On which hand do you wear your watch, and for what reason?

A curiosity: why do we usually wear the watch on one hand and not on the other?

The history of the wristwatch dates back to its invention in 1812, when Abraham Louis Breguet created the first one for the Queen of Naples and sister of Napoleon Bonaparte, Caroline. However, it was not until the early twentieth century that it began to become popular among women. Men's wristwatches appeared in the world of aviation by the hand of Louis Cartier, who developed the first for the pilot Alberto Santos-Dumont.

Since that time, great advances have been made in their manufacture and operation, but from the very beginning there has been the from the very beginning, there has been doubt as to which hand the watch should be worn on.. It is about this aspect that we are going to talk about in this article.

Which hand do you put your watch on?

While this is something most of us do automatically, we may wonder on occasion if there is a social norm as to where the watch should be worn. if there is a social norm as to where a watch should be worn on the left wrist..

Most people wear it on their left wrist, but that's because most of the population is right-handed. And it is actually and traditionally the watch has been placed on the hand opposite to the dominant one. Thus, right-handers wear it on the left wrist while left-handers wear it on the right.

Why is this the case?

The reasons for the watch to be placed on the opposite hand are eminently practical. First of all, it should be taken into account that this allows that at a functional level what we do with the dominant hand would not be affected if we wanted to look at the time..

For example, when writing, the watch and its strap could disturb the user, which is not the case with the non-dominant hand. Another aspect to be taken into account is the fact that having to stop actions with the dominant hand to look at the time could have fatal consequences in certain contextsThis is the case in the field where the first male watches originated: aviation.

In addition, we constantly use the dominant hand in most of the actions that require the use of the hands, something that would expose the watch to shocks, frictions, scratches and fractures as the dominant hand slides more frequently on different types of surfaces.

It should also be noted that the first wristwatches needed to be wound. needed to be wound up several times a day, something that would require the use ofThis would require the use of the dominant hand to be done easily.

An explanation with more of an urban legend

Although it may seem a minor issue, the truth is that even in the twentieth century there are records on the reflection on this subject. In addition to the aforementioned explanations, some false explanations have also emerged as a result of ignorance that could even be considered urban legends.

One of the best known in this regard refers to the fact that the reason was that the watches were placed on the left hand (in the case of right-handed people) because is the wrist on which the pulse is usually measured..

The popular belief when they began to exist automatic watches (that is to say those that left needing to be wound) was that the watches were fed to function of the movements or the energy transmitted by the cardiac pulse that is manifested in that wrist (in spite of the fact that in fact the pulse exists in both wrists and that the operation of the watches has nothing to do with the pulse).

Why is it sometimes put on the other wrist?

Although to put the watch on the non-dominant hand is the traditional thing and has a practical sense it does not imply that it cannot or it is bad seen to take it in the dominant one. Basically, each of us will wear it wherever we like and it will continue to fulfill its function just the same.

In fact, sometimes because they are an eye-catching accessory and a symbol of power and wealth (if they are branded), they are deliberately placed on the dominant wrist. It may be a way to distinguish themselves or try to differentiate themselves from the traditional in a symbolic way..

Another reason why it is usually worn on the dominant wrist is for aesthetics or design, with some watches designed to be worn on a specific wrist (something visible by the orientation of the crown). In principle, the crown should go outside the sleeve, being visible.

However, we can see how, for example, that although today left-handed people have watches made taking into account their manual dominance, at first being left-handed was frowned upon and even tried to be "corrected", or was not usually taken into account by the fact of not being the majority manual dominance. In this sense many people may wear the watch on the dominant hand as an inheritance or custom of those times, not as distant as it seems.not as distant as it seems.

A last reason, more curious, has a functional sense: since it is generally placed on the non-dominant hand, wearing the watch on the dominant hand allows us to use its vision to remind us of an important event. For example, it can serve as a reminder that the watch needs to be repaired or the battery needs to be replaced, or to remind us that we have an appointment at some point.