A Meaningful Collection
I love the stories and sentiments that attach to our watches. To me, a watch with a personal story is like a well-loved gem whose value goes well beyond its monetary price.
These are some of mine. They are probably among the least valuable, monetarily, in my collection, yet are among the most treasured.
Top (L-R):
Seiko LCD 0532-5009 (1977) - Sadly the original was lost but I managed to source an exact reference from the exact year. This was given to me by my parents as I was leaving home to study overseas and I wore this watch throughout my school years.
No-brand quartz wood watch - this was the first watch that my wife bought for me (she seems to recall it was from Covent Garden, London). Neither of us had much (any) money then. I loved it and wore it on our wedding day. I am not sure it still works!
Bottom (L-R):
Maurice Lacroix Pontos Day-Date - given to me by my late mother, who passed away last month. She also gave my wife the Ladies' version.
Raymond Weil ref.9821 World Traveller Triple Timezone - given to me for my wedding by my wife's late cherished aunt and this watch totally embodies her unique sense of style. I am reminded of her whenever I wear it.
Oris Pointer Date ref. 7470 - given to me by my wife for a significant birthday and worn throughout the ups-and-downs of my early career.
What are yours?
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Quite a nice wood watch; that material tends to be hard to make tasteful but that one is really nice looking.
The only watch I have with a story is my gramp’s watch, a cheap citizen Quartz that he wore everyday. I recently had to perform a movement swap, since the motion works seemed to have a malfunction and wouldn’t let me set the time. My Grampy passed away a long time ago, and this watch was given to me by my grandma, probably 10 years ago if I could guess. The bracelet is the same, and the case, and now the movement works well (and has lume!!) so I am very happy.
My gramps watch on the right, the donor on the left, which now houses the original movement from my gramps watch. The original receipt came with the donor watch, dated 2002 and priced at $115 USD and on sale for $86.25
Quite a nice wood watch; that material tends to be hard to make tasteful but that one is really nice looking.
The only watch I have with a story is my gramp’s watch, a cheap citizen Quartz that he wore everyday. I recently had to perform a movement swap, since the motion works seemed to have a malfunction and wouldn’t let me set the time. My Grampy passed away a long time ago, and this watch was given to me by my grandma, probably 10 years ago if I could guess. The bracelet is the same, and the case, and now the movement works well (and has lume!!) so I am very happy.
My gramps watch on the right, the donor on the left, which now houses the original movement from my gramps watch. The original receipt came with the donor watch, dated 2002 and priced at $115 USD and on sale for $86.25
Fantastic that you made the big effort to preserve the watch and ensure it works!
I am not sure that my wood watch is tasteful, but the point is that it's meaningful, and that trumps tasteful any day!
Fantastic that you made the big effort to preserve the watch and ensure it works!
I am not sure that my wood watch is tasteful, but the point is that it's meaningful, and that trumps tasteful any day!
I truly think it’s tasteful as well, but yes meaningful is always better. I think every wood watch I have seen is square shaped, I quite like yours.
I do not agree... I understand completely that the stories behind each watch, give your collection the true meaning for you... But then is the watches actually almost irrelevant and can be replaced with other watches, as the one you got from your parent or the truly lovely wood watch... If any of those was an automatic Orient, would it be the Orient you love instead!
And it is naturally fine to love stories and collect stories, with help of watches as reminders...
But I concentrate my feelings on the watches beauty and fine functions... Even if some of my watches also have some kind of story behind them...
Like when my best friend became 65 did I give him the same Invicta Pro Diver that I just bought, as a grand birthday present and so we both can have the same fine watch, when we enjoy my boat...
But the "best" story, is for a watch I did miss and naturally not even have...
When the very exclusive new "sture Gallerian" did open 1993 in Stockholm, did I discover the most delicious watch I ever seen... Even if the shimmering sunny dial simply was stamped and then made amazingly lovely, with leaves and roman numerals... But it had also a truly magificent bracelet, a nice moon complication and three subdials... And it did only cost 66 euro!!
But at this time, was brand new watches from Japan possible to buy for only 36% of the Swedish price at Gran Canaria... Mainly because people came there mainly for the sun, cheap bars and the beach, absolutely not for buying watches and there was tons of watch chops... So even the shops, could buy Japanese wathes almost at factory prices (much cheaper than chops in Hong Kong for example) and then would always some shop, sell them to me for almost nothing extra... My Casio 200m Grail did for example cost only 1690sek in Sweden (as 147 euro) but I bought it for incredible 52 euro (!!!) when that model was brand new... In the not very popular San Agustin chopping centre, near Playa De Ingles at Gran Canaria...
So I naturally decided to look for the Orient on my winter holiday, but it was not there anywhere and when I come home, was it gone here too... And I have not seen it anywhere else!!
So you don't even need to have the watch, to collect great meaningful watch stories...
I do not agree... I understand completely that the stories behind each watch, give your collection the true meaning for you... But then is the watches actually almost irrelevant and can be replaced with other watches, as the one you got from your parent or the truly lovely wood watch... If any of those was an automatic Orient, would it be the Orient you love instead!
And it is naturally fine to love stories and collect stories, with help of watches as reminders...
But I concentrate my feelings on the watches beauty and fine functions... Even if some of my watches also have some kind of story behind them...
Like when my best friend became 65 did I give him the same Invicta Pro Diver that I just bought, as a grand birthday present and so we both can have the same fine watch, when we enjoy my boat...
But the "best" story, is for a watch I did miss and naturally not even have...
When the very exclusive new "sture Gallerian" did open 1993 in Stockholm, did I discover the most delicious watch I ever seen... Even if the shimmering sunny dial simply was stamped and then made amazingly lovely, with leaves and roman numerals... But it had also a truly magificent bracelet, a nice moon complication and three subdials... And it did only cost 66 euro!!
But at this time, was brand new watches from Japan possible to buy for only 36% of the Swedish price at Gran Canaria... Mainly because people came there mainly for the sun, cheap bars and the beach, absolutely not for buying watches and there was tons of watch chops... So even the shops, could buy Japanese wathes almost at factory prices (much cheaper than chops in Hong Kong for example) and then would always some shop, sell them to me for almost nothing extra... My Casio 200m Grail did for example cost only 1690sek in Sweden (as 147 euro) but I bought it for incredible 52 euro (!!!) when that model was brand new... In the not very popular San Agustin chopping centre, near Playa De Ingles at Gran Canaria...
So I naturally decided to look for the Orient on my winter holiday, but it was not there anywhere and when I come home, was it gone here too... And I have not seen it anywhere else!!
So you don't even need to have the watch, to collect great meaningful watch stories...
I appreciate what you say to an extent. The Seiko LCD is not the original one that my parents gave me. So as the actual item it doesn’t hold the same memories, but merely as a reminder of that watch which was given to me. So it’s more nostalgia than meaningful. This was the only exception as I wanted to re-acquire that watch.
However the other watches are the actual ones. The wood watch is the actual one that was given to me by my wife and which I wore at my wedding.
Thanks for your “stories” too!