I broke my watch strap today, and said to myself, why must i have a strap. Why can't watches be made to self stick to my arm or wherever i want to place it. I thought double sided tape could do the trick and result would look cool if it weren't for the fact it still had the mounting horns on the watch, for attaching bands and straps. I think it might work, if 2 issues can be worked out; no harm to the skin when removing it and enough security to gaurantee it would not fall off. There are double sided adhesive strips to hold hooks on walls that are removable without damaging the wall, perhaps this is a solution.

An alternative for those with really hairy arms or wrists, could be velcro.
-- doctorbill, Dec 01 2010

Implant Watch http://www.technove...ontent.asp?Bnum=312
Prior Art. [8th of 7, Dec 01 2010]

Here you go http://www.digitalt...nd-we-spoke-to-him/
[theircompetitor, May 13 2012]

I like the idea in principle, but skin is oily and flakes off and in general is not designed to hold things on.

Maybe some kind of implanted magnetic device?
-- gisho, Dec 01 2010


Have you considered superglue?

Alternatively, you can use magnets (as gisho has pointed out). If you hold your hand in front of you, palm up, you'll see a prominent tendon, just on the thumb-side of the centreline of your wrist. There will be veins (bluish) forming an H-shape, with the bar of the H crossing the tendon. You need the tendon, but the veins are not essential.

If you use a local anaesthetic and an 8mm drill, you can bore a hole just to the thumb side (NB, that's important) of the tendon, about 1.3 inches deep. You can then drop an 8mm spherical magnet into the hole, then bandage over it (or, for neatness, use a cork borer instead of a drill, and then use the extracted cylinder of flesh to plug the hole).

A watch with a ferrous case can then be held on the back of the wrist quite securely, yet is easily removed.

EDIT - little-finger-side. Sorry.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 01 2010


Cloak of Anarchy, by Larry Niven. Published by Analog in 1972.

<link>

Interestingly, the secretions of the common slug (q.v.) are remarkably tenacious.
-- 8th of 7, Dec 01 2010


"Prior Art" would assume that the link was a "self stick watch", not a fictional "implant watch" (which I believe shows up in more of Niven's work as well).
-- FlyingToaster, Dec 02 2010


Stick it wherever you like, [FT]. Just don't ask the medics in A&E to get it out again.
-- 8th of 7, Dec 02 2010


arts & entertainment ?

[-] the idea, I think "a watch that is stuck to the wrist" would fall into the category of jewellery that's stuck to the skin (baked).
-- FlyingToaster, Dec 02 2010


// EDIT - little-finger-side. Sorry. //

Damn it, [MaxB]! Couldn't you have corrected that in the text?

How about a watch with a suction cup on the back of it, and a little pump built in to maintain the suction?
-- baconbrain, Dec 02 2010


//a little pump built in to maintain the suction//
Shirley you could rig a venturi system using the blood-flow in a nearby artery to create the suction?
-- neutrinos_shadow, Dec 02 2010


A tatoo of a watch face might suffice for some folks. Pick a time you like.
-- cudgel, Dec 02 2010


// using the blood-flow in a nearby artery to create the suction? //

That would be in vein.
-- baconbrain, Dec 02 2010


If the watch was made of very thin and flexible (polymer) electronics this could work.
-- xaviergisz, Dec 02 2010


People wear little drug eluting patches all the time now. This sort ofpatch could receive the watch on one side. One would change them periodically as glue lost grip.
-- bungston, Dec 02 2010


How about a flying watch, using powerful ducted fans for propulsion, which used a very high-tech guidance system to position itself to hover 5mm from your wrist at all times? Perhaps rockets would be needed for extreme manouvering e.g. during a game of tennis, or rowing.
-- pocmloc, Dec 02 2010


Essentially the Babylon 5 Coms among other appearances in fiction.
-- MechE, Dec 02 2010


//a little pump built in to maintain the suction// Perhaps a piezo-electric device using the wearers pulse to provide power?

Or a magnetic watch in conjunction with a tattoo of ferrous ink?

My personal preference is for a pocket watch.
-- Twizz, Dec 02 2010


// If you use a local anaesthetic and an 8mm drill // There's a disturbing amount of detail in those directions, [Max]. Personal experience?
-- BunsenHoneydew, Dec 04 2010


Yes. The lawsuit was just a nuisance claim. And it wasn't my fault he was a violinist.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 04 2010


//it wasn't my fault he was a violinist// But it is your fault he isn't a violinist.
-- mouseposture, Dec 05 2010


Continuing with the biology lesson...obtain 4 discarded gecko-feet and glue them onto the back of a watch. You are now the proud owner of a Van der Waal force watch.
-- Ling, Dec 05 2010


// obtain 4 discarded gecko-feet //

[marked-for-tagline]
-- 8th of 7, Dec 05 2010


Or, strap your watch round the body of a tame gecko.
-- pocmloc, Dec 05 2010


A trained pygmy three-toed sloth would work equally well.
-- 8th of 7, Dec 05 2010


Or a leech.
-- pocmloc, Dec 05 2010


Or a lamprey.
-- baconbrain, Dec 05 2010


Or four army ants.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 05 2010


Given the incredible cheapness of electronic things, maybe this could be a flashy little round disc with the same peeloff backing that people use for press-on jewels.
-- bungston, Dec 06 2010


It could be a head mounted projector with optical tracking sensors which projects a laser image of a watch face onto your wrist.
-- pocmloc, Dec 06 2010


[pocmloc] s/head/satellite/
-- mouseposture, Dec 07 2010


Have you tried magnets? (see link)
-- theircompetitor, May 13 2012



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