Don't Wear Your Favorite Watch While Drumming

BobC

BobC

Silver Member
I have a reissue Hamilton Ventura watch that I bought about 15 years ago that I love. It's the coolest looking watch in the world, IMO. Elvis Presley wore one. The Men In Black wore them in their films. Three weeks ago, I had it serviced; cleaned, adjusted, new battery, new band, new crystal, got the scratches on the case polished out. It looked almost brand new. $185.

I went to an audition last Thursday night, played three songs, and I must have have hit the watch on the snare rim, because I broke the crystal and it stopped running. I was sick about it, so I dropped it back off to the jeweler next day, and he's going to fix it all up again this week.

I never wear a watch while playing drums, but for some reason, forgot to take it off this time...and paid the price.

These aren't cheap watches. They're not Rolex expensive, but still, a new one is about $700. I bought a $20 cheapo watch on Amazon to wear until this one comes back.

Moral of the story: Never wear your favorite watch while drumming. Mine looks just like the one in the photo.
 

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Invicta and other brands....would bug me to no end while playing. Rings etc all come off. No leather bracelets..etc etc no matter how lite. That is a cool watch!. I've got a triangle shaped timepiece but more rounded corners. My Invictas are heavy beasts.
 
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I wear a G Shock Mudmaster ($700) on gigs and it’s built for this kinda stuff. Waterproof, Shockproof…..locks to atomic time and is solar powered. I was never a fan when these came out in the 80s, but they are seriously rugged watches that I love today. Maybe you need one of these. I’m currently debating getting the high end Frogman model which is supposedly even tougher!
 
Bo Eder said:
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I wear a G Shock Mudmaster ($700) on gigs and it’s built for this kinda stuff. Waterproof, Shockproof…..locks to atomic time and is solar powered. I was never a fan when these came out in the 80s, but they are seriously rugged watches that I love today. Maybe you need one of these. I’m currently debating getting the high end Frogman model which is supposedly even tougher!
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Huge fan of G Shocks as well Bo. Nice. I swear I had a Gshock I could have left outside for 10 years and found it under a melted snowbank with perfect time. It went into sleep mode.
 
Bozozoid said:
Huge fan of G Shocks as well Bo. Nice. I swear I had a Gshock I could have left outside for 10 years and found it under a melted snowbank with perfect time. It went into sleep mode.
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I swear I was never a fan and my first big watch purchase was an Omega Speedmaster (the moon watch), but the first maintenance bill made me put it away (they wanted $800) for the 5-year overhaul). Then I discovered the Victorinox INOX which is cool, but these high end G Shocks are awesome. I may start collecting them (more $$$$ I don’t need to spend!)
 
My late husband had an entire watch collection... he loved watches.

I absolutely cannot drum with a watch, my wrist would be bruised because of how heavy and loose it is. I also have a Zildjian rubber bracelet that I once wore and the stick got caught right in the bracelet and the stick went flying... it was a dangerous thing ... so I always take that bracelet off. On the other hand, I have a loose thin gold bracelet that I always tape to my wrist before I drum because I had broke it on 3 occasions.
 
I love watches, but don't wear one anymore.
No big or heavy watches for me and none of mine are expensive. There was an older Rolex gold Presidential in a pawn shop that I followed for a few months before offering 8k, which they turned down. Then they sold it for 8k not too long after. I had no business buying the watch anyway. Same thing happened with a jetski at that shop.
 
I've not worn a watch since the early 1990s when I started playing drums even though I started wearing one when I was probably 5-6 years old. I bought myself a decent Fossil watch when I got my 4-year degree, but I've not worn it in many years.
 
I have been asked by friends and colleagues to NOT wear a watch. I'm pathologically early and a bit nuts about promptness, so having a watch just makes me too focused on that.

I'm torn on nice watches - they seem functionally unnecessary, but some of them are just gorgeous!
 
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This is John Cameron Swayze here....we have attached this watch to the arm of a very strong drummer who will now play 4 sets......
Jim....is the watch still ticking?.........Jim?
....Uh No Mr. Swayse......it is not ticking......anymore.
Sorry about your watch man.
I have a watch.....it looks nice. BUT
Every time I wear it......I break it.
 
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BobC said:
I have a reissue Hamilton Ventura watch that I bought about 15 years ago that I love. It's the coolest looking watch in the world, IMO. Elvis Presley wore one. The Men In Black wore them in their films. Three weeks ago, I had it serviced; cleaned, adjusted, new battery, new band, new crystal, got the scratches on the case polished out. It looked almost brand new. $185.

I went to an audition last Thursday night, played three songs, and I must have have hit the watch on the snare rim, because I broke the crystal and it stopped running. I was sick about it, so I dropped it back off to the jeweler next day, and he's going to fix it all up again this week.

I never wear a watch while playing drums, but for some reason, forgot to take it off this time...and paid the price.

These aren't cheap watches. They're not Rolex expensive, but still, a new one is about $700. I bought a $20 cheapo watch on Amazon to wear until this one comes back.

Moral of the story: Never wear your favorite watch while drumming. Mine looks just like the one in the photo.
Click to expand...
My question is how do you manage to hit the snare rim (if that's what you did) with your watch? I have never ever touched any drum or cymbal with anything other than my stick and very rarely hit my hand on anything, but never my wrists.
I wouldn't worry too much about hitting something, I would be more concerned about the constant shaking that may affect watch internals...

After further reading others comments, I guess hitting your wrist on a snare (or tom) is a more common thing than I thought.
I still don't understand how... I'm not the most precise drummer but also never in 35 years done that.
 
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I hit the hihat with the back of my wrist a lot. When I crash left hand or cymbal choke left.
 
MazdaRex said:
I have been asked by friends and colleagues to NOT wear a watch. I'm pathologically early and a bit nuts about promptness, so having a watch just makes me too focused on that.

I'm torn on nice watches - they seem functionally unnecessary, but some of them are just gorgeous!
Click to expand...
I have been wearing a watch since I was...7 or 8, I am not able to leave my house without one. Yes I know you can use your phone as a watch, but that was not an option in the 70s, 80,s.
I don't wear any jewelry except for a wedding ring so watches are the only thing I would buy (and collect).
About being somewhere on time... I have always been kind of obsessive about it so I end up getting there and having to wait for everyone else (which I hate), but in my 21 years in the military I have only been late twice and by only 3 min. I was like that way before joining the military to me it was something about the way you present yourself. (first impressions count and if you show up late then...)

Now about expensive gorgeous watches... I was (or we were, my coworker and I) had to go to the airport in DC to a special runway to drop off a pallet of hard drives to be loaded into an Air Force plane. While we waited for the plane to land, we were ushered into this lounge with a couple of couches and coffee tables with some magazines. (rich people magazines) in those magazines, things for sale were:

private Jets (some with pinstripe design like the suits).
Yachts
and $600,000 watches. yes 600K. Very unique designs but 600k... even if I had that kind of money... it just seems silly when you could help so many with that kind of $$. I would spend it on animal shelters.
 
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