Question: Can an old-fashioned mechanical stopwatch be a jogging buddy?

August 7, 2015 6:33 PM

I was wondering if anyone knows about old-fashioned watches, particularly about mechanical stopwatches that you wind up, and could help me determine if running with one in my hand is a bad idea. I find it slightly easier to pace myself on the track with one of them than my digital watch, as it's easier to read the time. However, I'm afraid the watch will break due to the constant rough motion.
posted by Perifferol to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (6 answers total)

Would one of the large-screen handheld referee/coach stopwatches (like this) be a good compromise? They're sturdy enough for refs to run around with for long periods of time and large enough to be read at a glance.
posted by Ufez Jones at 7:30 PM on August 7, 2015

Running with a mechanical watch won't damage the watch. But it might throw off the accuracy a bit.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 7:57 PM on August 7, 2015

What's your budget like? There are lots of analog stopwatches that are battery powered and so are lacking in the delicate cogs of a mechanical watch.
posted by Specklet at 8:12 PM on August 7, 2015

Running with it shouldn't be a problem. Most mechanical watches shouldn't suffer damage from regular running motions. Just don't bang it against stuff.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 12:29 AM on August 8, 2015

This questions absolutely demonstrates how old I am and/or how young you are --when I started running there were no commercially available digital watches. So the answer is--run with a mechanical watch to you hearts content--I now use a electronic watch with an analogue display--I simply like the aesthetic of it. Unless you are a world class/Olympic runner any timing discrepancy will be immaterial.
posted by rmhsinc at 2:57 AM on August 8, 2015

You can even find "kinetic" analog watches these days where your running motions will help keep it "wound".
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:24 AM on August 8, 2015