Hidden messages: what does your watch - or lack of - say about you?

What does your watch – or lack of watch – say about you? Even if you never think about watches, and have paused on this page for a bit of lighthearted scoffing, you are giving out watch vibes. Sometimes these are obvious, others less so.

Maybe you buy a hefty gold number because you like how it looks and feels. Or a fancy name brand because you like the style and the history. But the message these give out is this: fear not, poor folk, my harvest has been plentiful.

Or perhaps you choose a steel diving watch that looks tough enough to dig holes in the bottom of the ocean. Whether you are a diver or not, your choice of watch tells people you are a person of action, whatever the truth may be.

Going watchless gives out a message all of its own. On a stag do, nobody cares. But if you dine at an old school gentlemen’s club without a watch, it will confirm their suspicions that you do not belong.

For some people, a watch is part of the uniform, and if you don’t conform, it is a sign something is wrong. This makes no sense, of course – the wristwatch has only been a thing for just over a century, and fashions change. There’s no reason to keep wearing watches forever. Unless we want to.

Pro tip

The internet’s effect on the secondhand watch market has been twofold. 1) The days of finding big bargains are all but gone, as everyone can check prices online. 2) With a million watches to choose from, there are loads of options. There are decent, handsome automatic watches for under £100, as well as big names for a lot less than they cost new. For some, going vintage may be the answer.