Wearing a gold watch on shabbos without an eiruv

Question

The halocho is a person may wear jewellery in the street on shabbos without an eiruv provided the reason why he is wearing it is for the adornment of it and not some other use. Therefore the poskim stipulate that a gold watch may only be worn on Shabbos if that person would also wear the watch when the battery is dead, proving that the reason why he is wearing it is because of its beauty and not to tell the time.

My question is, what about if you would not wear if it were broken, but not that it proves you wear it to tell the time, its just that its odd to walk around with a broken watch? Really the reason I wear it is for its beauty, just that I do not want to seem wierd to everyone else so that is why I do not wear it when it is broken, but it doesnt prove that I am only wearing it for the time?

So am I allowed to wear my gold watch on Shabbos based on this logic?

Answer 1

It sounds like you are a bit uncomfortable wearing this non-working watch. Therefore the danger that you will take it off and carry it, is enhanced.

You say, “I do not want to seem weird to everyone else”. This is similar to the idea of someone taking off an item in case people laugh at him and is mentioned, for example, in the Mishna in Shabbos 6 (2) “A man may not go out ….. with a single sandal if he have no wound on his foot”. Bartenuro in his second explanation says that maybe people will laugh at him for wearing only one sandal and so he will take it off and carry it.

This would point to your LOR suggesting that it is better not to wear it on Shabbos.

Answer 2

I think I remember reading the reason why you are allowed to wear watches is because it is a "Tachshit" like jewelery. Therefor I would see no problem with wearing it.