Why do watch enthusiasts prefer the hand watch?

In the beginning, watches were only analog, there were only watches with needles. It was not until the 20th century that another type of watch appeared, the digital watch. Although practical and accessible, the latter is still shunned by watch enthusiasts who prefer hands. But why such a preference? An anchoring in tradition? Elitism or simple love of precision mechanisms?

The watch with hands: elegance and tradition

If there is one field where tradition and elegance are at the heart of concerns, it is the watchmaking industry. A watch with a hand is a precious object, an object of art, as well as the witness of a tradition of precision watchmaking that is already several centuries old. It is therefore quite natural that watch lovers refuse to give in and convert to digital at the expense of hands. If they did, it would be an admission on their part that the watch is only a functional object that should only serve one purpose, to tell the time. However, the watch cannot be reduced to this single dimension. The watch is often a main ornament for the woman and for the man, it is often the only one. It is therefore natural that those who wear these accessories prefer them in their authentic, original version, which preserves their artistic and traditional aspect.

An attachment to the high technicality of watches

If this attachment to watch hands is so strong, it is because these objects maintain the tradition of artisanal watchmaking and preserve the watch’s status as a work of art and artistic jewelry, but also as a highly technical object. Indeed, we must not ignore the fact that the first great watchmakers were as good technicians of the mechanism as goldsmiths. Two dimensions that digital watches will never be able to match, even if some models of these watches can be very elegant and sophisticated.

The attachment of watch enthusiasts to watch hands is therefore due to their taste for tradition and elegance, but it is also motivated by a desire to pay tribute to the precious know-how that makes these watches so unique.