This very well designed watch speaks in a pleasant female voice at the touch of a button, and if you need to be reminded of something during the day, it has an alarm function to, for example, wake you up from a nap at a prescribed time. There’s also an every-hour-on-the hour time announcement, which I find annoying — got me into a heap of ‚trouble‘ once (see story below) — but it’s a function some people like and will find useful. You have your choice, using another side button, of turning this feature on or off. There are many obvious possible uses. You’re in a dark movie theater, and want to know the time. Even in a dimly lit bar or niteclub, with all the noise, it can still be heard quite clearly. Or on a street with heavy ambient traffic noise. For me, it’s useful on semi-dark night hikes. The elderly, or vision-impaired individuals love these, and find them extremely practical. Also, many have been purchased by campers and backpackers (this is quite a good application, actually).