Much to my dismay, my watch gave up the ghost today. I have had it for a few years and it has been reliable and the battery life is excellent still, with it lasting almost two weeks. It also did all I needed it to do with a minimum of fuss. However, this is what it is like with digital gadgets, their lifecycle is incredibly short. I think there should be a lifecycle expectation minimum for different product groups.
How long should a watch last?
None of this digital crap will ever be a family heirloom like the watches of old, passed down from parent to child for generations, but there should be some minimum requirement where there is support and replacement, and it perhaps should be mandated. If we are actually looking to make an impact on the environment by using less materials, we shouldn't just be looking to recycle, but we should be looking to increase the lifespan of what we use.
A car in the past would last for decades if cared for and become classics - now?
There is more talk about fast fashion and the impact on the environment, especially because it is not able to be handed on, as the quality is so low. However, if we are looking at something like cotton, which takes about 10,000 litres of water to produce one kilo of it (including rain water), shouldn't there also be an impact on the weight of the material sold? Why would an extra small shirt that my wife wears, cost the same amount as an extra extra large, when the amount of material is significantly different? Go into a cloth store, you pay by the meter (or yard if you are living in the dark ages), not by the shirt, or dress.
Should there be a difference in price based on size?
The incentive to profit from consumables shouldn't be on selling more items, it should be on selling quality that lasts. Not marketing quality, but real quality, provable, backed up, guaranteed - supply chain tracked. Profit seeking based on volume sold is one of the algorithms that burns the most resources, because it is continually looking to shorten the lifecycle and increase the frequency of purchase. A watch that only last three or four years two decades ago, would be one of the shittiest watches on the market - not from a leading brand. Now?
The entire consumer market now is like the music industry, where a one hit wonder can make enough to retire on in a few months, and never have to create anything again. It is flash in the pan popularity for maximum profit, and then ride off into the sunset. And yeah, there are brands that have been around for a long time, but they are more like the record labels that keep pushing new music in a churn and burn cycle.
Nothing lasts.
By design.
Yet, the consumer foots the bill at all stages, from the extra taxes used to clean up the environment, the frequency of purchase, to the disposal of goods - while the companies are trading carbon credits so they can pollute more. The simple answer isn't just to "buy less" as that will not happen because buying less means going without, and missing out. Instead, the driver should be to buy better, but most people can't afford to buy better, and even if they could, "better" isn't in the brand name, it is in the longevity and relevancy of the item.
For instance, I want to be able to buy an electric car that has all that I need now and some room to add improvements in the future. Those improvements would be things like the latest technology batteries, perhaps ones that are better for the environment. I don't want to have to change my car for it - I want to be able to change the battery. This takes a little forethought and standardisation in the industry, which they will not do willingly - like Apple with their stupid phone chargers that fit nothing else. That kind of corporate behaviour should be punished.
But, standardisation also gets in the way of innovation, so there has to be room for design innovation too. However, that innovation needn't be in low-value areas (human value, not corporate value) like a charging cable. There was never a need for 142 different charging cable sizes, especially when it was just a different sized coaxial cable - there was no innovation there, just market predation. The innovation should be pushed into more value-adding areas.
But of course, the entire economy is largely built on useless activity. The entire supply chain and therefore the profit of all industries is largely there to support the creation and consumption of shit we don't need, and will dispose of in a couple years, either because it is useless, or because it didn't last. If we would be able to identify what is actually valuable to humanity and what is not and cut away everything else, our global resource consumption would plummet - and that is bad news for an economy that is built on sales cycles, not longevity.
I will see how I go without a watch for a while.
But it is pretty annoying, because a few hours earlier I was telling my wife that my phone screen (cracked a few years ago) is struggling at the moment too and probably needs replacing. And then when my watch went, my daughter said - soon you will never know what time it is.
There's still the microwave.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Do you need to have one of those "smart" watches? If not get a Casio G-Shock...it'll live longer than you. Do you still have that Tag Heuer I gave you? I have another I can send you if you want it, a Kirium. Smaller than the other I gave you.
I was thinking about something pretty basic - but will go without for a while to see how it goes. Of course I have it still! :D It is not a daily watch though. Smaller would be better, but it can wait :)
I got the Kirium because it was smaller, less bulky. It's not the coolest watch out there but if you want it I'll send it.
It will have to wait - because I fear it would go through customs and that means I will have to pay import duty on it - which is something like 35%
Fucken rogues.
Yeah, it is crazy. I appreciate the offer though!
True quality should be the priority, not planned obsolescence, which drives rapid consumption cycles and depletes resources. Although innovation in meaningful areas is essential, many industries prioritise profit over durability, creating unnecessary standards (like incompatible charging cables) that perpetuate consumerism. A shift towards durable, upgradable, and standardised products that value genuine quality could reduce environmental impact and promote more sustainable economies. However, this approach conflicts with corporate interests focused on maximising sales.
The rise of disposable goods feels particularly jarring. The push for “cheaper” often comes at the expense of craftsmanship, historically celebrated in British-Canadian culture. Encouraging policies that mandate longer product lifespans and penalise wasteful practices could resonate strongly here, aligning with growing environmental concerns while preserving a legacy of enduring design. Yet, entrenched corporate habits and global market pressures make such changes an uphill battle.
I think it comes down to consumer demand. We are so easily manipulated to buy what is shoved down our throats out of convenience and desire, so that the short term dopamine kick continuously works against our long term needs.
Things could probably last a hell of a lot longer than they do but obsolescence is built in to most things and nobody wants quality that could potentially last forever because that's too expensive, they just want the latest thing dirt cheap right now.
I like modular design. I'm now very deliberately trying to get more modularly designed stuff (the phone is a bit of a tough ask but I am hoping I'll cope).
I hate it when all the tech stuff has to be replaced at once x_x
I think it is also that people want to constantly feel that they are "progressing" and getting something new brings that - even if it isn't much progress at all.
Modular is good. Clothes should be the same - mix and match. Too much these days is "one use case only" kind of thing.
Clothes aren't mix and match?! D:
if the fashion police existed I would probably be on the run for life
Many aren't these days. Mine are all mix and
matchunmatched!Many aren't these days. Mine are all mix and
matchunmatched!I've always wanted a really nice watch, but I just can't justify the cost. Especially considering the beating it would take if I were to buy one.
Yeah, I think there are so many "levels" of what is a decent watch these days.
Haaaa... I rely on other "clocks" that are scattered about quite often also
But nothing replaces the hand held mini computer spy device we think is a phone.
I use the alarm on it daily like a reminder 🗓️ calendar.
Yeah, I use the phone a lot too anyway, even if I have the watch - It tells me the time, and it tells them everything about me.
Everything is in the past :) In the past, a watch was used by several generations. It was even said that "this watch was inherited from my grandfather". Now this is not possible.
Today, the lifespan of tools and vehicles is limited. Otherwise, they cannot find new customers.
There should be a price difference according to size. The price of a size 38 shoe should not be the same as a size 45 shoe. Also, women's clothes are cheaper while men's clothes are expensive. At least in Türkiye, this is the case. There should be no difference between men's and women's clothes.
And this is the problem today - it is all about new customers, not about what is best for customers or humanity.
Honestly, I am not convinced by the idea of preserving the environment and reducing waste and what they say. Everything is designed to make more profits.
What is the benefit, for example, of giving me a phone without a charger when I will actually have to buy it? The result is the same, You just want to sell the phone and sell the charger not giving me a free charger.
The benefit is that you probably have another charger at home that works. What they are doing now though is improving the speed of charging, requiring different charging adapters.
Maybe it's better not to know what time it is.... Sometimes I wonder how we would live without this control system called time.
The clocks are now synchronized with the cell phone, as if it were not enough slavery we already have with it, because now with the clock we can not escape. Imagine wanting to take a break from the networks or have some “time” for you and from your wrist starts blinking the little light that calls you to fall into the bottomless barrel of any social network, or that reckless message that you would have preferred to read later. No, I pass and win. It would be fun, if only for a day, to live without time, with the illusion of freedom. 😊 I hope you'll soon be able to repair your watch.
It is fine, unless you need to have a job.
I turn all notifications off on my watch, and nearly all off on my phone. I am not on any other social network, and I use a lot of limitation on who can contact me :)
Have you already tried survival mode in splinterlands? how do you like it?
Haven't tried it at all. I don't have enough cards. How long is the cooldown period?
depends on a card. Legendaries and high level cards have shorter cooldown.
Right. I consider myself lucky if my watches last me more that 2 yrs. Unlike a computer.. it's always a good excuse to get a new, modern PC if/when THAT breaks down. 👊😎🤙
I hate getting new PCs. I want one that lasts.
maybe when they get the new quantum computer.. the just modular upgrades.. that'd be cool. 😎🤙
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There's still microwave 🤣🤣🤣. After reading your post ,I'm wondering how long I can go without a wristwatch 🤔🤔..