What problems do watches solve?
I was listening to a former Google CEO talk on a podcast the other day and he said something that stuck with me, “All great companies solve a problem.”
For most companies the problem they solve is somewhat obvious; FedEx, something needs to be delivered, Google, something need to be found, McDonalds, someone needs to eat, etc, etc.
What problem do watches solve? It seems fairly obvious, you need to tell the time.
Now for a normal person, this would be a statisfactory answer and it would end there.
However, I am not a normal person and congratulations, if you’re still reading this you are not normal as well.
In the context of the modern society we live in, where traditional watches are inferior to “smart” watches in almost every objective measurement; telling the the time seems like an unstatisfactory answer.
When you look at a company like Breguet, even since the inception there as been this element practical problem solving (telling time) intertwined with “luxury”
King George III’s Breguet pocket watch
During the pocket watch era telling time via mechanical device had much broader implications regarding communication and cordination; with marine chronometers being the most direct and obvious impact. An accurate marine chronometer was an essential part of not only navel navigation but commerce in general.
By the time the wristwatch era came about, especially post WWII, the practicality of mechanical time instruments had decreased quite a bit, while the luxury component remained as strong.
When you look at the progression during the quartz crisis and in the current smart watch era we see the same trend: the practicality has dramatically decreased while the luxury component has increased.
So, I guess what I can’t wrap my head around isn’t what problem watches are solving but rather what problem luxury goods are solving.
What problem do luxury goods solve?
As this is a thing I’ve been thinking about for a minute at this point, I’ve had the opportunity to ask people this question.
Most people’s first response is ego. Which I get. My problem is I don’t look at ego so much as a problem but a phenomenon.
Gravity is a phenomenon, we need it to make the earth spin and make life. However, gravity can become a real problem if find yourself in a situation such as falling out of a plane.
Ego is a phenomenon, we need it to stay motivated and have a sense of self. It’s only a problem when you put your mind in the wrong situation….than perhaps maybe people are right and luxury (watches) goods are a place for the ego to flourish unchecked.
This feels like a hard pill for most watch enthusiasts to swallow, myself included. We like to keep watches separate from the other luxury goods. We see someone buy a new Hermes bag for $5k and go “how could you!”….we see someone buy at used Rolex Sub for $8k and go “how could you not!”
I honestly don’t have a good counter argument for the categorization of watches being included in luxury goods.
The main reason for this is because the only counter argument I can think of as to why watches are not solving an ego problem revolves around some narrative about history, tradition, craftsmanship, etc, etc which is weak at best and also probably the exact same argument the Hermes buyer would use.
So…where does this leave us?
We know watches do a mediocre job at best of solving the problem of telling time and are mostly a luxury good.
Maybe we should revisit the original statement that prompted this thought “all great companies solve a problem”. He didn’t say that they have to do the best job or even be good at it, they just have to solve a problem.
Maybe the problem watches solve is as simple as telling time and I’m extrapolating one vauge statement beyond its worth.
Welcome to my WatchCrunch profile.
https://www.watchcrunch.com/casiodean/posts/addressing-the-elephant-in-the-room-270732
Watches are useless trinkets. It is how they go about being a useless trinket that fascinates us, and for that reason they continue to endure in the hearts and imaginations.
Whenever this topic arises, I will always chime in and add this:
I SPECIFICALLY do not want a a smart watch because:
Operational/security concerns
Quick time hacks, on a legible well lumed dial are VASTLY easier to read than pushing a button, hoping the tilt sensor activates without shaking your hand for 3 seconds
Anything requiring a charge is no bueno for extended use
Cant wear anything smart near/around/in certain locations with classified stuff out
Rule No. 1 (Google it)
I don't want something that plays music, answers texts, tracks my eating, tracks my HR....whatever...I want to know the time, possibly the date, and how many minutes until exfil, BOOM, or bath time
Most well designed watch cases are going to survive hard environments better than most smart watches I am aware of at this time. The Apple Ultra and it's ilk only recently came about.
If I need a compass, a HR, text messenger, or music player, I'd rather have something specifically designed for the task. Much like for time telling I want something specifically designed for telling time.
YMMV.
And, while maybe a minority amongst a lot of enthusiasts, there are still a vast majority of end users who wear a traditional timepiece, in very demanding and austere environs.
LEO, military, engineers, construction, wildlife management, EMT, Dr's, nurses, archaeologists, fire fighters etc.
Take this specific watch for example. Sangin x GBRS. LJP, faraday cage, helium release, etc. Only 100 will be made, and I guarantee all 100 were purchased within 5 mins of the random lottery email notification being sent..I also guarantee the resell will be far, Far, FAR higher than the asking price of $1595. Just as I can also guarantee a good chunk of them will be used as the tools they were designed to be.
Hand assembled, in the US, by a retired MARSOC dude.
For the luxury end, I highly encourage anyone interested to check out Watches of Espionage's Instagram for examples of peeps wearing legit luxury timepieces, doing operator things.
Well, I wouldn't take many CEOs seriously, most are terrible at their jobs and don't really have the skills for their positions. They are often detached from reality. It's no wonder he doesn't think outside the (search) box.
A great company brings satisfaction. Sometimes it can do that by solving a problem, other times it's just enrichment. A watch lets you tell the time. That's a "problem" it solves. But it also has a social element, being a part of outfits and conversation. It can bring joy and enrichment, even community. Maybe none of these are a problem, but they're all part of the human experience.
Or maybe we all just have crow brains and need to collect the shiny and the problem is there's never enough of the shiny.
Watches are like art and serve no purpose. They don't solve problems or have any more intrinsic value than jewelry...... 😁
The watch industry is the perfect example for demonstrating the eternal cycle of dissatisfaction. Particularly in the 21st with the ease of search and purchase. They don''t have to solve problems, they just decide how create greater brand extensions. And indeed find the eyes linked to the cows' brains. And don't trust the CEO of a tech company, especially the ones vain enough to spurt their generic thoughts on a podcast.
I have friends working at both luxury watch and accessory companies and can confirm that they all have warehouses full of stuff, slowly drip fed in to minimalist window displays and waiting lists, and it's all utter bullshit. It simply pays for collosal wages and marketing budgets. Luxury items end up being a burst of satisfaction to fill an empty soul in an increasingly disproportionate world. Blame Henry Ford !
The problem that watches solve for men is that there is not much jewelry that men can typically wear
The problem that watches solve for men is that there is not much jewelry that men can typically wear
They tell me the time
Whenever this topic arises, I will always chime in and add this:
I SPECIFICALLY do not want a a smart watch because:
Operational/security concerns
Quick time hacks, on a legible well lumed dial are VASTLY easier to read than pushing a button, hoping the tilt sensor activates without shaking your hand for 3 seconds
Anything requiring a charge is no bueno for extended use
Cant wear anything smart near/around/in certain locations with classified stuff out
Rule No. 1 (Google it)
I don't want something that plays music, answers texts, tracks my eating, tracks my HR....whatever...I want to know the time, possibly the date, and how many minutes until exfil, BOOM, or bath time
Most well designed watch cases are going to survive hard environments better than most smart watches I am aware of at this time. The Apple Ultra and it's ilk only recently came about.
If I need a compass, a HR, text messenger, or music player, I'd rather have something specifically designed for the task. Much like for time telling I want something specifically designed for telling time.
YMMV.
Yeah #1 is a serious issue…uugh
We live in time and space... With a watch on I'm a master of one...
I think we’re starting from a false premise. I don’t think all great companies necessarily solve problems.
What problem does it solve for me?
Man jewelry. Wearing a watch that I like simply makes me feel good. They can give me confidence & remind me of special occasions which the watch itself was purchased to mark.
Timing bezels & countdown timer functions are very important to me
Hobby. For me it's a lot cheaper than being into cars like I was.
Love the art, design and mechanical anarchy of parts working together. Only piece of 'jewelry' that looks good on a man (IMO). When stressed out over work..
.. or sad for the world (China and Russia endlessly doing evil stuff, climate mess...) ... talking about watches is a completely inconsequential but a fun way to chill out.
Yay watches! Problem solved!
I would rephrase the question to, what needs do watches fulfil? And to drill down a bit, what wants do watches satisfy? Needs and wants I believe are broader than problems.
Fine watches are like fine food - why live on MuckDonalds when you can have Gordon Ramsay.
Appreciating nicer stuff isn't luxury,it's taste.
THANK YOU!!! I feel like I've paraphrased that same point at least 5 time in a month. I served in the Navy for 22 years. When smart watches became popular, they became a huge no-no for the ships I was on for security concerns. Without a timepiece I would late be or miss scheduled events of the day, which you don't want to do in the military or civil service.
I forgot to mention the security risk in my post. I've been in school studying cybersecurity and one article I had to cover talked about a hack that involved personnel being sent smart watches like a promo by a new company or like someone sent them a gift. These smart watches had preloaded software that stole info off of phones and was a massive security risk. Everyone who had a smart watch on that based had to turn them in for inspection and they had to ban them from being synced to any phone with sensitive data and were not to be used on base. Also, notices were sent out en mass to tell people not to accept or use tech they were given for free, esp if they didn't know it's origins.
Great post! And I’ll throw in my 2 pence worth from a slightly different perspective if I may. A good old mechanical/automatic watch is definitely viewed as more of a luxury item than it once was. But…. It’s purpose I believe is and still should be seen as a solution to a problem. To tell the time. Now I and many friends and piers I grew up with could tell the time off a clock from 6 onwards. Although schools and the education system still do incorporate this in curriculum I can vouch with confidence that my friends children my own children and the abundance of my nieces and nephews can’t tell the time off a three hand watch or basic clock. Now all be it the older ones do have some form of smart watch can get an idea of what time it is, for examples, “daddy the time is thirteen fifteen” or as they see it 13:15 I don’t think they fully understand the watch or clock increments. Whether this is essential today or whether times have literally moved on is another debate but.. hey ho
My watch still tells the time, and the wrist is a very convenient spot to look for it. I prefer an analog dial, even though my first watch was digital, to get a quick "shortly before 8" reading, as most of the time that is good enough for me. I found smart watches "noisy and needy", without the benefit of a smartphone.
Do I spend too much beyond what the intended use requires? Yes, surely.
That's a good topic to bring up in January of a new year. It's up there with another question that I have which was, if I were to buy another watch, what does it bring that the others in my collection hasn't?
We don't really have 'disposable' income. We do slightly struggle financially, mentally and emotionally to own one.
I shall ponder these questions as I begin the search for my 2024 timepieces, a Carl F Bucherer and a Tudor. 😀
Great question! Watches are nifty little things aren't they... A practical timekeeper, an expression of style, something to admire or play with. I think they are extensions of what we believe ourselves to be. Sporty and fun Casio's or successful and accomplished Rolex's. Its a deeply personal and hopefully joyous thing to have!
That's a good topic to bring up in January of a new year. It's up there with another question that I have which was, if I were to buy another watch, what does it bring that the others in my collection hasn't?
We don't really have 'disposable' income. We do slightly struggle financially, mentally and emotionally to own one.
I shall ponder these questions as I begin the search for my 2024 timepieces, a Carl F Bucherer and a Tudor. 😀
Great point. Why keep adding the same stuff to your collection if you already have a similar one.
And, while maybe a minority amongst a lot of enthusiasts, there are still a vast majority of end users who wear a traditional timepiece, in very demanding and austere environs.
LEO, military, engineers, construction, wildlife management, EMT, Dr's, nurses, archaeologists, fire fighters etc.
Take this specific watch for example. Sangin x GBRS. LJP, faraday cage, helium release, etc. Only 100 will be made, and I guarantee all 100 were purchased within 5 mins of the random lottery email notification being sent..I also guarantee the resell will be far, Far, FAR higher than the asking price of $1595. Just as I can also guarantee a good chunk of them will be used as the tools they were designed to be.
Hand assembled, in the US, by a retired MARSOC dude.
For the luxury end, I highly encourage anyone interested to check out Watches of Espionage's Instagram for examples of peeps wearing legit luxury timepieces, doing operator things.
A Marine watchmaker? I don't believe it! Was he a SEAL, SF, or PJ before becoming a Marine? 😜
A Marine watchmaker? I don't believe it! Was he a SEAL, SF, or PJ before becoming a Marine? 😜
Yup.
MARSOC Raider. Designed the first prototype while deployed in SE Asia 😂.
This is a very reflective question, I appreciate you posting it David as I enjoy spending the final days of the year reflecting on things I am grateful for to get in the right mindset for the year ahead.
Now, for the problem that watches solve. I agree with most people here, “telling the time” is its most straightforward goal but it’s so much more than that otherwise we would all purchase a Casio F91 (or an homage F91 if those can be had for even cheaper) and call it a day. Perhaps a multiband G-Shock if we feel we need to be accurate to the second.
I think the problem watches solve can fall into two main areas:
1) Style (Problem of Personalization and Signaling) - watches are an accessory, they help complete or add to our desired look. This includes serving as a status symbol to attract potential mates and/or admiration from other people.
2) History (Problem of Connection Through Time) - watches are very interesting in that they (rather easily) transcend the very thing they measure. Think of your parent’s/grandparent’s watch. It has meaning precisely because it’s shared in their life experiences and now stands as a link between them and you.
This is the aspect of watches I love. I enjoy seeing people’s posts here on Watch Crunch that share why a particular piece is important - whether to them specifically or to the history of watches.
Sorry for the long response, I enjoyed reflecting on this question as I hope to move my own collection beyond Casios this year so this was right up in my thoughts to ponder on.
Oh, there is an IWC Pilots Chronograph I'm wearing the same watch on my wrist right now.
All that being said I like wearing my watches.
I think it boils down to one or more of three elements
Watches are practical tools. Tell the time from a glance at your wrist. Easy and great.
For those buying luxury, it adds to their status, style etc
For those who own more than one it's a collectable that feeds our consumerism, addiction, satisfaction of purchase etc (I say this not as a bad thing, buying new stuff feels incredibly rewarding its why we do it)
Mechanical jewellery for men - perfect!!