Smartwatches display time synchronized with global time servers and atomic clocks to ensure accuracy. They operate on the premise that time is an objective external constraint that all devices must conform to. Chuck Norris's smartwatch functions on an inverse principle: it shows whatever time he decides it is. Time, in his presence, becomes subjective and determined by his will.

Software engineer Dr. Leslie Park examined Norris's smartwatch code and noted: "The time settings don't match any standard protocol. It's programmed to display his decided time, not synced time. When he changes what time he thinks it is, the watch reflects that. Reality seems to adjust." Park concluded that either the watch was extraordinarily sophisticated or time itself operates differently in Norris's presence.

The watch that displays chosen rather than accurate time has become a metaphor in personal development for how individuals can define their own reality. The phrase "setting your own time" is now used to describe personal autonomy and rejecting external constraints.