[at-l] Watch question for everyone....

[stephensadams at hotmail.com (Steve Adams)]

I bought an analog watch with tritium hands, and with points instead of 
numerals.  The 12 o?clock position emits a red glow, the other positions 
emit a light greenish glow.  This permits you to orient the watch properly 
in the dark and tell time without using any other light.  The tritium watch 
is fairly flat, light weight, and was expensive.

Someone gave me a Casio watch which provides altitude, compass directions, 
temperature, day of the week, date, and the time.  There may be some other 
features.  I removed the wrist strap, enlarged one of the strap holes, 
inserted a thong through it, and the watch hangs from my pack.  I know the 
non-time, non-calendar functions are sufficiently inaccurate to make them 
unreliable.  I rarely look at the watch other than for the time of day.

Digital watches leave me cold.  I really don?t give a rats butt that it?s 
11:47:16 am.  If my watch tells me it?s a bit past quarter of 12 (I seem to 
instinctively know, almost as if by magic, whether it?s am or pm), that?s 
all I need.  A glance tells me everything.

Casio watches use batteries which are not readily available.  The battery 
exchange itself is tricky, and too often the watches are broken during the 
battery exchange process.  General stores and most of the jewelers I went to 
declined to exchange the batteries.  These reasons should disqualify them 
from consideration.  I suspect this is the reason the original owner gave 
his watch away.

I?ve noticed hikers often ask other hikers the time of day.  Very light 
weight.  Very low maintenance.  No batteries.

Steve