Content Warning: This section of the guide makes reference to shipwreck, accidental injury and death, violence, self-amputation, self-harm, autocannibalism, hunting, the visualization of torture, and psychological distress.

Besides the clothes on his back, Pine’s Pulsar watch is the only object that he has from his life. It represents his connection with the civilization he left behind, the ability to function by the rules of society, and the chance of being rescued.

While his watch is still functioning, Pine uses it to record the time of his various activities, even though he is in complete isolation and does not need to rely on time to coordinate himself with others. He measures the duration of his heroin-induced sleep and an amputation procedure. The timing of the daily occurrences does not have any practical use, but is rather a symbolic gesture to maintain a connection with the society he hopes to reintegrate into. This link represents a hope of being rescued and escaping his current condition. However, during an unsuccessful hunt for a seagull, he accidentally breaks the watch against a rock. The shattering of the watch is symbolic of the island’s harsh condition finally overwhelming the last gleam of civilization left in Pine. Very soon after the watch is broken, Pine elects to amputate and eat his second foot, his first act of non-medical self-harm.