A sports watch may suggest an interest in fitness or outdoor activities.
A luxury watch can function as jewelry and a statement of personal taste.
None of these interpretations automatically tells us who the person really is. But they demonstrate how objects can become part of personal identity.
The wristwatch is small enough to be practical but visible enough to become symbolic.
The Arrival of the Smartphone
Perhaps the biggest change in the history of the wristwatch came with the smartphone.
For many people, the phone replaced the watch as the easiest way to check the time.
Instead of looking at their wrist, people began reaching into their pockets or simply looking at a screen.
The smartphone could provide far more than time.
It could display calendars, messages, weather forecasts, maps, alarms, news, photographs, and countless other forms of information.
From a purely functional perspective, it seemed reasonable to ask:
