or "how long until" something. An analog display gives me this info much more quickly than digital.
why do you dipshits keep posting stories that are behind a pay wall, what is the NY Times stroking your junk?
There are at least two demographics at work here: the hipsters you describe, and another group sometimes referred to as "young fogeys." The latter group tends to be interested in things of yore because they were better, and not just because they are old, e.g. writing calligraphy with a good fountain pen on nice paper, mowing the lawn with a reel mower because it leaves nicer edges, and yes, shaving with a straight razor because it gives a better shave.
In addition to the superior performance (at the admitted cost of vastly increased hassle) there is a sense of pride in learning to do something inherently difficult and potentially dangerous. For more information check out my tutorial videos on youtube, username = jockeys41
I'll also add that it's easy to spot a strait razor poser as he/she will only have one razor, whereas someone who actually shaves with them every day (as I do) will have at least half a dozen in rotation to reduce the honing burden.
In Soviet Russia jokes are formulaic and decidedly non-humorous.
Cell phones are known for having other functionality as well as being able to tell the time. I've never seen the point of strapping a somewhat functional piece of jewelry to my arm when I have a small device in my pocket that tells the time, as well as doing a hundred or more other things that I find useful.
My analog display watch enables hands free operation and is water resistant to 100m. Its a far better choice in the rain or when scuba diving. When hiking/backpacking/camping my cellphone is generally powered down and in a dry bag, reserved for emergencies. "Never seen the point" is taking an otherwise reasonable argument too far.
"I'll also add that it's easy to spot a strait razor poser as he/she will only have one razor, whereas someone who actually shaves with them every day (as I do) will have at least half a dozen in rotation to reduce the honing burden."
You should be touching up the razor before each use (and during use as necessary) so having multiple razors doesn't reduce the "honing burden". If you can't tell a freshly honed and stropped blade from one a few shaves old I dare say you shouldn't accuse anyone of being a straight razor poser.
You should be STROPPING the razor every time you use it. If you have to hone it every time, you are doing something wrong. A properly honed razor will not need to be honed again until it has given months of shaves. If the blade does not maintain it's edge with only stropping to freshen it, across multiple shaves, the blade is inferior steel. You should not need to strop during use either, having to do so indicates an improper blade/skin angle or a blade with inferior steel.
:)
I have 8 razors I cycle through and although whichever blade I shave with must be stropped each morning, collectively I only have to hone them (with japanese water stones, barber hones, and finally paddle strops pasted with chromium oxide) about twice a year. When I was first starting out I only used one razor and it had to be re-honed after three dozen shaves or so, a little over a month. Even then, the honing is more of a minor blade refresh (start out on a 15000 grit stone and move up) than a proper honing. Once the razor is sharp it is inclined to stay that way unless misused.
Stropping, strictly speaking, isn't honing at all (unless a pasted strop is used, and that's still more akin to deburring than actual honing) it's more a straightening of the edge; the steel along the edge can become wavy after use, this is amplified by poor shaving technique. Myself and several of the others on Straight Razor Place have undertaken many studies of razor's edges via microscopy and there is a general consensus as to what makes a razor sharp and what makes it dull. I'd invite you to head on over to the website and learn and ask questions. From the sound of your experience it sounds as if you've been given one of the metallurgically deficient blades from China, perhaps a Double Arrow or similar, and have erroneously concluded that razors have to be honed every time they are used, which is very much not the case with a correctly tempered and hardened blade (over 60 rockwell) that will hold it's edge.
If you have any further questions or misconceptions please ask, I'm happy to evangelize on the subject
In Soviet Russia jokes are formulaic and decidedly non-humorous.