Climbing with jewelry—whether you’re in a gym or out on real rock—comes with hazards that are easy to overlook until something goes terribly wrong. The biggest concern is ring avulsion, the infamous degloving injury. If a metal ring catches on a hold, bolt, or even a poorly placed piece of gym equipment during a fall, it can do catastrophic damage to your hand. And yes, the internet is full of graphic examples you definitely shouldn’t look up while eating lunch.
If you absolutely must wear a ring, opt for silicone. These break under load instead of your finger doing the breaking. It’s a simple swap that dramatically reduces risk.
Watches are a little less dire, but still inconvenient. Wearing one while climbing makes jamming cracks significantly harder—watch meets rock, rock wins.
You can stash your watch on a gear loop, but expect it to get scratched to oblivion. A more common workaround is clipping it through the small loop near your harness belay loop. It works fine—as long as you’re attentive. If you fumble and accidentally clip your belay carabiner around your watch instead of your belay loop, the climber on the other end of the rope isn’t actually on belay. And of course, a mistake like that could be catastrophic.
If you choose to carry your watch that way, take the extra second to double-check your setup. A quick glance can prevent a very bad day.
–Jason D. Martin