The ‘rotting’ summer wrist condition that keeps being mistaken for tan lines

Thankfully, it’s not actual ‘rotting’ (Picture: Getty/Metro)

If you’re one of the 35% of people who wears a smartwatch, we have a question for you: when did you last take it off?

Given most modern wearables are waterproof, and offer in-depth insights into everything from sleep patterns to step count, many people have made them a permanent fixture.

But just because you can wear these watches round the clock (pun intended) doesn’t mean you should.

A recent social media trend, where smartwatch users share the tan lines left on their wrists after training outdoors, has birthed a new term for summer 2026: watch rot.

Because...