Return to Analogue and Beauty | Jerm Warfare Weekly Banter

Jerm (0:30)

My name is Jerm, this is Jerm Warfare, the battle of ideas.

Okay, so hold on, I just said to you, before I hit record, that I want to wear a watch so that I can look at my phone less for the time. And it's been such a long time since I wore my watch that the battery in it has gone flat. It's an old school watch with the hour and minute hands. And you said now that I mustn't use a battery. What are you talking about?

Mike (0:59)

Well, I mean, it's still, this is still, it may have hands on it. It may be Analogue, but it's still using a battery and electricity. This is ridiculous. There's a thing called mechanical watches. Get one of those.

Okay.

Jerm (1:13)

But now you're talking serious money. I imagine.

Mike (1:16)

No, no, no, no, you're not. No, no.

Charles (1:20)

I mean, I'm intrigued because I haven't had a wind up watch for years. Go on. So, all right. Let's say for the British audience. I'm also interested. Come on. No, no, no.

Jerm (1:29)

I'm very interested, actually.

Charles (1:31)

Yeah. But we can go shopping together when you come over, Jerm. Where are we going to get one of our wind up watches?

Mike (1:36)

Well, let's wait and see, shall we? But look, this watch I'm wearing here, Jerm, is a mechanical watch. It was made in the USSR, probably in the 1970s.

Most people don't know that it was a Soviet brand. And I bought it off eBay for about 25 quid and then fixed it. It works.

Jerm (1:57)

I actually do like the idea of not using a battery, because then you save money down the line anyway.

Mike (2:05)

Not much. There is that. They do last two or three years, you know, and you only have a couple of quid. It's not that big a deal. No, it's just, you know.

How often do you wind up your watch? I can't even remember. This one every day. But it becomes a bit of a ritual. It's actually, you know, it's a bit of a, it's part and parcel of owning the things.

But I mean, if you get a modern mechanical watch, they have heavy rotors on them that automatically wind them. You never have to wind them. You just wear them.

Jerm (2:41)

I did not know actually any of this. I'm actually now intrigued. Charles, you also don't know much about this, eh?

I'm not alone yet. That's what I'm going to say.

Charles (2:50)

Yeah. No, no. To be fair, I've not had a wind up watch for decades. I have had, I mean, I've always worn a watch, but battery powered recently.

And yes, like you, I mean, I would far prefer to use watch with hands. I've used a digital watch recently because it has an alarm on it. And that's what I was actually why we started.

Jerm (3:15)

I was just showing you this.

Charles (3:16)

That was where this started.

Jerm (3:19)

Yeah. Yeah. I'll tell you what, these things are, I mean, it's so retro, but it's actually very nice.

I mean, it has a little light on it also. So if you wake up in the middle of the night, you don't have to hold up your phone to look at the time.

Mike (3:32)

It has a light on, so it has a battery.

Charles (3:35)

It does have a battery. Yes. It does have a battery.

Mike (3:38)

That's cheating. That is completely cheating.

Charles (3:40)

Yeah.

Jerm (3:41)

I didn't know about these things, Mike. I didn't know you get this as a windup. But then, yeah, there is.

Charles (3:50)

There absolutely is.

Jerm (3:52)

Look, it's a start, because one needs to get away from the screen. And I'm trying very hard.

I'm writing stuff a lot more now in sort of pocket notebooks also, just to get away from looking at the reminders on a phone and all that. I mean, this is all personal growth, which I think is hard.

Mike (4:08)

Hold on a second, Jerm. Are you telling me that you used to, or possibly still do, have your phone in your room when you're sleeping?

Jerm (4:18)

I do.

Mike (4:19)

This is a very bad idea.

Jerm (4:20)

I know it's a bad idea.

I know it's a bad idea. I'm actually trying to get away from it. But at least I'm not being a hypocrite. I'm actually saying that I do keep it in the room. But I do turn it on to airplane mode, if that's in your constellation.

Mike (4:36)

A little.