The digital watch‘s status been through many vicissitudes. Once cutting-edge tech, they went on to be viewed as antithetical to the luxury and craftsmanship of traditional watches. For a while they were nerdy, then ironically cool. Most recently, though, digital watches have returned to the hearts of nostalgic collectors that appreciate them for all the right reasons. Through it all, though, digital watches have offered the same compelling advantages.
Of course, you don’t need a “reason” to wear any watch you happen to like. But if, for whatever reason, you need a justification for choosing a digital watch, here are some of the best.
Digital watches are easier to read
Digital watches are defined by the way they display information. Everything else regarding their features or why you’d want to wear them (including the other cogent reasons below) is ancillary. As opposed to analog watches which use hands to point to numbers along a scale, digital watches use changing numbers which you read directly. It’s objectively easier and more precise than your traditional analog watch dial — it’s instant.
Just make sure you get a positive display (one where the numbers are dark and the background is light) for easier visibility and readability.
They’re naturally robust
While there are examples of mechanical watches with digital displays, most digital watches use quartz movements with LCD displays. The nature of quartz as well as of LCD displays is that they use very few moving parts — and moving parts are weak links: they’re the parts that experience friction and wear, as well as being more vulnerable to shocks, causing them to be the first to break down and manifest problems. If you want a watch that can take a beating, a digital watch is almost certainly going to out perform something mechanical.
They’re (generally) inexpensive
As mentioned above, most digital watches use quartz movements. In addition to making these watches more robust, this also tends to help make them affordable. Watches like the Casio F91-W, the Casio World Time or the Timex T80 are some of the most well known digital watches and we’re talking well under $100. A G-Shock or Nixon Regulus might cost a bit more but offer incredible bang for buck and they’ll be all the watch you’ll ever need. Sure, you can spend serious money on the likes of a Hamilton PSR ($745+) or even a truly elevated G-Shock MRG ($3,500), but you certainly don’t have to.
Digital watches are fun and now “cooler” than ever
Not that the mere fact of a digital display alone makes a watch cool, but more watchmakers are recently embracing a retr0-futuristic themes and capitalizing on the nostalgia of the digital watch decade: the ’80s. What was once nerdy is now geek-chic, but whereas digital watches were once worn with irony, they’re increasingly being worn with genuine appreciation — not least for the reasons mentioned above.
