Watches - Analog vs. Digital

[kirk13]

Been analog for me since my teens.Just like looking and seeing the time without having to think about it!

[CAPTSHOE]

Analog for me all the time.  As I have aged the ability to read a digital watch has become more difficult especially in low light situations.  The only way around that would be to get one of the enormous Suunto or Garmin watches.

My EDC watch rotation is Rolex Sea Dweller, Seiko Landmaster and a Casio G-Shock GW-4000-1a.

[Craiger]

For work, play and EDC it's always digital for me. Date/day, long battery life, strong backlight, split chrono, multiple alarms, countdown timer etc. I use them all daily; although my phone does all those things too, I prefer to have the info on my wrist, at a glance.

I only wear an analog at nice events.

[Etherealicer]

Analog.
I used to love the gadget watches with calculator and such. But mobile phones have made that obsolete, so I'm back with analog.

For work, play and EDC it's always digital for me. Date/day, long battery life, strong backlight, split chrono, multiple alarms, countdown timer etc. I use them all daily; although my phone does all those things too, I prefer to have the info on my wrist, at a glance.

I only wear an analog at nice events.

Actually there are many analog watches that are self winding, so no batteries required. I have my Grandpas watch (probably 50+ years old) still runs.

I'm an analog mechanical watch guy. I love the fact that a mechanical watch is a little piece of machinery that needs me to either manually wind or move around enough for the automatic winder weight to do the job.

I especially love mechanical chronographs.

Thats exactly the type of watch I'd love.  I love the mechanincalness of the engineering involved.  I take it a nice watch of this type is pretty pricey?

Probably depends on your definition of pricey.  Most mechanical swiss-made chronos are going to be $700+.  A lot of them very +++++.

You can get a Swatch Automatic for less than $200 and the Irony is even cheaper.
Granted, Swatchs are not premium but they are pretty decent.

The price of course knows no upper limit you can get many nice Swiss automates for less than $1000. Of course if you like to have sapphire glass on it (second hardest transparent material after diamonds, has nothing to do with sapphire or glass ) you are easily in the $2000 - 4000 range. Everything more is usually brand or some fancy gold inlay and such.

And just for fun:
Boegli makes Mechanical Wrissmurfches* with a Music Box

* , didn't get it further up, but now

[Singh]

Analog. Simple and no fuss.

My watch is a Citizen Eco-Drive BM8180-03E . More accurate and reliable than a mechanical. Being solar powered, no batteries to worry about.

[kkokkolis]

I like both. Even better, an hybrid, like a Tissot T-touch.

[NutSAK]

I prefer analog mainly because the clock face gives time more of a "frame of reference" than time simply represented by digits.  I also think, generally, an analog watch has much more personality--they can be as much a work of art, craftsmanship and material as they are a tool.

With that said, I do like a "form follows function" approach also, as with most digital watches.  I think the relationship between the two is similar to comparing a SAK to a classic slipjoint knife design, to a degree.  In other words, a SAK is to a classic slipjoint what a digital watch is to a fine analog watch.  Materials and craftsmanship are the focus of the slipjoint and the analog watch, but the function and numerous "tool" options are the focus of the SAK and digital watch.

[nate j]

Analog for me.  A properly selected analog watch can look good with swim trunks, a tux, or anything in between.  A digital watch simply can't look at home with anything dressier than jeans.