Opinion

I want a dumbwatch

25.2.2023

Translation: Katherine Martin

If your watch is smarter than you are, you’ve lost control of your life. But there’s an easy fix.

Because of the hype surrounding smartwatches, dumbwatches don’t get enough attention. Or should I be calling them feature watches instead? I’m talking about regular digital watches, which,

just as dumbphones offer certain advantages over smartphones, trump smartwatches in certain aspects. You don’t need to constantly charge them, they don’t harvest your data, they don’t alert the emergency services for no reason, and most importantly, they don’t constantly nudge you to get your attention. They’re there for you when you need them, and the rest of the time, they fade into the background. A dumbwatch is like an old friend, while a smartwatch is more like that annoying colleague you fell into a chat with at after-work drinks and now can’t get rid of.

Oh, and they’re less pricey.

Casio F-91w-1yer (Digital watch, 33.20 mm)

Wristwatches

CHF20.90

Casio F-91w-1yer

Digital watch, 33.20 mm

A blast from the past

Another plus point is their retro charm. When I was 11 or 12, I was given a Casio Data Bank, complete with integrated calculator and phonebook, as a gift. I liked it because it was able to display letters as well as numbers. It made me feel like I was seeing the world the way adults do. It even told me what year it was. Sure, I already knew that, but the more pointless stuff the watch could do, the better. One crucial aspect of having these digital watches was the ubiquitous pissing contest surrounding their dive depth: what, only 20 metres? Mine can go to 30! As if any of us had ever dived deeper than three metres.

Should I buy a watch?

I haven’t worn a watch in 25 years. Maybe it’s time I got back to doing it. I mean, Casio is essentially doing the same thing it did back then.

The thing is I don’t actually need a watch – regardless of how smart or dumb it is. And I’m glad the days of needing one have been and gone. Those delays belong in high school, when I was in constant danger of being late for my next class or missing the bus. Or in the military, when I had to eat, shower and dress within five minutes under the threat of punishment – all so I could stand around in the same place for two hours, waiting for something to happen. That’s when I learned that situations requiring a watch should be avoided.

That said, I want one.

Don’t spend too long thinking it over

There are plenty of dumbwatches out there. In our range, there are 400. So, which one should I go for? I don’t want to drown in research because of this little thing. But I want to know if the display on this watch is easy to read.

Casio Vintage A1000m-1bef (Digital watch, 39.60 mm)

Wristwatches

CHF88.90

Casio Vintage A1000m-1bef

Digital watch, 39.60 mm

Watching this review, it becomes clear this isn’t the case. This considered, I’ll stick with the inexpensive Casio F-91W. It’s so cheap that I now need to buy something inconsequential to reach the minimum order value. But I can’t think of anything – I’ve got enough soap, vacuum cleaner filters and toothpaste as it is. In the end, I pop a smartwatch in my shopping cart too ...

Header image: Martin Jud

127 people like this article

David Lee

Senior Editor

David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.ch

My interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.

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