A wrist watch is a piece of jewellery, a status symbol and a functional device to let you know when you should be somewhere or doing something special like picking the children up from school. As a piece of jewellery it can show your friends, guests and acquaintances whether you are a person of means or not. If you are wearing a $1,000 wrist watch then people will be able to tell something about you, or at least if they knew what your watch was worth then they would make an opinion of you. It's not like a cell phone. No one ever thinks that a person's cell phone is expensive, unique or a status symbol. But a watch is different. Originally called wristlets, watches that were worn on the wrist as opposed to the everyday practice of wearing them in your pocket, they were worn by women and spurned by men. The Boer War changed all of that and the wrist watch was found to be the ideal way of coordinating military movements without the awkwardness of carrying it in your pocket which might be almost inaccessible at times of action and in rough terrain. Soldiers were actually equipped with these new types of watches and found them very useful. There could hardly be any going back to pocket watches after this war, or to call them lady's wear after battle hardened soldiers returned wearing their wrist watches. World war one was simply more of the same for wrist watches and their wearing was often an essential part of weaponry. When soldiers were allowed to keep their wrist watches after service they kept wearing them everyday and they became more than just functional but a part of fashion. Today watches have an unbelievable number of functions, too many to count here and there are special watches for almost every sport and for many occupations. Even small children are taught to tell the time and it is a mark of their development at that age and they are often given a wristwatch. Wrist watches are an important part of fashion for both men and women and they are affordable for everyone as they can be bought for a couple of dollars at your local supermarket or gas station.