We live in a world of anomalies. As time progress some objects loose their relevance due to advent of superior technology and the older objects quietly recede in to oblivion. Or so happens in most cases.
Let me turn your attention to the curious case of wrist watches. I first started paying attention to this anomaly after Sir Ken Robinson mentioned this in a ted talk. Is there really a need for a wrist watch in today's socio-technological setup? It may seem like a pretty silly question but just think for a moment. Its a seeming bulky and usually expensive device that perform ONE function. It shows you the time. That's it. Best case, the date also. Two things is its USP. In a generation where people don't mind spending ₹60k just to upgrade their cellphones to get a quarter of an inch more or to get that new function that allows you to check your blood pressure while skydiving -_-, amazingly this wrist ornament never looses its relevance.
As Mr. Robinson said," ...teenagers do not wear wrist watches, I don’t mean they can’t or they’re not allowed to, they just often choose not to. And the reason is you see, we were brought up in a pre-digital culture, those of us above 25 and so for us, if you want to tell the time you have to wear something. Kids now live in a world which is digitized and the time for them is everywhere so they see no need to do this (wear something – a watch). And you don’t need to do it either, it’s just that you’ve always done it and will carry on doing it. My daughter Kate who is 20 doesn’t wear a watch, she doesn't see the point. She says ‘it’s a single-function device, how lame is that?’… ". Now, you get my point?
So what is the rationality that holds people to the glory of wrist watches? We have to conclude, it has nothing to do with function. Its more of a tradition. A social status issue. Its a "look I can afford a Rolex" indicator. Lets be frank here, the moment you see a Hublot , Ulysse Nardin or Bertling stamped on a guy's watch you are pretty sure his monthly income has more zeros than your Engineering mathematics answer sheet! He instantaneously becomes the alpha and you start day dreaming about what it would be to be like him, even though you just had seen him for a flash of a second.
Next we have the fashion statement consumerists. People who are desperately trying to prove they are unique and not like those aam admis. Fastrack has targeted them quite brilliantly, coming out with watches which has sleazy taglines like "Size matters" and "Use Rubber" scribbled across the strap. There was a time when watches stood for suave and sophistication. Not anymore.
But then again, People usually spend ridiculous money for things which are functionally moribund. The 10B-5H-2K homes that the NRIs built for TWO really old people living back home, astronomically priced Business class and first seats, for sitting five Rows in front and getting better food than normal people, there is no extant to which people wont go to show case their social flamboyance.
Then there is jewelry. Lakhs and crores of dollars and rupees and pounds are pumped to buy necklaces and rings and bangles. They don't have WiFi Bluetooth or NFC, functionally Useless. But No indian wedding is complete without making the bride look like IRONMAN with gold accessories. Why we don't just support with Manju Warrier and buy low cost diamond chains. Everybody wins.
And finally there are those people who put gold and diamonds on things that doesn't need gold and diamonds. Cars. Cell phones. Toilet seats. I have a tremendous ordeal with Vertu on this. Usually my rage could be explained as a result of my inherent jealousy, but not this time. Vertu literally takes a phone like Nokia 1100. Puts a little fevicol. Sprinkles a few gem stones and then sells the phone for 2lakhs. And all those people with a lot of money and absolutely no brains buys them (then of course people with a lot of money and very little brains stand in lines for 10 hours and buys apple phones, but that's globally acceptable.)
So in order to conclude this jibber-jabber gibberishness,the wrist watch isn't gonna face extinction in the near future. Period.
Let me turn your attention to the curious case of wrist watches. I first started paying attention to this anomaly after Sir Ken Robinson mentioned this in a ted talk. Is there really a need for a wrist watch in today's socio-technological setup? It may seem like a pretty silly question but just think for a moment. Its a seeming bulky and usually expensive device that perform ONE function. It shows you the time. That's it. Best case, the date also. Two things is its USP. In a generation where people don't mind spending ₹60k just to upgrade their cellphones to get a quarter of an inch more or to get that new function that allows you to check your blood pressure while skydiving -_-, amazingly this wrist ornament never looses its relevance.
As Mr. Robinson said," ...teenagers do not wear wrist watches, I don’t mean they can’t or they’re not allowed to, they just often choose not to. And the reason is you see, we were brought up in a pre-digital culture, those of us above 25 and so for us, if you want to tell the time you have to wear something. Kids now live in a world which is digitized and the time for them is everywhere so they see no need to do this (wear something – a watch). And you don’t need to do it either, it’s just that you’ve always done it and will carry on doing it. My daughter Kate who is 20 doesn’t wear a watch, she doesn't see the point. She says ‘it’s a single-function device, how lame is that?’… ". Now, you get my point?
So what is the rationality that holds people to the glory of wrist watches? We have to conclude, it has nothing to do with function. Its more of a tradition. A social status issue. Its a "look I can afford a Rolex" indicator. Lets be frank here, the moment you see a Hublot , Ulysse Nardin or Bertling stamped on a guy's watch you are pretty sure his monthly income has more zeros than your Engineering mathematics answer sheet! He instantaneously becomes the alpha and you start day dreaming about what it would be to be like him, even though you just had seen him for a flash of a second.
Next we have the fashion statement consumerists. People who are desperately trying to prove they are unique and not like those aam admis. Fastrack has targeted them quite brilliantly, coming out with watches which has sleazy taglines like "Size matters" and "Use Rubber" scribbled across the strap. There was a time when watches stood for suave and sophistication. Not anymore.
But then again, People usually spend ridiculous money for things which are functionally moribund. The 10B-5H-2K homes that the NRIs built for TWO really old people living back home, astronomically priced Business class and first seats, for sitting five Rows in front and getting better food than normal people, there is no extant to which people wont go to show case their social flamboyance.
Then there is jewelry. Lakhs and crores of dollars and rupees and pounds are pumped to buy necklaces and rings and bangles. They don't have WiFi Bluetooth or NFC, functionally Useless. But No indian wedding is complete without making the bride look like IRONMAN with gold accessories. Why we don't just support with Manju Warrier and buy low cost diamond chains. Everybody wins.
And finally there are those people who put gold and diamonds on things that doesn't need gold and diamonds. Cars. Cell phones. Toilet seats. I have a tremendous ordeal with Vertu on this. Usually my rage could be explained as a result of my inherent jealousy, but not this time. Vertu literally takes a phone like Nokia 1100. Puts a little fevicol. Sprinkles a few gem stones and then sells the phone for 2lakhs. And all those people with a lot of money and absolutely no brains buys them (then of course people with a lot of money and very little brains stand in lines for 10 hours and buys apple phones, but that's globally acceptable.)
So in order to conclude this jibber-jabber gibberishness,the wrist watch isn't gonna face extinction in the near future. Period.
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