So, looking through the watch posts, it seems almost exclusively everyone on this forum uses an analog style watch. I wear a digital myself. A metal casio classic. It's cheap, has a light, calendar and stopwatch, Alarm and keeps time well. I must admit the watches posted here are beautiful, but I can't help that think during a crises situation a digital would be more useful. So, why analog? I'm very interested. I'd secretly like to be swayed...
Digitals are great for work - rugged, quick readings & back lit dials...However, they're kind of boring for casual and/or dressy wear...IMHO, analog's offer the wearer more character...The choice is your's to make though...I have both and I appreciate them all...Breitling makes a few analog/digitals that I'd wear in a heartbeat (if I could afford them)
I like digital for all the functions you can get cheaply and for the lack of a ticking second hand (I'm neurotic about them being perfectly aligned.) On the other hand, to me, analog is so perfect for that "what time is it?" sense that has less to do with numbers and more to do with angles. Especially if I have a dive watch on, and I have the bezel set for my next appointment at ten after, when I glance at my watch and the minute hand is at 5 til, I instantly see that I have a quarter-hour to be there, and it feels like a quarter hour is left. If I look at my G-Shock, even if I have a countdown timer set, it's just numbers and math. It doesn't have the same impact. (full disclosure: I'm an engineering student, so maybe I just get enough numbers and math during the day and don't want them on my wrist too.)
I have a few of both. No snobbery here, I buy what I like! Just bought an old casio A163 silver metal digital watch on evilbay for example, which will live next to my vintage casio CA55 calculator watch, which will live with my omega seamaster and 1967 speedmaster. Buy what you like, it's your wrist!
I wear a G Shock Mudman solely for the fact that it's tough as hell and has a compass built in. The compass is such a breath of fresh air when I'm navigating a strange city at night and need to get on track easily. It's "neat" that it has all of the functions, but it's a pain in the to set/reset the time when traveling. The alarm isn't loud enough to do me any good. If I didn't need the compass, it'd be analog all day for simplicity's sake.
I prefer digital for readability, but most pretty watches are analog. Oh there are not a lot of good digital watches that you can put on a NATO strap I wear digital 30% of time an analog 70% of time.
I used to have all analog, but recently added a whole flock of digital watches to my collection. My first G-Shock reminded me a lot of my first digital when I was a kid, and I went nuts and bought a whole flock of G-Shocks. My analogs are not as water resistant as my Casios, not solar, and none have lights so the scales are slightly tipped.
For utility, digitals are best. I wore on when refereeing soccer, it was a must-have, absolutely. When it comes to casual or especially dressy/formal occasions, analogue watches are just classier.
All but one of my watches is analog. Last year ,after I thought I had lost my 40 year old Seiko Diver, I picked up a $30 Casio Analog/Digital as a beater watch. It is my first Casio and I really like it. Aesthetically, I prefer an analog watch and generally I do not need to know the time down to the precise minute and second, but for certain things, like timing how long something is on the fire, the precision of the digital can't be beat. The other thing I have found is that while I always enjoyed the complications on my watches and chronographs (most of which I did not remember how to use from one watch to the other), mobile phone apps have supplanted the functions I used to use my chronographs for. Instead of using my watch, I use my iPhone's alarm clock, stop watch/timer, Date/calendar, Moon phases, etc. I even have a shot timer app on my phone for the range. Given all of these iphone functions, I guess my next watch should be a plain vanilla Patek
Prefer analog cause it has lume and screw type crown/buttons preventing from accidental changes in settings.
I used to be an exclusive fan of digital. I still use a Timex Ironman for running and sports, but prefer analog for anything else. I'm a college student so I spend a lot of time in class. I find a minute hand gives a better feel for the passage of time than digital does. Like soosh said, its more to do with angles than anything else. Its a very instinctual way to tell time.
I always go analog because you can tell direction (south, etc.) using your watch hands if you can locate the sun.
I usually go analog when going to dinner, hanging out with friends or while at work. I usually go digital while working out at the gym, hiking or running From my GSIII using TPR now Free
I have a Casio G-Shock that is mainly analog, but also has a small digital read out for date and time. But that's so small, I rarely use it. I prefer analog, and I'm not entirely certain why. Maybe because although I'm in my early 20's, I've tended to resist the digital era and enjoy doing things the more old fashioned way. I also prefer the look of analog watches. They look like a watch, not a computer strapped to my wrist.
Setting the time: On analog ~ Pull out crown, turn until hands line up at proper time. On Digital ~ Push button A, hold down button D for 3 seconds, push button C while holding down button B, hold down button C, push button A and D at the same time, hold down button B while holding down button A ... Ooops! Not working! Check manual. Repeat 3 more times before figuring out that the manual is wrong. Start pushing and holding down buttons like a mother f_ _ _ _ _ in random patterns until you eventually stumble on the right sequence. End up grateful that you weren't diffusing a bomb instead. Realize 5 seconds later that you have no clue which random sequence of button pushing and holding turned out to be the correct one.