Lefty Watches

Many years ago, when I was a young apprentice, the journeymen engineers would often amuse themselves by sending me off on pointless errands. It's a rite of passage I guess - and I didn't mind as it was better than working.

A bucket of steam was a common item to be sought - as was a left handed screwdriver. Neither exist of course. A bucket of steam is just a bucket of water, and a left handed screwdriver is just the same as a right handed screwdriver. The engineers had a laugh, the apprentices had a smoke and played along. No harm done.

However, there are some devices where usage varies quite dramatically between left handed and right handed users. Wristwatches would fall into that category. When I talk about lefty watches, I am absolutely not making any reference to the political persuasion of the timepiece's owner - although the Che Guevara is rather nice I suppose.

Fortunately, there is a good selection of watches available for left handed people these days. Invicta watches seem to have quite an extensive range on offer, and there are others as well.

If you're left handed, then you have a variety of choices when it comes to wearing a wristwatch.

You can wear a "standard" (right handed) wristwatch on your right wrist. That's fine, and it will certainly be easy enough to read. However, you will need to reach across the watch in order to access the "winders" and controls. It's not impossible - but it can be a little awkward.

Some lefties just wear a standard wristwatch on their left wrist. That's fine if you are dexterous enough to operate the controls with your right hand - but it can be awkward if you are doing something - say writing or drinking a cup of coffee - and you want to check the time.

The third choice, and the best one in my opinion, is to get hold of a wristwatch which has been specially designed for left handed users. This can be worn on the right wrist and, since the controls are on the left hand side, they will be easy to access using your left hand.

No need to stop writing or put your drink down to check the time. It's a much more convenient solution.

Fortunately, it's easier than ever to get hold of a left handed watch - and they won't cost you an arm and a leg either.

1. Approximately 10% of the world population is left handed.
2. Infants usually display a preference for their right or left hand by the age of 6 months.
3. Like humans, chimpanzees have a "good hand" and a "stupid hand". The percentage split is pretty much the same as for humans, with 90% being right handed and the remainder being left handed.
4. People who show equal manual skill with both left and right hands are termed ambidextrous. This is extremely rare - and even true ambidextrous individuals will tend to revert to a favored hand if given the option.