watch hunt (yes, watch hunt)
people who know me well enough know that for most of my life since middle school i would not wear a watch around my wrist. The reason why is best explained in this LJ entry i wrote back in 2004, and can be expanded to the personal philosophical stance i've taken that time should normally be relative and only be held to exactness when absolutely necessary.
people who know me well enough also know that despite this philosophy and dislike of exact time, I'm fascinated with unique clocks and watches. I have quite a few unique timepieces in my collection, some of which are depicted in this photo.
some time in late 2011, i discovered [the Abyss Watch]. If ever there was a wristwatch for me to wear, this was one of the best options - it was an analog-style watch that would only display the time if the watch was double-tapped, which was about the equivalent in convenience of grabbing my mobile out of my pocket. It was also sleek-looking and a neat fashion item. So in early January of 2012, i bought one. After having it for a little while, i discovered that it was also a neat conversation piece. I had multiple people at the casino where i frequent as a poker player ask me, "how the heck do you tell time on that thing?" I like creating conversation at the poker table for any reason, this was an added bonus.
about five months after i bought the watch, the top glass inexplicably cracked, a big fissure down the center. The watch still worked, but the broken glass made it unappealing for me to wear. I wasn't abusive of the watch, but i wasn't particularly careful with it either, underestimating its fragility. I decided that the watch was cheap enough ($40) that i'd get another one and be more careful about it - try not to bump into things and be careful about how i set it down.
one day last month while i was teaching the drumline, i had the watch on "backwards" as it were, with the face on the underside of my wrist rather than the top of my wrist. At one point when i was demonstrating something with drumsticks, the butt end of the stick ran into my watch face. and now there's a crack on the watch. because i'm a dumbass.
even though the watch is only $40, i'm loathe to get another one if it's only going to last me a half a year because of my carelessness.
so now i'm looking at alternatives, and the only one that seems to fit the bill in some way is a watch that Katie turned me on to around the same time as my discovery of the Abyss watch called the [Mutewatch]. Initially i didn't like it mainly because when they launched it they had a different style of strap that looked pretty ugly and they also touted it as a watch that was supposed to be worn under-the-wrist style as opposed to over, but that seems to have changed since they officially launched it.
of course, the price tag on the mutewatch is significantly higher than that of the Abyss - from a pure numbers perspective, i'd have to be assured that the mutewatch could last me three years for it to be more cost effective than buying new Abyss watches under the assumption that the latter would last me on average six months. But a) the material that the mutewatch is made of is much more sturdy-looking and less prone to break, and b) it's something different to try. I'm not one to balk at spending a bit more money on something that i think is both snazzy and functional, and i generally buy so little of anything in general that doing it every now and again doesn't feel too awkward for my lifestyle or finances.
but still, i'm going to let it sit in my brain for a week or so first and then make a decision on it.