Ever since I got my first luxury watch, I have wondered whether I should wear it to the gym or not. To see if wearing a watch to the gym during a workout is a good idea or not, I decided to do my experiment and wear my Breitling for a whole week of my workout regimen. Here’s what I found:
As a general rule, it’s recommended not to wear a watch while working out at the gym. Wearing a watch while working out may lead to watch damage and can be uncomfortable to wear at times. Instead, storing your timepiece in a safe area or wearing a smartwatch is ideal.
Read on to view my whole experience wearing my luxury watch to the gym and why I do not recommend wearing it while working out.
Is It OK To Wear A Watch To The Gym?
Even before I got my first-ever luxury watch, I had always been an active person. I have loved playing sports ever since I was a kid such as basketball, soccer, and baseball and I am also a huge fan of lifting weights and getting stronger. So when I got my first ever watch, I thought, “Is it OK if I wear my watch while working out at the gym?”
I found that I do not recommend wearing a watch while working out. I realized that it can incur damage to the watch and it’s uncomfortable to wear, and there are better alternatives than wearing a luxury watch to the gym.
Another topic that relates to working out and going to the gym is good sleep. In another blog post, I answered whether or not you should sleep with a watch on. Click here to check it out!
My Experience and 5-Day Test
To test whether or not wearing a watch to the gym is OK or not, I decided to wear my Breitling Wings watch for a full 5-days of fitness training. I decided to wear my Breitling because Breitling timepieces are known to be solid and durable watches, and if anything were to happen to it, I know that it could take a
My training primarily includes heavy weightlifting and steady-state cardio, and I wore my Breitling through all of it. Let’s take a closer look at my experience and break down each of the five days I wore my watch to the gym.
Wearing My Watch To The Gym: Day 1
On the first day of wearing my watch to the gym, I worked out with it during my heavy weight lifting session for the chest, shoulders, and triceps with dumbells, machine presses, and cables. There was one single emotion that I felt during the entire workout: worry. Not only was I worried about damaging my watch, but my flashy Breitling watch felt and looked out of place.
For the most part, my only concern during my entire gym session was ensuring that my watch wasn’t damaged. At times, it negatively affected my workout because I was so focused on making sure my watch was in good shape instead of lifting the weights.
There was one time during the workout when I was doing an incline chest press with dumbells, I dropped the dumbells on the floor and at the corner of my eye, I saw that I almost hit the sapphire crystal on the edge of the dumbbell. My heart dropped for a second and I thought I cracked it!
When the workout was finished, I was a little relieved that I could take my watch so I wouldn’t have to worry about it. I left the gym that day with no scratches or breaks in my watch so I was happy about that.
Wearing My Watch To The Gym: Day 2
The second day of wearing my watch to the gym was very similar to the first day. I did another weightlifting session this time focusing more on my back and bicep muscles.
Throughout the workout, I was constantly checking on my timepiece making sure it was running smoothly and wasn’t damaged at all. Even when I would try to not look at my watch and focus on my workout, I constantly kept checking my watch no matter how hard I tried not to.
But near the end of the workout, I got used to wearing the watch and it didn’t seem to bother me as much as before. Nonetheless, I was still extremely worried about keeping it safe and also trying my best to not damage it at all.
Wearing My Watch To The Gym: Day 3
The third day of bringing my watch to the gym was much smoother and more relaxed than the first 2 days. The reason being is that I did a cardio day on the treadmill and I wasn’t afraid of any weights or dumbbells hitting my watch today.
But during this workout, I learned something about wearing a watch to the gym: it can be uncomfortable. I tend to be a sweaty person when I do cardio for long periods, and today was no exception. While I was doing cardio, my watch started sliding up and down my wrist because my skin was sweaty, which made a good portion of my workout uncomfortable.
This made me tempted to take it off multiple times because it was getting uncomfortable, and by the end of my workout, the case and bracelet of my timepiece were sweaty so I wiped it down with some towels.
However, as I was wiping down my watch, I did research and realized that materials used in watches, such as leather and stainless steel, can be ruined or discolored by sweat if left on for a long period. This made me conclude even faster to not recommend wearing a watch to the gym because not only can you damage it during your workout, but you can damage it after with sweat.
Wearing My Watch To The Gym: Day 4
The fourth day went significantly better than the first three days. I did another weight lifting session but this time working out my lower body (quads, hamstrings, calves, etc.). I felt much more at ease during my workout because there was a much smaller risk of hitting my watch against a weight. After all, there was no upper body movement.
I noticed this as soon as I started doing squats. I realized that I was much more focused and comfortable during my workout because there were no upper-body movements including my wrists. At some points during this workout, my watch was the last thing on my mind and I was completely focused on my workout.
It was still uncomfortable and I remember getting red marks on my wrist after taking my watch off after the workout, which was annoying.
Wearing My Watch To The Gym: Day 5 (Final Day)
On the last day, I did a full upper body workout with my watch on. While I started to get more comfortable with wearing my watch during my workout after the first four days, I was still worried about hitting my watch against a barbell or dumbbell.
Toward the end of the workout, I was doing dumbbell bicep curls, and a part of the metal bracelet on the watch started to pinch the skin of my wrist. Not only did it hurt, but I stopped doing bicep curls because I was annoyed with my watch distracting me from being focused during the workout. The common theme with this 5-day experiment is that my watch distracts me when I wear it to the gym.
At the end of this upper body workout, I was thankful that it was my last day of wearing my Breitling watch to the gym because all of the things about my watch I was worried about during my workout would disappear.
What Should You Do Instead of Wearing A Watch To The Gym?
Even though it’s generally not recommended to bring your watch to the gym, there are several things you can do instead that I thought of to keep your watch safe and have a better/more focused workout as well. When it comes to the safety and protection of your watch, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Keep Your Watch In A Locked Gym Locker
I found that one of the best ways to keep your watch safe while working out is by keeping your watch in a locked gym locker. Generally speaking, almost every gym has locker rooms where you can store your items safely in individual lockers. I usually keep my items in a locked gym locker.
On top of that, many gyms nowadays have security cameras all around the gym, which means you can be assured that if God forbid there is ever a conflict between you, your watch, and another person, it can be caught on video for your watch’s safety and protection.
Keep It At Home
Another way to keep your watch safe when going to the gym is to simply leave your timepiece at home when you’re working out. Right before going to the gym, you can leave your timepiece in a safe and secure location at home to ensure that nothing will happen to it.
This is something I do all the time before going to the gym. As I’m about to leave to go to the gym, I leave my watch in a safe and hidden place in my room so that no one can find it. This not only helps me keep peace of mind while working out, but it also mitigates any chance that my watch gets damaged or stolen during my workout.
Wear A Smart Watch Instead
Lastly, if you’re someone who is still wanting to wear a watch while working out, I would look to invest in a smartwatch. Not only can you use them to keep track of the time, but they are highly functional during workouts. On top of that, you can find smartwatches at low price points.
I am not a huge fan of smartwatches. I am not fond of them because I feel like everyone is wearing one nowadays and I don’t feel unique when I wear them. However, they can be a useful tool to track how many calories you burn during a workout, how many steps you’ve taken, and how close or far you are from hitting your exercise goals.
For example, I own an Apple watch and I primarily use it for working out to keep track of my activity, and it also helps me keep track of the time during my workout routine. It has plenty of technological features that are useful for going to the gym that my traditional watches do not have.
Working Out With A Watch: My Thoughts
I don’t recommend wearing a watch to the gym. After wearing my watch through my workouts, I realized that you could easily scratch or break your watch if a heavy dumbbell/weight hits it, and sweat can cause damage or discoloration to watch parts like stainless steel or leather if it’s left on for a long time. During cardio, it is much less risky but it can get uncomfortable after a long period.
Instead, I recommend keeping your watch in a safe or an area where others won’t be able to reach it so your watch won’t get damaged, or leaving your watch at home away from the gym or wearing a smartwatch during your workout. These are the methods I use to keep my watch safe and undamaged while having a focused workout.
I hope you found this article helpful! Make sure to check out other posts on the site. If you are someone who is looking for the best watches or watch products on the market, I have made just the resource for you. I have a page dedicated to giving you my top recommendations for the best watches and watch products on the market. Click here to check it out!