The topic of how to wear a wristwatch receives varying opinions. People tend to believe that there is a custom way or the rules to follow. I’m not ignoring the fact that there are ‘rules of wearing a watch,’ but how many people follow them? All in all, the left hand seems to get most preference. Are you trying to know the ideal wrist to wear your wristwatch? Read on.
History as it that many people, since the invention of the first watch, prefer the left hand. It is the non-dominant hand, and winding the watch is easy. However, today things are different, but the left hand remains the choice among many. For instance, automatic and smartwatches no longer require frequent winding, and it is not recommended to wind the watch while on the wrist.
To make things clear, the non-dominant hand means the less active. If you’re left handed you need to wear your watch on the right hand (your non-dominant hand), and there is nothing wrong about that. Besides, some people will prefer their dominant hand because it is easy to look at the time. Do what you want; there are no strict rules to restrict you.
Not only the non-dominance, other factors that you must consider when deciding on the wrist to wear your watch include:
- Gender anticipations
- Ease of adjusting the watch
- Exposure to damage
- Personal preference
- Levels of comfort
- Nature of work
Gender anticipations
Many decades ago, people entirely depended on quartz watches, where everything regarding the watch was manual. Due to the low prices, everyone could own a watch. From history, men's first watches were the pocket watches, and women had to wait until the discovery of wristwatches to wear a watch.
Some standards were set where men had to wear a watch on the right hand, and women had to stick to left. Nobody knows how this came into being. Later on, people realized that it is a silly move to follow. Only those valuing these beliefs stick to those traditions. I’ll be surprised if such people still exist.
Ease of adjusting the watch
You wear a watch in a way that adjusting the knobs will be easy. Choosing the left non-dominant hand positions the knob well in a way that your right hand reaches it with ease. Wearing a watch on the right will make it hard for you to adjust. Yes, you can do it, but it will not be easy.
Adjustments depend on the nature of watch you own. Battery operated watches will rarely require adjustments. However, some watches will require much attention, and wearing them on the right will makes everything hard for you.
Exposure to damage
This point may seem controversial. It is because your watch can get damaged when you have it on either wrist. Choosing to wear the watch on the non-dominant hand helps, especially when the dominant hand is actively involved.
It also depends on the nature of the work you do. You might be active but not involving your hand much. Such instances do not necessarily affect your watch situation. Many people have damaged their watches by having them on the wrong hand. Now that you know, ensure you take caution.
Personal preference
At the moment, our generation does things the way they find comfort. Things are changing fast, and with varying fashion trends, people are coming up with new ways to satisfy their personality. People have gone to the extent of wearing two watches on their separate hands. Who cares?
This is not time to stick to the traditions and rules that lack scientific backing, not unless you want to take us back to that ancient era. In every move you make, make sure it doesn’t hurt you and your watch, and it guarantees peace of mind.
Levels of comfort
You cannot enjoy your watch if it doesn’t guarantee comfort. If you are a watch enthusiast, you are aware that some factors determine the comfort you acquire. For instance, if you are always busy with your right hand, wear the watch on the left hand and vice versa.
Choosing to wear a watch comfortably, especially on a non-dominant hand will make it less exposed to damage, breakage and also injury. Everybody will want that, and that is why everyone choosing a watch considers comfort as a priority.
Nature of work
Busy work, especially those that involve using machinery will require you to use your non-dominant hand. When your tasks are light, and you’ll hardly stay close to materials that might damage your watch, then any hand is appropriate.
Some women prefer the right hand because their main intention of wearing a watch is to showcase their fashion prowess. However, this is not the case for all women. The same can happen to anyone whose intention is to attract attention.
When using your watch, wear it conveniently. Leave alone the ancient and insignificant rules, and stick to practical lessons and benefits you acquire. Choosing the non-dominant hand comes with multiple benefits explained below.
Advantages of Wearing your Watch on the Left (or Non-Dominant) Hand
Wearing a watch on the right is more of a custom and a reflex action. Keeping in mind the majority of the people in the world are right handed; then the preference goes to the left hand. Leave alone the feminine view that men should wear watch on the left while women right, that does not apply today. Explained below are the advantages of wearing your watch on the left (or non-dominant) hand.
Easy to tell time
Some activities require only the dominant hand because you don’t want to mess with accuracy. There is no reason for wearing a watch if you can’t tell time with ease. For that reason, always choose the non-dominant hand when sure you are very active.
Everyone wants efficiency when executing their duties. Whether you are writing, doing woodwork or painting, you want to know the time without having to stop working. This will not be possible if you wear the watch on the dominant hand. It is because the hand controls everything.
Less weight on the active hand
The weight of your watch depends on its material. Some tend to be light, while others have considerate grams. For example, most stainless steel watches tend to be heavier than plastic based watches. Other materials like rubber and silicon are also lightweight.
Choosing the non-dominant hand gives you time to execute several things without disturbance. Don’t forget that the right (dominant) hand has multiple things to do. Overwhelming it with additional weight will interfere with your performance, especially when not used to such weight.
Working becomes easy
Do you know that working with a lot of accessories on your dominant hand gives you a hard time to complete your tasks? It is because you are not comfortable, especially if the task involves placing your hand on the work surface. The reality is that whether it is a watch or a bracelet. It will affect you in one way or the other.
If the dominant hand is overwhelmed, the watch movements become obstructed. That is not what you want. To avoid all that, choose a hand that you are sure it will enable you to boost your productivity. In most cases, the non-dominant hand.
Watch safety is guaranteed
Watch safety is a must because you don’t want to lose your precious watch. Some people have lost their watch unknowingly while wearing it on the active hand because they are too busy to realize when it falls. In other circumstances, the watch gets crashed to the extent you cannot use it again.
Nobody wants to lose something they have invested money in. Get it right, I don’t mean that your watch is 100% safe on the non-dominant hand, but the risks in such cases becomes less. Safety is key as long as you want value for your money. The damages are not always severe, but they will cost you, change the watch's original style and stress you.
Conclusion
I hope the article has educated you on how to wear a watch, especially on the ideal wrist. The idea in the entire context is that even though majority wear their watch on the left hand because their right is dominant, it does not mean that is the rule of the thumb. You are free to wear a watch on your right if it is your non-dominant hand. It is your watch, and you know what motivated you to purchase it.