When I was seven my father gave me a duty-free Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore for it years, and haven’t had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don’t need one. I have a mobile phone and a laptop and I’m always near someone with an iPod or a Blackberry. All these devices display the time — which is why, if you look around, you’ll see loads of empty wrists: sales of watches to young adults fell 10 per cent in 2005.
But while the sensible have realised that they don’t need them, others — apparently including distinguished Spectator contributors — are spending absolute fortunes on them. The luxury watch sector is booming. Brands such as Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Breitling command obscene prices, up to £250,000 for a bespoke piece.
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