I wanted a watch that didn't require batteries. This one seemed to fit the bill. It certainly attracted my attention, no less than it would were I to walk past it in a store window or jewelry counter. In the latter circumstances, however, I doubt I would have reached for my wallet. I once received an automatic winder as a graduation gift--a sleek Hamilton that was at least half the width and weight of this Kenneth Cole automatic.

In truth, this is a watch best suited for big guys with big wrists: on my left arm, it's bound to divert anyone's attention, including this wearer's, since it feels a bit like a cumbersome manacle. I'd probably send it back had Amazon not be good about accepting a number of recent returns (though I've always paid postage+insurance when returning items that I simply didn't "like" upon meeting them in person).

Amazon generally doesn't permit its customers to sell watches and jewelry on the site, and I think I understand why. It's an area where a computer screen image is most likely to mislead the prospective buyer and lead to subsequent disappointment. It reminds me of the radio shows aimed at kids with boundless (and creative) imaginations. "The Lone Ranger" excited impressionable young minds no less for its Cheerios ads than its story scripts. Collect half a dozen box tops from Cheerio boxes and send them along with a dollar bill in exchange for a ring with features that seemed too numerous to mention on a mere 30-minute show: a magnifying glass and telescope, secret codes along with a decoder, all manner of invisible powers--a microscopic universe, in other words, to match and even out-run a child's imagination.

Needless to say, the fun was in the waiting, the running to the mailbox each day, and the expectation of something imminent and grand. And the disappointment was inevitably proportionate to the hope--and it was depressingly regular and inescapable. Still the child in us wants to have an excuse to go to the mailbox every day, and this watch provided it (though looking at its fattened size, internal machinery, and wondrous but unreadable miniature dials, I'm still waiting to discover a hidden phone or mp3 player or, at the very least, a pop-up QWERTY keyboard).

[Update: This watch has lost 2 hours on days when I've been relatively sedentary. You might interpret that as a plus--a motivator for getting some healthy exercise. Nonetheless, my thin, slim and trim Hamilton automatic from 45 years ago stayed "on time" even when I decided against using it for a day or 2. The Kenneth Cole is a "style-salient" (i.e. ostentatious) watch, moreover, that you may not wish to wear every day, making the automatic winding feature a rather moot point if it requires constant wear not to mention vigorous motion. I'm going to watch it closely, try a few adjustments, before providing a "final judgment." For the time being, it's safe to say it's prettier and bigger than the picture and that it keeps time (but perhaps not accurately). If you're a teacher dependent on making your classes on time (don't worry about ending on time--your students will make it all too apparent when that moment has arrived)--or if you're a radio announcer, maybe you'd best look elsewhere for a reliable timepiece.]