Breil (TW0777) Automatic

This is my very first automatic watch. My dad got it for me back in....2010(?) I think. I was 15-16 yrs old then (I'm 27 now). It's also my first watch that really got me into horology. The half-exhibition window showcasing the movement was something I've never seen before, as someone who's only had quartz Timex-es prior.

Breil itself is not a famous player in the game (I believe it's an Italian brand that makes other jewelry/accessories), but I really don't care, especially since I got so many compliments on it. More importantly though is how much of my memories are associated with it: Last years of high school, the toughest days in part-time jobs, most of my undergrad. Not to mention, it was a security blanket/fidget tool when I came out of the closet to friends & family.

My watches to me are exactly that: I need them to ground or center me whenever I feel so overwhelmed. Watching the escape wheel work as long as I myself was also working, was something very intimate. Rather than the watch just waiting for me to shake it to give it life, we became co-dependent companions. Seeing the scratches on the case & the crystal never fails to make me reminisce.

The watch itself had a lot happen to it as well. My boyfriend has taken it with him for a work trip years ago. It's been lost & found. The original strap got destroyed. Last year, I dropped it off at a repair shop to get the crown fixed (humidity was getting inside & fogging it up!), only for them to return it not only unfixed but also no longer working. I got so angry, especially because of how much it meant to me & how I got it back more broken than when I left it. I posted a google review detailing what had happened, then the next day I get a call from their manager offering to get it properly fixed with no charge. When i got it back, it was working again, but the crown is no longer screwing back in properly. At this point, I vowed never to go back to that repair place, but with that, even more hesitation to get this guy fixed anywhere else. All that matters is it's working again - but I can't wear it when it's raining, haha.

TL;DR - first automatic watch, blah blah, memories, blah blah, crown's fucked now but still working!