Why are men obsessed with watches?

Watches are big business these days. And the last five years have seen extraordinary growth in the sector. the primary function of the watch – to tell the time – has been rendered pretty much obsolete by the invention of the mobile phone and the BlackBerry. So why are we still buying them? Why are men obsessed with them?


The invention of the quartz watch in 1967 might initially have been hailed a great technological achievement, but it wasn't long before it was also seen as the biggest challenge the traditional timepiece had faced since the wristwatch first became popular at the end of the first world war. It took a few years of navel-gazing and re-evaluating what a watch was truly for before.

The fact that men are still buying and cherishing quality timepieces is of great comfort to an industry that, in the early 1970s, thought its time, if you will excuse the pun, had come. The fact that a cheap Casio with a flashing LED time display was what every young hipster soon craved, coupled with the economic doldrums in which the world found itself in the 1970s, spelled disaster.

Watches are one of the few items that a man can wear that he believes display true character, signal that he is a member of a particular club – whether it's an Audemars Piguet or a Swatch – and indulge in a little dose of extravagance without, generally, drawing criticism. Watches are the acceptable face of male jewelry. Men are, intrinsically, nerdy; they love nothing more than an item that not only looks good but has myriad functions and a construction that will have taken a lot of craftsmen a lot of time.

This year has actually been as tricky for the luxury watch industry as it has been for everyone else. It's true that if you choose a watch carefully it will hold on to, or even increase, its value. And, like it or not, the model you wear does says something about you. And it isn't necessarily about the price. To make yourself be different from others, a customized watch will help you. Just come to SnapMade and design yours right now!