The watch

goose · Post by **goose** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:11 pm

My father checked out when I was 13. My mother, just prior to her passing, gave me his watch. He purchased the watch in 1963 during his leave from the Korean war. I know because the receipt is still in the box (29 pounds, purchased at Elgin AFB. The original pencil scratched numbers for the settings as scrawled by some Swiss chronologist were also in the box.

My father wore the watch during his stint in Vietnam and while flying "anything anywhere anytime."

It's not really worth anything monetarily. In fact, it hasn't run because it costs much more to fix than it would ever be worth if sold. However, I've dragged the damn thing all over the country. Even when I was rifling through couch cushions for smokes with a 3day notice on the door, I never thought to sell the watch. In July, 30 years after my father died and the watch stopped, I decided I needed to make that watch run again. I just got it back and it's a little weird seeing it on my wrist. Seems . . . . out of place.

scumbag · Post by **scumbag** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:20 pm

Simply beautiful and pretty damned cool.

Post by **Beemer Dan** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:32 pm

That's a beautiful piece of engineering right there! I love the sound that a well tuned mechanical watch makes, like a very tiny sewing machine. I'm hoping to have the cash to get my chronograph fixed soon, the fuckers are pricey on the upkeep, but oh so nice! I hope that one day I can pass it down to the kids that I hope to some day have. I think that's half the reason I got it actually.

Jaeger · Post by **Jaeger** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:03 pm

Noice.

I have my Grandad's old pocketwatch -- had to get it fixed twice now, worth every penny.

Most of us have very few tangible connections to our history and past -- somehow it seems fitting that timepieces get passed from generation to generation.

Just don't shove it up your ass.

--Jaeger

Zer0 · Post by **Zer0** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:07 pm

Exactly what Jaeger said. It was worth fixing. Good work, Goose.

Ames · Post by **Ames** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:13 pm

My daughter is already wearing one of my watches and my son has his eye on another of mine. I hope it sticks and someday Prather's I'll never know are wearing my watch.

Excellent story Goose.

goose · Post by **goose** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:18 pm

I was shocked to see my Uncle Jim (still alive); my uncle Victor (long deceased) and my father (Walter) on the WWII memorial:

http://imageserv3.team-logic.com/mediaL ... 610_1.pdf

just search "Greenquist" or for a relative of your own. Guess I'm just having one of those mid-life need to connect with family moments. Or, perhaps an acid flashback. Either way, I'm having a really odd day.

I think I'm going to call my uncle.[/url]

Jaeger · Post by **Jaeger** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:31 pm

goose wrote:I was shocked to see my Uncle Jim (still alive); my uncle Victor (long deceased) and my father (Walter) on the WWII memorial:

That the one here in DC?

--Jaeger

goose · Post by **goose** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:34 pm

Jaeger wrote:
goose wrote:I was shocked to see my Uncle Jim (still alive); my uncle Victor (long deceased) and my father (Walter) on the WWII memorial:
That the one here in DC?

--Jaeger

Yeah, I had better get my ass out to see him. Guess he's not getting any younger, being on a war memorial and all that.

Pattio · Post by **Pattio** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 3:36 pm

The handing-down-of-watches is a pretty cool thing. I'm looking forward to the time, about 15 years from now, when I hand over the family pocketwatch my nephew. The watch will be about 150 years old at that point.

bndgkmf · Post by **bndgkmf** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:03 pm

goose wrote:He purchased the watch in 1963 during his leave from the Korean war.

Did you mean 1953 or The Vietnam War? Really nice watch to have. A friend of mine has a diamond encrusted gold Rolex that his grandfather the salvage yard operator handed down to him.

goose · Post by **goose** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:12 pm

bndgkmf wrote:
goose wrote:He purchased the watch in 1963 during his leave from the Korean war.
Did you mean 1953 or The Vietnam War? Really nice watch to have. A friend of mine has a diamond encrusted gold Rolex that his grandfather the salvage yard operator handed down to him.

Indeed, it must have been Vietnam. He fought in the Trifecta (WWII, Korea and Vietnam). My fault.

This watch is a stainless, nothing but dirt was encrusting it (they clean the heck outta the watch when you have it serviced) and the face is stained from when the crystal broke in a crash. Apparently blood got inside the cracked crystal and it was left there long enough to stain it.

The Rolex guy kept asking me if I was sure that I wanted to spend that kind of money. When I showed him the box with the receipt, the wax stamp, and the original timing makers, he completely changed his tune.

He wanted to replace the face too, but the stain, despite being better now, has a story so I wanted to keep it. He agreed.

calamari kid · Post by **calamari kid** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:11 pm

That's a pretty inspiring story, thanks for sharing it.

I've got an old masons ring that belonged to my grandfather which is broken. I looked into getting it fixed some years ago and was in the same price pickle you describe. I think I'm at a point where having a bit of him to carry with me every day is hard to put a price on. I'm going to have to dig that out and take it in.

guitargeek · Post by **guitargeek** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:16 pm

guitargeek likes old stuff with stories

motorpsycho67 · Post by **motorpsycho67** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 8:37 pm

Damn, now I miss my dad.....

I've had my eye on his Elgin wristwatch since I was a kid. He got it for his high school graduation in '58 and wore it until the early 80s.

It's never been up his or anyone else's ass as far as I know.

Bestguess · Post by **Bestguess** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 9:01 pm

That was nice.

goose · Post by **goose** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:12 pm

i want to thank you guys for endulging my incomplete story. I'm not even sure what the hell made me share it, given that I'm not really prone to such things. Again, thanks.

Calamari, I say do it. My old man and i never, ever saw eye to eye. I think the whole thing is odd because i never wore a watch before and my dad's watch, just doesn't seem to look right on me. That said, Jaeger, Pattio and Zero make a good point, it's a connection. Absurd as it is, it really is a connection.

MP, i miss my dad too, though i don't know why. Ok, i've had a bit of tequilla so bear with the ol' goose. Promise not to make it a habit, this emoting thing, but, well, life sure gets funny.

Finally, Beemer dan is so correct. The analog precision of an old machine is magic. The sound, the appreciation of the craftmanship that makes the object work.... magic.

Again, thanks for indulging what is clearly an odd and selfish post. Part of me wishes i kept it to myself, the other part .... well . . . without trying to get mushy and stoopid . . . is glad i could share a weird moment.

scumbag · Post by **scumbag** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:46 pm

I wanted to type more earlier but was in a bit of a rush. My great grandmother gave my grandfather an omega seamaster when he graduated from rutgers on the GI bill. The underside is engraved "With love Mom/June 5, 1963" encompassing the seamaster logo. My Grandfather ended up passing away from the cancer a few years back. When I finally graduated college my grandmother gave the watch to my Dad who had it refinished and it was given to me as a graduation gift.

Like you said Goose it feels weird wearing it as it is my grandfathers watch. When I put on nice clothes I wear it and it reminds me of him. Hell, it mostly sits on my dresser with my wallet and keys but it is a tangible and physical reminder of him.

Again... Your watch is pretty damned cool, not for the sum of its parts but for where it came from and what it reminds you of.

xtian · Post by **xtian** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 12:10 am

guitargeek · Post by **guitargeek** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 2:10 am

An asshole talks about watches:

My mom gave me her father's 1948 Bulova for a graduation present, back in '86.
Beautiful watch, but I rarely wore it. I knew I'd fuck it up if I did.

My house got burglarized in about 1990 and that watch vanished.

It looked just like this one!

About five years ago, my dad gave me a stainless Timex that he'd worn for about ten years.

It's very functional, rugged, simple... and I never wear it. When we took his Seiko in for an overhaul, I put the Timex back on Dad's wrist for a couple weeks.

A couple years ago, bndgkmf gave me a really nice gold Seiko Mickey... that I never wear.

Beautiful watch, but I never wear it. I know I'd fuck it up if I did.

Jonny · Post by **Jonny** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 6:32 am

Thanks for putting all that out there, Goose. What you've written has put me in a real thoughtful mood and taken me back a bit. In a good way.

Cheers.

Zim · Post by **Zim** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 4:12 pm

Someone I know has a watch sales and repair business. While sales are slow (many just check the time on their cell phones), the repair/battery replacement side is always busy.

Jaeger · Post by **Jaeger** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 5:07 pm

Goddamnit, BDB, it must be something about our birthday...

I've had that since I was a little kid.

Was taking it through TSA security at one point -- someone griped about the penknife (which I'd forgotten). The only time I ever seriously considered going nuclear on the TSA guy. Thankfully he realized how stupid it was and just said "Don't take it out. Check it on the way home. Git."

Good goddamn thing, 'cause he'd have been in the hospital and I'd have been in jail.

--Jaeger

MATPOC · Post by **MATPOC** » Thu Dec 09, 2010 2:01 pm

Great story Goose, made me think of my grandpa's watch, he told me it was my dad's from when he was in the army but I remember grandpa wearing it.
Leather strap wore away and I replaced with current band, than stopped wearing it after I jumped in to the ocean with it and realized that it's only a
matter of time before I destroy it

Also made me think about this:

http://www.sportsgrid.com/media/bernie- ... -watch-ad/

http://www.hellomagazine.com/celebritie ... lebrities/

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