Death and watches... Happy holidays!
This is the watch of my late husband. As a timepiece, it’s nothing special, just an old middle of the road electronic Seiko. Not a limited edition or any complications, just a ‘time only’ tank shaped watch with a lot of wear and tear. You can see the the gold (or whatever it is) flaking. If I would encounter it in a thrift store I wouldn’t give it a second glance.
Yet, this is the most important watch in my life and I would be quite devastated if I lost it. Paul wore it every day until he died of leukaemia in 2016 when he was 70 years old. We were together for 29 years.
When he died and I was dealing with all that you don’t want to deal with, I came up with this ritual: I would make this little shrine with his watch in it and when the battery was depleted, I would put it away and that was that. No more grief, get on with life. Needless to say it doesn’t work that way, but a grieving human is a strange animal.
When it finally did stop ticking (about 14 months after his death) it came as a shock and I was not quite ready to put it away.
Here is another watch. It belonged to Loek, my father, who died of COVID in March 2020. it's a gold plated Tissot Visodate Seastar, that he inherited from his father. I have no special recollection of it, besides he was wearing every day too. He was a retired accountant and somehow it sort of fits his character. Punctuality, trustworthy, reliable. Again, it’s no special watch in the nerdy world of watches. And again, I am never going to part from it.
The connection of watches and clocks to death is, of course, very obvious. It’s often depicted in films and photo’s; the clock slowing down and then stopping. A watch crystal breaking. The sand of an hourglass running through the narrow opening inside. It’s the poor attempt of men trying to visualise the unimaginable: the fact that your time is up. It is the clash between Chronos, the Greek god of measured time, and Kairos, the god of the right time.
There is a nice saying in one of the more rural regions, near where I was born and raised in the Netherlands, that translates as: becoming out of time (‘oet de tied’). I always liked that one, because it matches the way how I felt when Paul was ‘out of time’.
For me watches show a strong connection to how valuable time is and how, sometimes, I am wasteful with it. The holiday season is near. Let's make the most of it with the people you love!
And you? Do you have watches with a special story or memory of a loved one? Please share them in the comments below!
Dutch guy living in Gran Canaria, Spain. Started way back to collect Bulova Accutron, but sold them all (but one...) when moving to Spain. Started over again, because, well... You know! Impressed and...
Sort of. My Mum died in 2016 & I purchased my Grail, SM300 heritage with the inheritance. I chose the Seamaster as her Dad, who I never met as he died when mum was 14, is one of my heroes - a decorated WW2 Royal Marine Commando.
I realise it's a tenuous connection, but it means the world to me and I know Mum would "get it" and that's what matters to me.
Such a public display (glorified jewelry after all) yet encapsulates such personal feelings.
First so sorry for your loss, this time of year is the most difficult following the loss of those we love. Unfortunate part of hanging around for a while I'm afraid. Second, you should wear both of those watches. There is no better way to honor those who wore them than to enjoy them as they did.
This is such a profound post - and resonates well with my own post that I had written few days ago about how watches (or any objects for that matter) stop being mere objects because of memories attached with them and lot of time non-watch people may look at us as 'hoarders' they dont understand that its not the object that we are interested in but what it signifies
Here is my late father's daily watch - a simple Skagen that is more important to me than all my other watches because of his memories - I just changed the strap because the original was broken so I kept the used one safely but I also wanted to ensure I keep this watch in a working condition so I can wear it every now and then
This is a difficult time of year for me, winter is when I lost my mother and my older brother, December was also the month when my wife, my best friend was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer, thankfully today she is cancer free but the chemotherapy drugs greatly compromised her heart so we try to live each day with gratitude but with concern. She is a decade younger than I am, I cannot imagine my life with all the hills and valleys of a regular existence without her.
She is a vain, beautiful woman inside and out, did not shed a single tear when the doctors confirmed her cancer, cried for hours when she decided to shave her head bald to better deal with the nuisance of falling hair. Months after her wicked cancer treatments had reduced her once joyous carefree existence to something else, it was time to meet with her aged mother and extended family to reveal some truths, her wigs and even colourful scarves gave her severe headaches, it was her habit to proudly display her lovely bald head, but wanted a few hours to steady her nerves before meeting with her family. I suggested shopping for a new watch that she could wear and deflect excessive chatter about her cancer and treatments.
This is a difficult time of year for me, winter is when I lost my mother and my older brother, December was also the month when my wife, my best friend was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer, thankfully today she is cancer free but the chemotherapy drugs greatly compromised her heart so we try to live each day with gratitude but with concern. She is a decade younger than I am, I cannot imagine my life with all the hills and valleys of a regular existence without her.
She is a vain, beautiful woman inside and out, did not shed a single tear when the doctors confirmed her cancer, cried for hours when she decided to shave her head bald to better deal with the nuisance of falling hair. Months after her wicked cancer treatments had reduced her once joyous carefree existence to something else, it was time to meet with her aged mother and extended family to reveal some truths, her wigs and even colourful scarves gave her severe headaches, it was her habit to proudly display her lovely bald head, but wanted a few hours to steady her nerves before meeting with her family. I suggested shopping for a new watch that she could wear and deflect excessive chatter about her cancer and treatments.
Wow, good deflection! Smart move. Have a wonderful time together these days and hold each other extra tight!
Wow, good deflection! Smart move. Have a wonderful time together these days and hold each other extra tight!
I am so thankful for your post, brought back memories of all the family members that I lost. ❤️
Heirloom from my Dad. Here's the story behind it...
https://www.watchcrunch.com/hakki501/posts/remembering-you-dad-20366
Heirloom from my Mom, designated as her gift to my future wife. Here's the story behind it...
https://www.watchcrunch.com/hakki501/posts/remembering-you-mom-29084
You wrote a beautiful remembrance. Thank you.
A few months ago I wrote this as a musing on why my grandfather's watch brings tears to my eyes sometimes. It meanders. I could really use an editor.
You wrote a beautiful remembrance. Thank you.
A few months ago I wrote this as a musing on why my grandfather's watch brings tears to my eyes sometimes. It meanders. I could really use an editor.
Thank you! And if you need an editor; let me know if I can help.