Wearing watches while drumming

matthew

Senior Member
I bought a nice watch (the sort you could service and hand down the genrations). Its an automatic watch not a quartz watch. As a result it is a little bit more delicate than the regular watch you might buy (but at the same time, its a bloody sturdy watch).

I am wondering if any drummers out there wear automatic watching while drumming? Is this an absolute "no no" in order to keep the watch in good working order? I wouldn't ask this if I played extreme heavy music, but I sort of don't want to take it off before each set, and lose it either.

Just wondering if any one had any thoughts.
 
I wouldn't give it a moment's thought.

As somebody with a bit of a watch habit, I have never hesitated to wear a watch while drumming, with no ill effects.
 
I don't think I'd be worried about breaking the watch itself, but I find it extremely uncomfortable to play with a watch on my wrist. I feel like it hampers my wrist movement, and the weight feels sluggish, like it's holding back my arm.

So for me it's a big no-no, but I do see drummers from time to time who play with big metal watches and it doesn't seem to bother them at all.
 
I wear an Apple Watch while drumming. It helps me see any texts that are important without stopping. For hand drums, I do take off my ring and sometimes a watch to prevent finger/hand injury.
 
I never wear a watch while playing. I don't like the feeling of anything on my wrist while I play.
Being that your watch has moving parts and springs inside, continuous arm movement could cause premature wear and tear on some of the components within the watch.
I suggest playing it safe and not wearing it when you play.
 
I wear mine on light and medium gigs, and have had no issues. On heavier playing gigs I leave it at home rather than taking it on and off.
 
I leave mine at home, do not want anything on my wrist when playing.
 
I've always found it weird and uncomfortable to wear one while playing. Sort of like chewing gum or keeping your wallet in your back pocket while playing.
 
I don't typically wear a watch while drumming; I don't know that it would affect my playing at all, but I'd be afraid to damage the watch in some way (sweating, or hitting it with/on something).

Would you wear it going out for a jog, or at the gym? If not, then it's best to leave it home when you gig. If its such a nice timepiece that you are looking at passing it down through your family, you should probably just leave it at home...
 
It has never occurred to me to even take my watch off before. I guess I'll just leave it on my wrist then.
 
I have two watches. One is a sporty little digital number that is my main day-to-day watch. It's very light and I wear it while drumming all the time. My other watch is a Citizen Eco-Drive. It cost a couple hundred dollars and weighs about half a pound. It tends to slam against my wristbone if I wear it while playing, and so I don't.

For the first several years of my marriage, I wore my wedding band while playing; I started taking it off to play and now I don't like to wear it while playing at all. Not trying to appear more available or anything, honest -- I think I've got more subtlety in my left hand without it.

I also tend to not wear all my Mr. T-style chains while playing. You can get drumsticks caught in them. I pity the fool.
 
Nono. No little 2-handed dictator is getting anywhere close to my artistic activity. :)
I dont have a watch anymore since the batteries ran out 3 years or so ago. Life continues and i have not missed any planes or trains.
 
I can't believe people still wear watches. I have the time on my phone. Plus as an electrician, I don't wear any metal on my body.

I predict watches to go the way of the video store in about 50 years. It's still going strong it seems though. Which doesn't add up to me, they've been rendered redundant with the advent of cellphones. Yet people still want them.
 
I can't believe people still wear watches. I have the time on my phone. Plus as an electrician, I don't wear any metal on my body.

I predict watches to go the way of the video store in about 50 years. It's still going strong it seems though. Which doesn't add up to me, they've been rendered redundant with the advent of cellphones. Yet people still want them.

People still want them mostly for an accessory - a piece of jewelry.

I hate looking at my phone for the time, it's a pain in the ass. Besides, being a teacher, I use my watch all the time in class.
 
I bought myself a decent Fossil watch when I graduated with my undergraduate degree in 2002. I wore it for a year or so until I started playing drums again. I found myself taking it on and off all of the time. I then got a pocket watch, then I stopped carrying that. I don't think I've even tried on a watch in more than a decade.

I hated the feeling of it flopping around on my wrist.
 
I wish they made a wrist watch that had a BPM monitor on it.
I could take a look at it every so often while I'm playing to see the BPM I'm playing at.

I'd buy it.


.
 
No watch you guys are missing out. My metal links in my watch strap act as a subtle jingle ring, and this has become an essential part of my snare sound. Engineers go crazy for that Rolex-Supra hybrid.

Turns my backbeat into a real time keeper.
 
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