Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

Published 9:06 am Wednesday, July 30, 2025

I’ve always enjoyed watches. I remember getting my first scuba watch when I was a young boy. It was a Caravelle (made by Bulova). I finally let go of that old watch when I was in my twenties.

Since then, I’ve worn Timex Ironman, Casio Sport Watches, and even a famous G-Shock. About 11 years ago, I bought myself a nice watch that keeps accurate time via radio signals from an atomic clock. It utilizes light to power itself, and it’s also a beautiful chronograph.   

Unfortunately, it has never lived up to the hype. I have trouble setting the day and date correctly. The feature that adjusts for daylight saving time also doesn’t work. I’ve had several jewelers try, and, well, I have a nice watch that isn’t.

These days, I wear an Apple Watch, and I doubt I’ll ever go back to an old-fashioned analog one. The things you can do with a watch like this are simply amazing. I can track my workouts, read my emails, send a text, use it as a compass, see how many feet above or below sea level I am, check the weather, and even pay for a cup of coffee.

Better yet, I can make or receive calls. Shades of Dick Tracy and his wrist communicator/radio. That cartoon should take some of us way back. It started in 1931, and the wrist communicator was introduced in 1946.

Who knew we were seeing the very first wearable technology?

A couple of weeks ago, I tried again to get my fancy watch to work properly. I wore it one Sunday morning to church. I think I’m done. Even if it worked as advertised, I’ve become used to all the features of my current Apple Watch.

Remember the old Timex advertising? “Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.” My little brother chunked one off the top of a tall rocket-themed playground slide to test the theory. It failed. I can still see the incredulous look on our dad’s face and the dismembered parts in my brother’s hand.

The most important feature of any watch is its ability to keep accurate time. We need to be punctual, know what time it is, when we are leaving, and when we will arrive, as this helps us plan our day and life effectively.

Lunch date with a friend today. What time is it?

Doctor’s appointment tomorrow. I need to know what time to be there.

Time is a rare and valuable resource. Managing time with a watch, phone, or calendar is an essential skill. However, more important than the watch you wear or how you organize your day is being aware of the time spent with others.

No one knows when today will be our last day. No one knows when tomorrow might not come for someone we love. As the old hymn says, “time is filled with swift transition.”

Keep watch. Be mindful of your time—it grows shorter more quickly than you may know.

“Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.”