5 TIMES WHEN YOU SHOULD USE YOUR WATCH, NOT YOUR PHONE

Watches became the “norm” during World War I when soldiers wore devices with unbreakable glass to help them determine the time in order to more precisely coordinate their manoeuvers with a simple glance at their wrist. It’s a jewellery item that we’ve worn and celebrated for generations (watchmaking is a highly skilled craft), but now for many, watches are being replaced with smartphones. We’re already looking at screens all day and a watch is such an easy way to rest our eyes from all that time spent scrolling (which inevitably happens when you reach for your phone to check the time and get distracted with all the notifications). For me, my watch (I wear the Oris Artelier Grand Lune) will always have a place on my wrist and here are five (more!) reasons why: 

TO TELL TIME IN THE MORNING

At night, my phone stays out of my bedroom. Research has shown that by sleeping next to your phone, your sleep is disturbed and thus you won’t be getting the restorative sleep your body needs. In fact, I avoid my phone for at least an hour before bedtime as part of my mental wind-down, and I turned on the “sunset mode” years ago so that I can avoid the blue light transmissions in the evening, which have been proven to disrupt the production of melatonin which can also affect the quality of sleep you're getting. My watch sits on my bedside table so I can peek at the time before I fully commit to opening my eyes and straining to see a clock, especially in summer when thanks to the bright mornings, 5am can feel like you’ve overslept! Also, when I wake, the last thing I want to be greeted with is that full-on “world in your phone” feeling that is the wonder of technology. I want to avoid my first moments of waking being sensationalised with headlines, text messages or images from my smartphone and give myself the opportunity to set the tone for my own day versus having external factors set the mood for me.

WHEN I’M MEDITATING OR PLAYING A SOUND BATH

I practise Vedic meditation, an ancient form of meditation which originates from India. I meditate twice a day for 20 minutes each time, once in the morning when I get up and the second when I usually get a slump in the afternoon around 3/4pm. In my experience, the 20 minutes can feel like anywhere from a blink of an eye to an hour long depending on what my mood is that day, which is why it’s important to be wearing my watch when I meditate so I can keep track. If I used my phone to check the time it would be so easy to get distracted by a text, email, Instagram notification etc... and totally ruin my moment of mindfulness. A watch on the other hand is a gentle reminder of how much time has passed.

The same goes for when I’m playing my sound baths. I want those times to be nurturing and soothing both for attendees and for myself. The last thing I want is to be distracted from that. 

CLEANSE + RESET WEEKENDS OR WHEN I’M GOING OFFLINE

If you’ve done my Cleanse + Rest 3 day plan before you’ll know that I recommend steering clear of technology as much as you can - an easy way to do this, and still be on time, is wearing a watch. Similarly, I do try and force myself to periods of going totally offline when I can - with my work involving so much computer/phone/social media time (as it does for so many now) - to reset my priorities and give myself some headspace. 

IN MEETINGS

When in-person meetings become a thing again, a watch will be invaluable — nothing is ruder or makes a worse first impression than checking your phone whilst in a business meeting, or spending quality time with family and friends. A sly glance at your watch to check you’re not running late, however, often goes unnoticed or is more easily accepted and means you can make a hasty exit if needed in a professional and friendly manner!

BECAUSE IT LOOKS GOOD!

In a world of digital heavy weights, my Oris watch is now a friend. If I leave the house without it, I miss the weight on my wrist and notice that it’s not there. It’s something I started only a few years ago and now I can’t imagine not wearing one, stacked with bracelets in summer and layered over jumpers in winter — watches are a jewellery classic. A phone in the hand however… that’s a fashion look I could live without!