For generations, if you asked a man the time, he’d snap his arm out full-length so the cuff of his shirt pulled back a little, then bend his arm at the elbow and glance down at the watch on his wrist. “Quarter o’ four,” he’d say. The whole thing took about a second. Here, too often, is what he does now: he shoves his hand into his pants pocket, or into the folds of the suit jacket beneath his overcoat, fishing for his telephone, which he produces and holds in front of his face. Then he pushes the button and the time pops up on the screen and he says, “Three forty-six.”
This is no way to tell time. It’s inefficient. It wastes time, which is the thing you’re worried about in the first place – otherwise you wouldn’t need to know what time it is. Plus, it’s inelegant. A man without a watch looks unprepared, like a man who has to check his wallet to see whether he has any cash. A man should always have cash.
Your phone tells the time, yes, but your phone is not a watch. You need a watch.