5 ms·

I didn't realize it was a military thing. And in fact, I don't believe it is. I have seen people wear their watch "upside down", including made up women in fas

by GuB-42 3y ago

I didn't realize it was a military thing. And in fact, I don't believe it is. I have seen people wear their watch "upside down", including made up women in fashionable attire that would be the polar opposite of the rough style the article is portraying. On the contrary, I looked at a few random pictures of soldiers and in most of them the watch worn the standard way, with the face on the outside of the wrist. In fact, I find the "upside down" way more "girly" than "manly", simply because I think I saw more girls do it than men. For practical reasons, I guess there are advantages to both. But the "protect the watch" argument, I don't really buy it. It is situational. If you have your watch inside your wrist, you bang it when you have your hands on a table, when you pick heavy stuff, it may come in contact with stuff you have on your belt (tools, gun, ...), etc... I suspect the article is just an ad. They want to sell a watch for "tough guys" and came up with that story.

sandworm101 3y ago
There are a couple of places where ive seen it, but the vast majority of military pers wear watches exactly like everyone else.
SamSkjord 3y ago
>I suspect the article is just an ad. They want to sell a watch for "tough guys" and came up with that story. Look at this £240 tacticool watch we, the authors happen to sell. Meanwhile when I was in we all wore the disposable £5 casio you could get from Argos an didn't care if it got smashed up
renewiltord 3y ago
Haha, same. My wife has always worn it this way, and while she grew up in a military family, only she does this. She just finds it convenient when doing things.
newprint 3y ago
I have seen some military personnel wearing watches upside down, however, majority of military personnel wears electronic watches on top of the wrist and have it covered with sleeves. WW1 trench watches had a utility - time of the attacks were timed and they had no radios. With the invent of portable radios and communication equipment, utility of wrist watch to start military operations significantly diminished. With that said, WW1 trench watches were just pocket watches on the wide wrist band. They aren't comfortable to wear in all positions, so I highly doubt that even during WW1, a lot of soldiers would wear their watches upside down.
mikestew 3y ago
I suspect the article is just an ad. They want to sell a watch for "tough guys" and came up with that story. The whole site reeks of "Chinese-made watch that we slapped our logo on", with some tacti-cool sprinkled on top. This article in particular is a little too "just so" for my tastes. But my main objection is that I've known folks that were in the military (and not having served myself), and of the ones I currently know (and therefore, can trust my memory), not a one wears their watch on the inside. But we've got plenty of military folk on HN, I welcome being corrected.
Suppafly 3y ago
Military do it when in the field to keep the reflections down. Women do it with watches that have bands designed to look like bracelets, they get the practicality of a watch while still appearing to just be wearing a bracelet.
eschneider 3y ago
When I did factory work back in the '80 (when people still wore watches to tell time) quite a few folks on the floor wore their watches that way to protect them from damage. Whether that makes sense or not depends on what you're doing with your hands.
flir 3y ago
For what it's worth, my dad always wore it inside his wrist, and always said it's so you don't fling your arm out and smash it on something. He'd also twist it around when doing close work. So he, at least, both believed it and did it. The real reason: if you ask me the time when I'm holding a pint, I'll pour my drink on you, not me (this was the punchline in an old British comedy sketch I can't find a reference to now).
DoreenMichele 3y ago
I've never heard of this practice and spent a lot of time around military personnel. I was familiar with "Buy a diving watch. It is more likely to survive the rigors of the field." Nothing about wearing it "upside down" and not sure I know what that means. Before cell phones became the new standard timepiece, pretty sure I wore my watch on the inside of my wrist and see no reason to think there is a "correct" way for it to face. Back of the wrist or inside of the wrist seems like arbitrary personal preference to me.

by GuB-42 3y ago

sandworm101 3y ago

There are a couple of places where ive seen it, but the vast majority of military pers wear watches exactly like everyone else.

SamSkjord 3y ago

>I suspect the article is just an ad. They want to sell a watch for "tough guys" and came up with that story. Look at this £240 tacticool watch we, the authors happen to sell. Meanwhile when I was in we all wore the disposable £5 casio you could get from Argos an didn't care if it got smashed up

renewiltord 3y ago

Haha, same. My wife has always worn it this way, and while she grew up in a military family, only she does this. She just finds it convenient when doing things.

newprint 3y ago

I have seen some military personnel wearing watches upside down, however, majority of military personnel wears electronic watches on top of the wrist and have it covered with sleeves. WW1 trench watches had a utility - time of the attacks were timed and they had no radios. With the invent of portable radios and communication equipment, utility of wrist watch to start military operations significantly diminished. With that said, WW1 trench watches were just pocket watches on the wide wrist band. They aren't comfortable to wear in all positions, so I highly doubt that even during WW1, a lot of soldiers would wear their watches upside down.

mikestew 3y ago

I suspect the article is just an ad. They want to sell a watch for "tough guys" and came up with that story. The whole site reeks of "Chinese-made watch that we slapped our logo on", with some tacti-cool sprinkled on top. This article in particular is a little too "just so" for my tastes. But my main objection is that I've known folks that were in the military (and not having served myself), and of the ones I currently know (and therefore, can trust my memory), not a one wears their watch on the inside. But we've got plenty of military folk on HN, I welcome being corrected.

Suppafly 3y ago

Military do it when in the field to keep the reflections down. Women do it with watches that have bands designed to look like bracelets, they get the practicality of a watch while still appearing to just be wearing a bracelet.

eschneider 3y ago

When I did factory work back in the '80 (when people still wore watches to tell time) quite a few folks on the floor wore their watches that way to protect them from damage. Whether that makes sense or not depends on what you're doing with your hands.

flir 3y ago

For what it's worth, my dad always wore it inside his wrist, and always said it's so you don't fling your arm out and smash it on something. He'd also twist it around when doing close work. So he, at least, both believed it and did it. The real reason: if you ask me the time when I'm holding a pint, I'll pour my drink on you, not me (this was the punchline in an old British comedy sketch I can't find a reference to now).

DoreenMichele 3y ago

I've never heard of this practice and spent a lot of time around military personnel. I was familiar with "Buy a diving watch. It is more likely to survive the rigors of the field." Nothing about wearing it "upside down" and not sure I know what that means. Before cell phones became the new standard timepiece, pretty sure I wore my watch on the inside of my wrist and see no reason to think there is a "correct" way for it to face. Back of the wrist or inside of the wrist seems like arbitrary personal preference to me.