T
TECH TIME
WHAT? A
CLASSIC-LOOKING
SMARTWATCH
MAKES THIS LATE-
STER PUNCTUAL
My dad disliked wristwatches. He found them both uncomfortable
and unnecessary – which, in his case, was true. He was always punc-
tual and needed no reminders. My mom, on the other hand, came
from an enormous family that seemed to pride itself on lateness – a
tendency I inherited.
I’ve adopted a variety of coping mechanisms. Wake-up calls
when I’m traveling. Outlook reminders with loud chiming. Setting
clocks 10 or 15 minutes fast. Smartphone calendars. Pocket calen-
dars. Scraps of paper. And always, an assortment of wristwatches .
Thus, the What? Calendar Watch was perfect for my needs
and tastes. For starters, I’m well past 40, which is, ostensi-
bly, the cutoff between those who favor contemporary “smart”
watches and those who prefer a watch with both classic looks and
functions. While it is designed to function in tandem with one’s
smartphone calendar, the What? Calendar Watch doesn’t have a
plasticky, smart-watch look: to the contrary, all of its color and
face choices are classically stylish.
The model I tested had a brown leather band, a stainless steel
body and a white and gray face; it also comes in aqua and gunmetal
black. My conservative watch wouldn’t look a bit out of place with
a well-tailored suit – and, in fact, I wore it to a job interview. This
particular interview consisted of multiple meetings spread over four
hours one Tuesday in October, and the calendaring function not only
kept me punctual – it looked pretty snazzy.
One practical challenge I found about the Calendar Watch was
the process of charging it. Unlike all of the other wristwatches that
end up in my top drawer, awaiting new batteries, this one doesn’t
rely on a quartz battery but on that ubiquitous tool of the tech world:
A USB charging cord. You also must position it accurately on a
110 | AboutTime Magazine