Wristwatches have been a practical and popular accessory for over a century, originally as purely mechanical devices for telling time, and later also as electronic or electro-mechanical devices. More recently, makers of electronic portable accessories, such as smart phones, have begun to develop and sell smart phone accessories having the form factor of a wristwatch, referred to herein as “smart watches.” Besides telling time, smart watches can perform many other functions in cooperation with a linked smart phone, using a wireless connection. However, smart watches consume power at a much higher rate than regular electronic watches, and require frequent charging, e.g., daily. While being charged, the smart watch cannot be worn, but is still functional. Often, users will charge their smart watches at night, while the users are sleeping. Many users may keep their smart watches near them while sleeping, such as on a bedside table.
Bedside tables are often used to hold other accessories worn earlier in the day by someone sleeping in an adjacent bed. For example, jewelry boxes or stands are often found on such tables, sometimes holding conventional wristwatches as well as jewelry.
With so many compact timekeeping appliances residing on beside tables while their owners rest a few feet away, some watches are inevitably consulted for the time during moments the owners' of wakefulness. Many, however, are not. Many owners may find it difficult to see a watch dial or display with sleepy eyes in a dark room. The watch face may be too small or poorly illuminated to function well as a bedside clock. Some owners invest in a bedside clock with a larger display, which may be illuminated or glow in the dark. Others find illuminated clocks to be disruptive of their sleep habits, and simply go without any sort of timepiece in view that is actually useful for telling time.
It is evident, therefore, that millions of wristwatches and smart watches are underutilized the world over, in a sense. These timekeeping appliances sit languishing on bedside tables, keeping perfectly good time while their owners cannot see them. It would be desirable to overcome these and other limitations of wristwatches and smart watches somehow, while retaining their advantages in other circumstances.