New member introduction and special gift

Hello WatchCrunch!

-Apologies in advance for the long read-

I'm relatively new here and wanted to take some time to introduce myself. First and foremost I'm happy to be with like minded individuals and appreciate a site like this where we can all commiserate in this sickness we call a hobby. 😅

I've been a fan of watches for the longest time, but the reasons have evolved over that period. As a kid, it was just cool because my dad's watches were shiny and fun to play with. In highschool it was a way to accessorize. In college (when I really started to appreciate them for what they were), it became an actual tool helping me to stay on time pre smartphone days. Now as I'm approaching 40 it's a little bit of everything - a fun trinket that's a useful tool, all the while helping me to capture memories and build relationships. I just love them and it is by far my favorite hobby.

My fascination in watches, particularly in the mechanics, quickly evolved into me spending way more money on tools than watches as I started to service watches for fun. Many years later, my loving wife kindly suggested that I should do this for others and not just family and friends. So here I am. I've started an Instagram and have built quite a few watches and now have the support of a sponsor to do a giveaway.

The details of the giveaway are still being worked out, but the gist of it is that Crystaltimes / seikomodscom will be providing up to $500 in parts and I will build the the fully customized watch for the lucky winner. Pretty much as simple as that. 

My Instagram handle is @watchmecha and if you're at all interested, please feel free to follow. I plan to do this giveaway when we hit 500 followers. Link below for the reel highlighting the giveaway:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkOJx8VMVXE/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Appreciate all of you that read this whole post. I also realize a post without pictures is totally unacceptable so here's a few!

My sweet girl's artwork. It reads "My dad's watch." She's now 3 and is one of my true loves. 

A watch to celebrate a big anniversary with my first love, my wife.

My "grail" watch (if that's a real thing) that I purchased to celebrate a personal goal of mine. The coolest part with this is that I literally got the call / bought it on my daughter's birthday. She knows this is her watch. 😅

My oldest, "real" watch in my collection. This was the watch that got me started in this hobby. It's been on my wrist for many great life events. 

A build I did recently for someone that has turned into something more than a watch - a friendship. I am now in the process of building one similar to this for my personal collection so we can call them "brothers." 

Have a blessed day and thanks again for the warm welcome!