Gen Z’s love for retro watches has little to do with keeping time | CNN

Evan Fry was born in 2003, a point in human history when many people’s back pockets held a Nokia 1100 or the Sony Ericsson T610. Mobile phones had been displaying the time on their LCD screens for almost a decade by this point — and the anxiety of how they might replace the traditional wrist watch was already in full swing. “Many young people see them as obsolete as sundials,” read one 2005 newspaper article. “For them, cell phones are the new watches.” Throughout his life, the time has been available to Fry on iPhone screens, laptops, TVs, electric ovens, central heating systems, Nintendo DS’s and even beamed eeriely through bathroom mirrors. Which makes it all the more interesting that Fry has collected more than 35 watches, averaging between $1,000 and $2,000 a piece. So far, his prized possession is a Tag Heuer Carrera — a silver linked piece with a deep magenta bezel which he bought for around $3,500. One day, Fry hopes to have a H Moser on his wrist, though some models retail for roughly around $50,000. He’s already tried on his favorite, featuring a vanta black dial and no indexes, in the shop. “It’s just to die for,” he said. Aged 22, Fry is part of