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It's time to turn back the clocks

Don't forget to change back to standard time

Date published: 11/1/2008

BY LAURA MOYER

Good news for anyone who values constancy in a changing world: People still wear wristwatches.

Intuition might say otherwise--that with cell phones, iPods and other sources providing full-time digital readouts, the wristwatch would simply slip away, starting with teenagers.

But with this weekend's return to standard time, it seems that many of us will still have to manually dial back our beloved personal timepieces.

The time changes at 2 a.m. tomorrow, which means clocks and watches should be set back one hour before we go to bed tonight.

The continuing popularity of watches is reflected in sales figures nationwide, said James Lubic of the Ohio-based American Watchmaker-Clockmaker Institute, a trade group supporting those who make and repair watches professionally. In the past eight to 10 months, he said, watch sales have increased 2 percent to 3 percent at all price points.

Cell phones, Lubic said, haven't killed traditional timekeeping.

"There's another avenue to see what time it is, but people still wear a watch as an accessory."

That's certainly true in the Fredericksburg area, said Angelica McWilliams of Ulman's Jewelry on Caroline Street.

With athletes such as Jeff Gordon, Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant endorsing high-priced watches for men, and with chic bracelet-style and jeweled watches appealing to women, a watch is "still a pretty sought-after item," she said.

That's true even for cell-phone-slinging teenagers.

"It's been a pretty big graduation gift, but I've noticed that people that give them are grandparents," McWilliams said.

But people of all ages still buy watches for themselves, seeking function as well as fashion, she said.

"And you can't even imagine how many watch batteries we change a day."

Laura Moyer: 540/374-5417
Email: lmoyer@freelancestar.com

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Date published: 11/1/2008