Believe it or not, there was a time when one turned to their watch for basically one thing and that’s to see the time. But a New Hampshire man can be thankful those days are long past.

According to a report by WMUR 9, William Rogers was ice skating on Salmon Falls River in Somersworth, New Hampshire, when the ice broke and he fell into the freezing water over the weekend.

WMUR cited Rogers, a tech school teacher, who said: “It was just that terrible feeling. ‘Oh my God. I’m going in the water.’”

Realizing that he needed to get out of the water as quickly as possible, Rogers said his first attempt to escape was to “try to walrus up on the ice,” but, he said “the ice just kept breaking underneath me,” the report cited.

Rogers noted that there was no one around, his phone wasn’t accessible, and as he was in the water for several minutes, hypothermia began to set in, the report said.

“I remember telling myself, ‘OK, don’t panic. Don’t panic. Figure out what your options are here.’” he said.

And then, the report said, with labored breathing, “Rogers turned to his Apple Watch.”

The watch worked.

“It worked. Saved my life, I think,” Rogers told WMUR.

He called 9-1-1, and explained that he probably only had 10 minutes before he was “not gonna be able to respond anymore,” the report cited.

In only five minutes, Somersworth firefighters were there to throw Rogers a line and pull him out, the news agency reported.

“I’m really grateful for them. So, thank those folks. I thank them,”Rogers said.

WMUR cited Chief George Kramlinger of the Somersworth Fire Department, who said: “(He) kept his wits about him. He remained calm and he did what he had to do to ensure his survival.”

Stay off the ice this time of year.

The report passed along this warning by firefighters, who say that this time of year, “going on ice is a gamble, especially over rivers.”

Kramlinger added: “It’s just really a dangerous situation getting on the ice and like I said, at this point, no ice is safe.”

Rogers, who “has been skating his whole life,” learned that lesson the hard way. He added to Kramlinger’s warning by saying, “Don’t go onto the ice unless you know exactly how thick it is.”

“Firefighters said ice is just too unpredictable in warmer weather, even for those who are experienced as Rogers is,” WMUR stressed while adding, “his glove was still on the ice next to the hole Rogers fell through,” a scene that could have been tragic, had it not been for his Apple Watch.

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