27 ms·

> I can’t remember the last time I saw someone wearing a watch other than an Apple Watch. Maybe a couple Android watches. You probably aren't actively looking.

> I can’t remember the last time I saw someone wearing a watch other than an Apple Watch. Maybe a couple Android watches. You probably aren't actively looking. The market for sub-$150 retro-ish ("inspired" by the 1980s/1990s) quartz watches has exploded over the last few years [1]. A month or so ago, I "splurged" and bought a $300 solar-powered analog quartz watch. It will need a $10 battery replacement once every 15 years or so, and is simple enough to do at home with tools I already have. This is just my opinion (and you seem like you are the opposite - that's fine), but I think that Apple has completely lost the plot with the Watch concept. It was supposed to be a companion device to the phone that helped reduce screen time while not missing anything important. Now, the Apple Watch is trying to be a kitchen sink on your wrist, with a battery situation that makes no sense. If you were to do all the health tracking it is capable of, you'd need to wear that watch 24 hours a day. But the battery doesn't even last that long. So you can't actually fully use all of the features. It makes no sense. My Apple Watch has been in a drawer for I don't even know how many months. Where it will probably stay. [1] https://www.casio.com/us/watches/casio/vintage/ https://www.casio.com/us/watches/casio/vintage/

fallinditch 2y ago
Casio make some great watches, I bought a solar powered model recently for 50 bucks, it's very decent! [1] I've never felt the need to get a smart watch, they seem badly hobbled by their need for frequent charging, and the Apple watch is so common that it signifies the opposite of fashionable and stylish, more utilitarian and conventional. [1] https://www.casio.com/us/watches/casio/product.AQ-S800W-1B2V/ https://www.casio.com/us/watches/casio/product.AQ-S800W-1B2V...
jl_418 2y ago
Apple’s Ultra watches have up to 36 hours / up to 72 hours in low-power mode- but they are more than I would spend want to spend on a smartwatch ($799).
- martin_a 2y ago
  Have a look at Fossil then. I'm wearing one and it's nice. Still has a mechanical watchface so it does not look like a smartwatch, but it got some features. I've turned notifications on only for messages, mails and calls, not for every other app. Runtime is great, like a week or more, depending on use, and it still does heart rate monitoring and step counting.
petre 2y ago
> If you were to do all the health tracking it is capable of, you'd need to wear that watch 24 hours a day. But the battery doesn't even last that long. That's why I'm doing the tracking with a Garmin. At this point I'd probably only buy the Bin Laden Casio, F91W if I were to get a regular watch, maybe even as a joke present for someone as long as it keeps being disposably cheap. Or some analog model of which I have two in the drawer. I think both are Timex.
seanmcdirmid 2y ago
Apple does really great on trapping you in their eco system. You just buy one car or maybe a front door lock that supports Apple Key, or maybe you want to pay for things with Apple Pay without whipping out your phone...and boom, killer app. But ya, I charge my watch at night and forgo sleep tracking. The health stuff is just a bonus really to payments and unlocking things.
hedgehog 2y ago
I get around 36 hours on a charge which is abysmal but I do it anyway for the data. I charge at my desk so I can wear it while I sleep. There are other things about the Apple Watch that don't make a lot of sense like the always-active touch input. Periodically I think about switching to one of the Garmin bands but leaving that project alone for now.

fallinditch 2y ago

Casio make some great watches, I bought a solar powered model recently for 50 bucks, it's very decent! [1] I've never felt the need to get a smart watch, they seem badly hobbled by their need for frequent charging, and the Apple watch is so common that it signifies the opposite of fashionable and stylish, more utilitarian and conventional. [1] https://www.casio.com/us/watches/casio/product.AQ-S800W-1B2V/ https://www.casio.com/us/watches/casio/product.AQ-S800W-1B2V...

jl_418 2y ago

Apple’s Ultra watches have up to 36 hours / up to 72 hours in low-power mode- but they are more than I would spend want to spend on a smartwatch ($799).

martin_a 2y ago
Have a look at Fossil then. I'm wearing one and it's nice. Still has a mechanical watchface so it does not look like a smartwatch, but it got some features. I've turned notifications on only for messages, mails and calls, not for every other app. Runtime is great, like a week or more, depending on use, and it still does heart rate monitoring and step counting.

petre 2y ago

> If you were to do all the health tracking it is capable of, you'd need to wear that watch 24 hours a day. But the battery doesn't even last that long. That's why I'm doing the tracking with a Garmin. At this point I'd probably only buy the Bin Laden Casio, F91W if I were to get a regular watch, maybe even as a joke present for someone as long as it keeps being disposably cheap. Or some analog model of which I have two in the drawer. I think both are Timex.

seanmcdirmid 2y ago

Apple does really great on trapping you in their eco system. You just buy one car or maybe a front door lock that supports Apple Key, or maybe you want to pay for things with Apple Pay without whipping out your phone...and boom, killer app. But ya, I charge my watch at night and forgo sleep tracking. The health stuff is just a bonus really to payments and unlocking things.

hedgehog 2y ago

I get around 36 hours on a charge which is abysmal but I do it anyway for the data. I charge at my desk so I can wear it while I sleep. There are other things about the Apple Watch that don't make a lot of sense like the always-active touch input. Periodically I think about switching to one of the Garmin bands but leaving that project alone for now.