When I was seven my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven’t had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don’t need one. I have a mobile phone and I’m always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices(装置)tell the time----which is why, if you look around, you’ll see lots of empty wrists; sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007.
But while the wise have realized that they don’t need them, others----apparently including some distinguished men of our time----are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to £250,000 for a piece.
This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Expensive watches come with extra functions----but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole? So why pay that much of five years’ school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?
If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead the Swiss reinvented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds’ worth of advertising, as a message about the man wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world.
Watches are now classified as “investments”(投资). A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly £350,000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from £15,000 to £30,000 plus in a year. But a watch is not an investment. It’s a toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up----they’ve been rising for 15 years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of the £350,000 beauty will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Timex.

When I was seven my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven’t had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don’t need one. I have a mobile phone and I’m always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices(装置)tell the time----which is why, if you look around, you’ll see lots of empty wrists; sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007.
当我7岁时，我父亲送我一块Timex，那是我的第一块手表。我非常喜欢它，一直带了许多年，直到十年前它停止转动后，我也没有再要（另外）一块手表。为什么？因为我不需要了！我有手机，我周围也都是随身带着类似iPod之类东西的人。所有这些都可以显示时间——这就是我为什么不要手表的原因。如果你留意四周，你会发现很多人都没有戴手表。销售给年轻人的手表数量自2007年以来一直下滑。

But while the wise have realized that they don’t need them, others----apparently including some distinguished men of our time----are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to £250,000 for a piece.
尽管一些“明智”的人认为他们不需要手表，但是另外一些人，特别是我们这个时代一些“杰出”的人，会倾其所有取买手表。如劳力士、Patek Philippe and Breitling等品牌的手表，价格非常惊人，一块手表（可能）就要250，000英镑。

This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Expensive watches come with extra functions----but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole? So why pay that much of five years’ school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?
这简直就是荒谬！昂贵的汽车比便宜车跑得更快，昂贵的衣服比便宜衣服穿起来更好看。但是，现如今的手表还是和从前一样地报时。昂贵的手表有许多附加功能，但是谁需要呢？你会经常潜入300米的海底吗？你会需要经常在南极附近用手表来确定方向吗？那为什么还要花多达五年学费的钱去买一块手表，（为的）仅仅是去做这些事情？

If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead the Swiss reinvented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds’ worth of advertising, as a message about the man wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world.
如果存在正义，瑞士的手表工业在日本人发现制造一块走时精确的手表只要5英镑时就倒闭了。恰恰相反的是，在数百万英镑的广告的支持下，瑞士人又重新“发明”了手表，将手表作为佩戴者的一种标志。劳力士专门为那些周末去爬雪山的人量身定做；Patek Philippe 是富人或贵族家庭的首选；Breitling则意味着你将开着私人飞机去环球旅行。

Watches are now classified as “investments”(投资). A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly £350,000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from £15,000 to £30,000 plus in a year. But a watch is not an investment. It’s a toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up----they’ve been rising for 15 years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of the £350,000 beauty will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Timex.
（买）手表现在定性为一种“投资”。一块1994年产的Philippe最近可以卖到将近350，000英镑，而1960年产的劳力士则每年会增加15，000—30，000英镑。但说到底，手表并不是投资。它只是一件自我满足的玩具，一种时尚的东西。（手表的）价格可能还会上涨，且它们已经涨了15年。但是时尚过去之后，拥有一块价值350，000手表的人会突然发现他（曾经的）骄傲和玩具同我儿时的Timex一样，都不能算是投资。