Daily English 1295 Buying a Watch

Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 0:57
Explanation begins at: 3:03
Normal Speed begins at: 17:20

Complete Transcript

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,295 – Buying a Watch.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,295. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

This episode is a dialogue between Jack and a clerk, someone who sells things for a store, about buying a wristwatch. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]
Clerk: Hello, are you shopping for a watch for yourself?

Jack: Yes, I’m looking for a dress watch, something understated with a simple face.

Clerk: We have plenty to choose from. Let me show you these quartz watches.

Jack: I’m looking for something with an automatic movement, something that is self-winding.

Clerk: Oh, in that case, let me show you these. These have the finest workmanship you’ll find anywhere, with very hard crystals. Are you looking for something with a bezel? A leather strap or a metal one?

Jack: I’m not sure. My diving watch has a bezel and chronograph, but I’m looking for something simpler. What’s the difference between these two?

Clerk: This one has luminous hands and dial and is waterproof, and the other doesn’t have either feature.

Jack: Hmm, I can’t decide. I’ll take this one, this one, and this one.

Clerk: All three?

Jack: Yes.

Clerk: Let me show you these diamond-encrusted watches we just got in.

Jack: You think I need more than four watches?

Clerk: No man of style would be without at least a dozen.

[end of dialogue]

This episode is all about buying or purchasing a “watch” (watch), which is of course a small clock that tells you the time. Nowadays when we say “watch,” we usually think of what was called more popularly in earlier years a “wrist (wrist) watch” because you wear it on the wrist of your hand – or the wrist of your arm, I should say. The “wrist” is where your arm meets your hand, where they connect. There are also “pocket watches” that people used to wear many years ago, not so much anymore, that you keep in your pocket. Nowadays, of course, many people don’t wear watches at all. They just look at their phone to see what time it is.

The dialogue begins with the clerk saying to Jack, “Hello, are you shopping for a watch for yourself?” Jack says, “Yes, I’m looking for a dress watch.” A “dress watch” is a watch that you would wear to a formal or business event. It isn’t a big watch, one that has a lot of different functions on it. It’s not a watch that does a lot other than tell you the time, but it looks nice. So, we call it a “dress watch.” Jack says he wants something “understated with a simple face.” “Understated” (understated) means it’s simple or it doesn’t draw attention to itself. It’s not something that people will immediately notice, perhaps.

Jack wants a watch with a “simple face.” The “face” of the watch is the front of it. We also talk about the “face” of a clock. It’s the part that you can see that has the numbers on it and the lines that indicate the time, what we would call the “hands” (hands). In traditional watches, there are two hands on the watch – a big hand, which is the longer of the two, and a little hand. Many watches, of course, don’t have any hands at all, but rather just have numbers. These are electronic watches.

The clerk says to Jack, “We have plenty to choose from,” meaning we have a lot of watches that you can select from. “Let me show you these quartz watches.” “Quartz” (quartz) is a kind of stone or crystal that is used to keep time. A “quartz watch,” then, uses a crystal to keep time, not what we would call a “mechanical device.” Jack says, “I’m looking for something with an automatic movement, something that is self-winding.” “Automatic movement” means pretty much the same as “self (self) – winding (winding).”

An “automatic movement” or “self-winding” watch uses the movement of the hand or the arm to help keep the watch going; it actually helps “wind” the watch. “To wind” (wind) means to move a small knob, something that is on the side, typically, of a watch that is used to give the watch energy so that it keeps going. We would say it keeps “ticking” (ticking). “To tick” means to work or to function, especially when talking about a watch.

There are a little wheels inside of the watch that move, and they make, often, a small, what we would describe as, “ticking” sound. This is related to another expression that is used to describe the sound a clock or a watch makes, which is “tick tock” (tock). In any case, the clerk says, “Let me show you these.” She’s showing him some self-winding watches. She says, “These have the finest workmanship you’ll find anywhere, with very hard crystals.”

“Workmanship” (workmanship) refers to the quality and skill with which something is made. Something that is made very well is something made with “fine workmanship.” These watches, according to the clerk, have “very hard crystals.” In this case, the word “crystal” refers to the cover that protects the face of the watch. Most watches have some sort of covering over the hands of the watch. The clerk says, “Are you looking for something with a bezel? A leather strap or a metal one?” A “bezel” (bezel) is a small ring or circle around that crystal covering of the watch. Often it has numbers on it.

The watch is held onto your wrist by a, we would call, “wristband” (band) or a “strap” (strap). The strap can be made out of “leather” (leather) or “metal” (metal), or at least those are the two most common materials or things we make watch bands out of. “Leather” is a material that comes from the skin of an animal, such as a cow. A “metal strap” would be made out of something such as iron, steel, silver, or other kinds of hard metals.

Jack says he’s not sure. He says, “My diving watch has a bezel and a chronograph but I’m looking for something simpler.” A “diving (diving) watch” is one that you can use to go swimming or down into the ocean or a lake. When you go down into the ocean or lake, you “dive” into that water. In fact, “diving” is usually done with some sort of special equipment, allowing you to breathe for a long time underwater.

A “chronograph” or “chronograph” (chronograph) is another word for what is more commonly called a “stopwatch.” It’s a watch you use to determine how long something is going on. If you are running a race, for example, you will have someone typically who has a stopwatch, who turns a watch on when you start running and off when you finish. That tells you how long someone has been doing something.

Jack says he’s looking for something simpler than his diving watch. He then asks what the differences are between two different kinds of watches he’s looking at. The clerk explains, “This one has luminous hands and dial and is waterproof.” “Luminous” (luminous) means that it can be seen even when it is dark out. So, the hands that, you remember, indicate what time it is are luminous on this particular watch and so is the “dial” (dial). The dial of a clock or a watch is just another word for the face of it – the front of it that has the numbers on it.

The clerk also tells Jack that the watch he’s looking at is “waterproof” (waterproof). Something that is waterproof is something that is usually sealed so that the water will not harm it, will not damage it. You can put a waterproof watch in the water and it will still work just fine. Nowadays companies are starting to make waterproof phones, although they’re still not quite perfect from what I hear.

In any case, the clerk is showing Jack these watches and he says, “I can’t decide.” Then he says, “I’ll take this one, this one, and this one,” and he’s indicating three watches that he wants to buy. The clerk is surprised. She says, “All three?” Jack says, “Yes.” Then the clerk, realizing that perhaps he can sell Jack something even more expensive because he obviously has a lot of money, says to him, “Let me show you these diamond-encrusted watches we just got in,” meaning that just arrived to our store.

“Diamonds” (diamonds) are clear, hard stones that are very valuable. Women often get a diamond ring when they get married, as do some men. I don’t have a diamond on my wedding ring. I just have what’s called a “wedding band” (band). I mentioned previously about watch bands that go around your wrist. Well, a “wedding band” goes around your finger, but of course it doesn’t have a watch on it.

Anyway, the clerk says that these watches are “diamond-encrusted” (encrusted). “Diamond-encrusted” means that they are decorated with diamonds or that there are many diamonds on the watch itself. Jack says, “You think I need more than four watches?” He’s wondering why the clerk is trying to sell him another watch. The clerk responds by saying, “No man of style would be without at least a dozen.”

The phrase “a man of style” (style) refers to a man who has good taste, who knows what good clothing looks like and good watches. No such man, according to the clerk, who of course wants to make more money by selling the customer another watch, would be without at least a dozen, meaning a man of style would have at least 12 watches and probably more.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]
Clerk: Hello, are you shopping for a watch for yourself?

Jack: Yes, I’m looking for a dress watch, something understated with a simple face.

Clerk: We have plenty to choose from. Let me show you these quartz watches.

Jack: I’m looking for something with an automatic movement, something that is self-winding.

Jack: I’m not sure. My diving watch has a bezel and chronograph, but I’m looking for something simpler. What’s the difference between these two?

Clerk: This one has luminous hands and dial and is waterproof, and the other doesn’t have either feature.

Jack: Hmm, I can’t decide. I’ll take this one, this one, and this one.

Clerk: All three?

Jack: Yes.

Clerk: Let me show you these diamond-encrusted watches we just got in.

Jack: You think I need more than four watches?

Clerk: No man of style would be without at least a dozen.

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogues are understated but have the finest workmanship behind them. That’s because they’re written by our very own Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thanks for listening. Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.

Glossary

dress watch – a simple, classic watch that is appropriate for formal social events and business events, not too large, and without special technology

* For the interview, Sheila wore a dress watch and some simple earrings.

understated – simple; not drawing attention to oneself; subtle

* Wynona likes to wear understated makeup that isn’t too obvious.

face – the front of a watch or clock, where the numbers are printed

* Mary is losing her vision, so she needs a watch that has a face with really large numbers.

quartz – a watch or clock that uses a crystal to keep time, not a mechanical device

* Most watchmakers say that Quartz watches are much more accurate than mechanical watches.

automatic movement – self-winding; a watch that uses the wearer’s movements to transfer energy to the watch so that it continues to show the time accurately

* This watch has an automatic movement, but if you don’t wear it for a long time and it just sits in a drawer, the time won’t be accurate.

self-winding – self-winding; a watch that uses the wearer’s movements to transfer energy to the watch so that it continues to show the time accurately, so the watch continues to work without the owner needing to twist a dial

* I thought it was a self-winding watch, so I didn’t think I needed to do anything to keep it working.

workmanship – the quality, skill, and attention to detail with which something is made

* The workmanship of this table is amazing! Do you know the carpenter who made it?

crystal – the clear, hard cover that protects the face of a watch

* The watch crystal needs to be very hard, or else it gets scratched and it becomes difficult to read the time.

bezel – the metal ring around the crystal of a watch, often with numbers printed on it

* Divers use bezel watches that help them keep track of how long they’ve been diving and how much air remains in their tanks.

leather – a material made from the skin of an animal

* Li is an animal lover and prefers not to wear jackets made from leather or fur.

strap – a long, thin piece of cloth, leather, or metal used to hold two things together

* It’s easier to carry a heavy backpack if you use the strap around your waist, so that most of the weight is on your hips instead of your shoulders.

metal – a hard, shiny substance such as iron, steel, silver, copper, brass, or gold

* The metal part of the shovel is rusted, but the wooden handle is still in good condition.

diving watch – a watch used by divers, made to be used deep underwater

* This is a diving watch, so I don’t have to worry about taking it off in the shower.

chronograph – a stopwatch; a way to track the passage of time; a tool for knowing how much time has passed

* Most smartphones have a chronograph that makes it easier for runners to know how long they’ve been running.

luminous – producing light so that something can be seen in the dark

* These jackets have a luminous strip, so drivers can see you if you’re walking at night.

hand – one of the two or three straight pieces that slowly moves in a circle around a clock or watch, indicating the hour, minute, or second

* The fastest-moving hand is the second hand, and the slowest-moving hand is the hour hand.

dial – clock face; the part of a watch or clock with numbers printed on it

* What an interesting clock! It has birds instead of numbers on the dial, and each hour it produces the sound of a different bird call.

waterproof – not affected, ruined, or destroyed by water; able to work properly when wet

* I wish my phone were waterproof. I accidentally spilled juice on it, and now it’s ruined.

diamond-encrusted – covered with diamonds; heavily decorated with many diamonds

* They’re so rich they even have diamond-encrusted forks, spoons, and knives!

Comprehension Questions

1. Which of these would be the fanciest and most expensive?
a) An understated watch
b) A dress watch
c) A diamond-encrusted watch

2. Which of these watches might have a simple face?
a) A watch with a dial
b) A watch with a bezel
c) A watch with a chronograph

Answers at bottom.

What Else Does It Mean?

face

The word “face,” in this podcast, means the front of a watch or clock, where the numbers are printed: “I need a clock with a big face so I can read the time from across the room.” The phrase “to keep a straight face” means to remain serious and not laugh even though something is very funny: “I had to learn how to keep a straight face when I was young, because my brother always tried to make me laugh in church.” The phrase “to lose face” means to do something that makes other people think one is foolish, silly, or stupid: “If this project fails, I’m going to lose face with my teammates.” Finally, the phrase “to save face” means to still be respected by other people: “In some cultures, it is extremely important to save face in front of peers.”

hand

In this podcast, the word “hand” means one of the two or three straight pieces that slowly moves in a circle around a clock or watch, indicating the hour, minute, or second: “The second hand travels around the watch dial once each minute.” A “hired hand” is someone who is hired to perform work, especially on a farm: “Last summer, a few hired hands helped them repair the fence and barn.” A “right-hand man” is the person who is most helpful and supportive in doing one’s work: “It’s hard to get a meeting with the CEO. Try to speak with his right-hand man Randall instead.” Finally, the phrase “to force (someone’s) hand” means to make someone do something that he or she does not want to do: “The lobbyists are trying to force the legislators’ hand, making them vote for more favorable laws.”

Culture Note

Specialty Watches

A simple watch “merely” (only; just) tells the time, but “specialty watches” have additional “features” (characteristics that make a product more attractive to buyers) and “functionality” (the things that a product can do).

A “calculator watch” is a watch with a very small “numeric keypad” (keys for typing the numbers 0-9 plus some mathematical symbols) that allows the user to “perform mathematical operations” (solve math problems) on his or her wrist.

A “braille watch” is a watch for “blind people” (people who cannot see). An “analog” (with hands that move in a circle) braille watch allows a blind person to “tell the time” (determine what time it is) by feeling the hands. A “digital” (electronic) braille watch has small bumps that move up and down so that a blind person can use his or her fingertips to read the “braille alphabet” (a system of writing that uses raised dots in specific patterns to represent letters and numbers).

A “solar-powered” watch “is powered by” (receives power from) sunlight, so that “theoretically” (in theory or as an idea) it always works without being charged and without needing to change the battery as long as it is exposed to sunshine “periodically” (sometimes, but not continuously; from time to time).

A “navigation watch” uses “GPS” (global positioning system; a system that communicates with satellites to determine location) to display a small map on the screen. The user can enter a “destination” (where one wants to go), and the watch will “indicate” (tell or show) how to get there.

Finally, some “smart watches” are “fully integrated with” (work in harmony with) smartphones. For example, smart watches can be used to send and receive text messages, emails, and even phone calls.

Comprehension Answers

1 - c

2 - a