(Note: This post is a giveaway. Hooray! When you comment, please let me know if you are throwing your name into the hat)
I like to wear a big, big watch. First of all, I think they look cool, and work with tomboy style. But the Sturdy Gal also likes big timepieces because she likes to take a quick glance and know how long before the roast chicken needs attention, how likely she is to meet her friend at the bar at 6:00pm, and just how long that person has been talking for goodness’ sake. Cellphones are the default, but they require reading glasses, and password fumbling, and often get lost in handbags.
Problem was, my first love, the Rolex Cellini, doesn’t seem appropriate for days spent in peach and blue sneakers. So when the representative from JORD wooden watches got in touch with me about a product review, it seemed like time to try out another option. Meet my wood watch.
When my kids were here this weekend, we all went up to San Francisco. We knew we’d be walking – the current fitness initiative includes 10,000 steps/day, as often as possible – so I wore sneakers. Nike Air Max 90s, my number one most comfortable pair of shoes. Add a simple but unified set of affordable staples (specific items no longer available, similar seen in the filmstrip below) GAP 1969 selvedge jeans, a J. Crew striped tee, UNIQLO cotton moto-style jacket, as well as some long-owned jewelry, i.e. gold hoops, and double diamond solitaire necklace.
The JORD watches are battery-operated, a dial on the side sets the time. A benefit of wood I hadn’t predicted? So light.
Our expedition took us through San Francisco, from SOMA, up Nob Hill, over to Chinatown, down a hill to the Embarcadero, and into the Exploratorium. The Exploratorium is exactly what you might expect from its name, a science museum built solely of hands-on exhibits. It used to be over at the Palace of the Legion of Honor, in a picturesque but horribly clangy site. The new building’s acoustics work even for we easily overwhelmed. Highly recommended, for all ages.
After a couple of hours exploring light, sounds, and the infinite regenerative possibilities of hydras, we met up outside with my brother, his wife, and their baby boy, and watched toddler antics outside the the Ferry Building. He’s just starting to say words. Sigh.
Then my husband, kids and I ambled over to the Tadich Grill, for old-fashioned grumpy waiters in white jackets, men drinking in the early evening, and pan-fried sand dabs,
After dinner, I asked the kids to help me with some blog images. My daughter took the photo up top, my son this behind the scenes shot
And, as has been the custom here, we arranged a giveaway for you guys. You can win your own large blonde wood watch, which you too may find to be just the thing for knocking about a city. You’re probably going to have to locate your own redhead, but feel free to substitute your particular beloveds. Alternatively, I think this might make a great graduation present for someone going off to college. I wouldn’t actually add a red dot at 5:50pm saying “Call Mom,” but it might cross my mind.
If you’re in for the giveaway, please begin your comment with the word, “In.” Then tell me about a watch you remember. Did you lose it? Break it? Still have it? Or have you never, ever owned one. And why not? Watches. Story-telling icon par excellence.
Similar clothing items (seems to be loading very slowly, if that’s the case for you let me know and I can convert this widget into a list.)
Edited to add the important stuff, i.e. the giveaway winner will be chosen and announced on the blog, Monday May 19th. I’ll also send an email notification.
94 Responses
In 9th grade my father bought me a red coach watch with blue hands and a red alligator strap. My dad gives watches for all occasions, graduations, birthdays and random Wednesdays when he is feeling generous so I have quite a collection now but my favourite is still the 9th grade red coach, now on it’s 6th strap.
Hannah, are you in? Just reminding you so as to highlight for everyone to declare their intentions:)
Very cool watch. Watches have always been one of my most favorite things. My first watch was a Cinderella watch bought at Disneyland by my grandparents when I was about 5 years old. It had a very pink strap and I loved it. I have no idea what happened to it, as with many things in my past.
I would like someone else to win the giveaway though as I have a lot of watches, and I do think it’s a great one.
In! My grandfather was a jeweler and watchmaker, so I received my first (gold!) wristwatch on my first birthday! My mother still keeps it in her jewelry box. I haven’t worn a watch in a few years, but it always feels rude to check the time on my phone in meetings, so perhaps it’s time to wear a watch again!
In my opinion, material makes a watch! My fave – and only – watch to date came from my mother. It’s a gold Baume Mercier and it is FREAKIN’ gorgeous (more delicate than the style you prefer, but not slinky in any way). Alas, there’s something about my body chemistry that has that watch shutting down within a month of my getting it (reputably) repaired. This has happened numerous times. Haven’t worn it in 2 years because it’s basically a bracelet. I’m nothing if not pragmatic and a watch that doesn’t keep time offends me!
And just to clarify – that initial “In” was an in! Thank you!
In!
My father never wore a watch. I remember one year I gave him one for Christmas. Instead of putting it on his wrist, he put it in his pocket (along with keys, change, cash, ID, and debit card, because wallets are for other people, but not him)… I think he still carries it in his pocket ;)
In!
You are rocking your tomboy style! We will all have fun watching your favored style evolve. I’m “in” for that too!
In. I still own a watch that might be entirely useless. My grandmother gave it to me. So pretty and dressy, although a costume piece. Silver, marcasite, vintage-looking, I destroyed it accidentally by leaving it sitting on the edge of the bathtub while I showered (I happen to have been doing an summer abroad, so the shower in question was taken at St. Catharine’s College, a University of Cambridge). The fact that steam would destroy the watch never occurred to me. Someday, I may take out the watch guts, and put in a picture, locket style….it’s one of the many found on Pinterest projects that I’ve never done any of, but keep listing.
In! My first watch was given to me by my Grandmother for my first holy communion. It had a black band and a round gold case with a white face. A total classic just like my Grandmother.
In. I tend not to wear watches at home but love to have something different to wear when out and about.
And I have to admit the one I had longest is an old Timex which my husband gave me when we were first married many years ago. I LOVED that watch!
I’m in! Love, love, love large watches! Right now I’m wearing a Timex camp watch, and also own a large stainless Skagen that I wear pretty much daily. My first big watch was a “mod” watch, probably circa 1964? followed by my grandfather’s Hamilton. That one was really special, engraved on the back. Sadly it’s no longer operational; I should have it repaired! I agree cell phones are overrated as timepieces.
IN! I love watches! Watches are one of my favorite things to wear and collect. I would love to expand my collection with a wood watch – how unique.
In high school I stopped wearing watches, unsure why besides being a lefty. My current watches are too dainty and I just don’t wear them but a signature piece like this lovely wooden one would be fun to wear! Love it!
In! (if you’ll deliver to the UK!)the wood looks lovely, and I haven’t seen anyone wearing anything similar IRL over here in London.
My husband bought me my current watch (vintage style, Olivia Burton on a coral leather strap) when I was on maternity leave & I discovered it wasn’t always possible to look at a cell phone for the time – but it was essential to know how many hours had passed.
My favourite to date watch was a vintage 1950s gentlemans hand winding watch that I wore until the hand winder sheared off. I was particularly fond of the nights where I didn’t realise it had wound down at 12.30am and I suddenly found it to be 3am!
In to win!
I am still wearing my large Swiss watch, after many years. My kids tell me ‘you don’t need watches any more, you have a cell phone’ but I show them the simplicity of glancing at my wrist vs. digging out the phone. And I don’t run around the house and yard with my cellphone glued to my body. I honestly can’t believe people aren’t wearing watches. And they can be beautiful!
In–what a great gift this would make, and I also appreciate the lightness feature you discuss. I looked at their site and think you picked one of the most attractive models.
By coincidence, I was just re-reading the ‘Life with Father’ story in which Clarence Day, Jr. was given a delicate heirloom watch as a boy. Naturally, he was constantly breaking the crystals, replacing which absorbed all his income to the point that he asked the watch repairman for a good-customer discount. I could empathize, having dispatched a few crystals myself.
When I was first married, we did not have much in the way of funds to be spent on luxury items. One day, when we were in Tiffany’s waiting to pick up a wedding gift that was being wrapped, we were wandering around looking in cases.
I saw a watch and commented on it. It was not particularly expensive and my husband suggested that it would make a nice gift for my upcoming birthday. I told him that I’d rather have stock in the company. I was joking but on my birthday, he gave me the amount of the watch in TCO stock. It was a great buy as it has split several times over the year. We were divorced after 24 years of marriage but I still have the TCO stock.
I still don’t wear a watch.
It’s a cool looking watch but I have an ESQ which is still going strong so I think someone else would appreciate it more than I would.
I love that you shared your family day with us and your very own red head is gorgeous… but then I married into a family of red heads and have an adorable red headed grand daughter who is gorgeous too!
In 1985 I bought a Movado stainless steel watch after looking in every watch shop I went past in Switzerland. I loved that watch, but the clasp never held tight and there was no safety clasp. I lost and found it many times over the years, but lost it for good in 1999. I still miss it…
In. I had a boyfriend who sort of gave me a watch. I LOVED the watch. Boyfriend not so much. big simple face, numbers, gold, worn leather band. my mother decided that I should not have the fabulous boyfriend watch and gave it to my brother. seriously. and then said brother gave it to a Boyfriend. lost forever. still miss it.
In. I received a watch for my college graduation. It doesn’t work anymore but still sits in my drawer. Alas, my daughter will never wear a watch and doesn’t read or write cursive.
IN! I was given my first watch for eighth grade graduation. It was a “gold” Bulova with a small square face and two tiny rinestones on either side. It was nestled in a wonderful little box, and purchased at our local drugstore. I couldn’t have been more thrilled! I have loved all types of watches ever since.
In the early ’90’s, I dated a man who I thought was lovely. Near our one year anniversary of dating, he bought me a Cartier Tank watch. Next summer will be our 20th wedding anniversary and it is still the only watch I wear.
In April of 2004, my husband kindly gifted me with a silver Gucci watch as a “push present” (hate that term) to celebrate the birth of our daughter. Problem was, I’m a chunky gold jewelry kind of gal, and this particular watch is silver, and daintier than I’d prefer. I gamely wore it daily for the next five or six years, until the author of the now-mostly-defunct blog Urban Grace blogged about her cute chunky gold and “onyx” Michael Kors watch. I ordered it on the spot, and it has been my daily watch since then, save the occasional silver jewelry days. Would love the wood watch–I am due a new one for sure!
In. Absolutely. I received my first watch in the second grade. And I lost it almost immediately. This should not have been a surprise — I was a dreamy, absent-minded child. Nevertheless the loss was greeted with great consternation by my mother (for whom consternation was a default setting) and my father (who was usually on my side). The watch itself never reappeared but the topic of the watch recurred regularly in the Why You Cannot Be Trusted with Anything Nice lecture series of 1967 – 1975.
In truth, I was deep into my thirties before I could be trusted with anything nice. So I suppose that counts as a Pyrrhic victory for the shame-based parenting that was fashionable at the time.
Now, in my fifties, I trust myself with as many niceties as I can afford.
In.
My favorite watch is the ladylike Seiko my mom gave me when I graduated med school in1970.But I love funky,and my most memorable watch is the avocado green plastic Swatch from 1976 or so which I bought myself. I love the light colour and weight of your wooden watch.Would be delighted to wear it.
In. I loved reading all the comments & memories! My favorite watch was a Timex my Dad lent me. It turned into a permanent loan; I wore it for years. Thanks, Dad!
I’m in.
My first watch featured a leatherette band and Marvin the Martian on the face. Man, I miss that watch. I’d probably still wear it now!
P.S. I come from a family of redheads, so I’m good there. For anybody else here who’s old enough to remember Laugh-In, I’ll share that my Dad (the only non-redhead in our family)was puzzled as to why people kept telling him we looked just like the Farkle family. We had a black-&-white TV, so he didn’t know the Farkles were all redheads except the Dad.
In! My first watch was the Cinderella watch I got for my 7th birthday. I loved the watch, but I especially loved the ceramic Cinderella figurine that came with it. I lost the watch a couple of years later, travelling with my mother, when I dutifully took it off to wash my hands. It got left on the side of the sink. I’ve never forgotten it.
Out! I have a number of watches but in my dreams…a Corum coin watch…not yet on the horizon. In the meantime, years and years ago I found a Britannia watch made from a liberty dime, and the date on the dime, the year of my birth! I have worn it (for the most part) ever since. At some point I am hoping to replace the stainless steel bezel with 14k. So far it has not been much of a priority. I probably need a dial that is easier to read, but sentiment makes the struggle sweet.
IN!
My favorite is one an old boyfriend gave me, his big black sports watch, black face, yellow hands, little red clocks for umm seconds? I put white or yellow leather bands on it .. very cool.
Other favorite: $5 watches we all bought in Mexico, had cute stretchy bands of wood beads .. made in Ch—, stopped working in a few weeks.
Oh another favorite: Watchcraft watch a good girlfriend gave me, combines silver-y and gold-ish metals — this is like a hug from a friend.
In!
My mom gave me a lot of her old jewelry my junior year of college. Most of it was costume jewelry, but it included an antique Bulova watch that had belonged to someone else in my family. My usual wristwear was a $5 Hello Kitty watch from Target (if even that) so this was a nice change. It made me feel ‘grown up’ to wear a nice watch, even if it was not a ‘statement’ piece; it was very simple, very modest.
Well, that was the semester we were talking about branding in my marketing class, at a college full of very privileged man-and-woman-children in Texas. Southern Millionaire’s University, some call it. I was on scholarship. Professor asks us to go around the room and tell the brand of the watch we were wearing. Rolex. Rolex. Rolex.
I had a moment of panic as I looked down at my watch, expecting to see $5 Hello Kitty. But didn’t.
Tag Heuer. Rolex. Omega. Rolex.
My turn. “Bulova.”
And it continued in the same fashion it started in, with one other student also wearing a Bulova watch. I didn’t know if it was a good brand or not, but I figured since someone else had one that it must be. I was just thankful I didn’t stand out for having a cheapo watch while everyone else in the room was wearing thousands of dollars on their wrists.
I ended up giving the watch back to my mom, as I had recently acquired a cell phone and no longer needed one, or so I thought. I really didn’t wear a watch much at all for the next decade, until my husband and I got matching Fossil watches for our wedding and I fell in love with mine. I wear it whenever I go out – as long as I remember to! Ten years of not wearing a watch becomes a habit.
Yes, I am in.
In 1973, I went to visit my step-sister and her boyfriend in Bogota, Columbia. The trip was suppose to last ten days; I ended up staying for 3 weeks due to falling in love with a handsome Brit named Francis. On my last day, Francis and I went for a hike up Monseratte and saw men jumping up and down behind rocks. The next moment I was thrown to the ground and my watch was removed from my hand by one of the men. The watch was a high school graduation present from my Mother and step-father. It was a simple gold watch with black Roman numerals on an alligator band. I loved the watch and was upset to see it taken as my Mother and step-father had chosen it. However, I was relived and grateful that Francis and I were not harmed.
Its a lovely watch but I’m OUT.
The only watch that I have was given to me by my husband about 25 years ago and just last month quit working. However, I’ve been retired 2 years now and have not once found the need to wear a watch so I don’t!
In! My grandmother gifted me an old Gucci watch of hers from her days of post-divorce gallivanting. Gold with a tiny mother of pearl face with no numerals. Upon realizing the battery was dead when she gave it to me, she offered the following suggestion. “Just wear it around and if anyone asks you the time just say ‘oh no my watch stopped!'”. My grandma is obviously a fashion over function kind of woman. Love her.
IN. I have not owned a watch in years. My skin chemistry is weird — I react with metals that aren’t sterling silver, and my skin eats through leather or any kind of plastic. A wooden watch? That…might actually work!
Your daughter is so tall and beautiful! And I love glimpsing your ring in the second photo :-)
I’m in, but imagine they won’t want to ship to the UK, so feel free to count me out.
In! I’ve been desiring a wooden watch for a while since I first saw them while shopping for a gift for my sister. I’d love to win!
In! At the end of graduate school, my husband (also a starving student) shelled out for a new watch for a graduation present. It wasn’t a really fancy watch, though very pretty with a mother of pearl face. However, we went to grad school at LSU in Baton Rouge, where many natives still (after many generations since moving from France) speak French at home. So the days of the week that showed on the watch face were in French, which I love. I still have that watch, though I don’t wear it as much anymore, favoring something with a bigger face.
In!
What a great looking watch. All of my watches from high school onwards have been Timex. My current watch is a Timex Expedition – my husband and I decided to get matching watches from Canadian Tire very early on in our marriage. He upgraded his a few years later, but nearly a decade on, I still have mine. I like the simple look of the dial and size of the watch face. Not too small. It’s currently on it’s third or fourth strap, a snazzy cobalt blue leather one chosen by my 9 year old son. Replacing the watch batteries has been mission impossible though…not something easily accomplished in small rural towns.
Most treasured was the Timex my four kids pooled their allowances to buy me when I started Med School way back in 1970. There have been many watches since but none that I look at with such tears of joy. They are all grown up with families of their own and still my most important achievement.
In! I remember distinctly one of the first watches I owned was one where the face could be removed and be snapped into other brightly colored bands (no doubt to coordinate with my neon jelly shoes; it was the 80s). This is classier.
In. I love my pleastic tortoise Michael Kors as a travel watch, I imagine this wood one would be just as nice.
IN decisive about wooden watches, but still… For 8 years now, I have been wearing the same Skagen watch, which is seemingly indestructible. (Since it claims to be water resistant to 3 meters, I have even worn it snorkeling). I sleep in it, because I am one of those people who always need to know the time. While I do sometimes wear a bracelet or two, my wrist is one of the parts of my body I I often forget to accessorize…this could be a nice beginning.
,
And I forgot to add: my first watch was a Snow White watch, shich I received as a reward for learning to tell time.
In love with that wooden watch! I have never seen one made of wood. My first watch was from the dime store, made of black plastic, but I loved it as it meant I was just like the grown ups!
In. My last husband gave me a Rolex on a significant birthday.
It doesn’t seem to suit my day to day needs, so I’m often to be found digging through my purse,like a squirrel after nuts, to find the time.
I hate the scrabbling about,but a watch didn’t occur to me till this post.
I wear black Nike Airs for work. They make my feet very happy.
xo J
IN
My father gave me my first watch when I was about 8. It was a white Timex with a white leather band and it had Indiglo. I spent many a sleepless night pressing the button on the side and watching the watch face glow green under the covers, bounce off the walls, not light up a book page very well.
In a pool, in the sink – not the best treatment for a watch, but Winnie The Pooh survived. Over the past 40 years, the red band has been replaced, and Pooh now rests (well deserved rest!)in my jewelry box.
In Georgia, a wood watch would be just the thing! I need to keep up with the 400 libraries in Georgia, so I need to know the time as I race around the state.
In recalling my earliest Christmas memory I received a totally cool teeter-totter watch! Plus a racing set. Oh man, such a lucky girl.
Meanwhile my lil sis got kiddie dishes and cookware. (ha.my mom knew better)
In!
I have hazy but very fond memories of my first watch as a girl – it was Disney watch with Cinderella on the face and maybe a pink band. I loved it so much!
The wooden watch looks like it would be chic and fun.
Thanks, Kate
I’m IN!
I bought a royal blue SWATCH watch in my 20’s. It had nautical flags around the face that spelled, what else, SWATCH. Loved it. In fact, I may still have it, somewhere. . . .
We love San Francisco, we honeymooned there and go back every few years or so. That’s neat that your kids were able to sorta participate in this post.
This watch is truly amazing looking, it’s so earthy and stylish. I’d love to give this to my husband. Please count me in the giveaway. Thank you very much for hosting this!
@melisa, When is the giveaway over? Will you email the winner?
In! My first watch was a first communion gift from my parents, in May, the month I turned 7. I loved it, it had a yellow leather band, and I had just learned to tell time. I wore and cherished it for years, until it eventually fell apart.
Zoom forward 51 years, and my own red headed daughter just gifted me with an oversized watch for my May birthday and Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, it was simply too heavy, and the gold face with gold hands was made it difficult to read without locating cheaters. We’ve both been on the lookout for a better fit, and this wooden watch looks like a great choice.
I just love your blog, by the way.
In. When I graduated from high school my mother gave me a gold chain link watch with a tiny (and I mean tiny!) ruby on the pin that sets the time. It was from Neiman Marcus––THE store in Texas at the time (this was decades ago). This watch was my first “grown-up” piece of jewelry and although it no longer works I still have it and even wear it occasionally just because.
I should write an essay, “My Life in Watches.”
My first watch was a pink Timex ballerina watch that I received for my first communion.
My favorite watch probably was a gold Raymond Weil that XH bought me for my 40th birthday. It’s a little too delicate for my taste now, but it’s a reminder of happier times.
Right now I’m sporting a steel Bulova chronograph.
I am a daily watch wearer. I can’t abide fishing through my bag for a cell phone.
In!
IN!
My favorite watch was my dad’s self wind one. I remember making him swivel and jiggle his wrist when I was a child to show me how the watch would work.
When my dad passed away I came into possession of that watch! Sadly it was no longer in working order and couldn’t be repaired.
On days when I want to feel close to my dad I still wear it and know that it is the right time at least twice in one day!
In!!! I’ve never seen a watch made of wood! That is amazing! My watch story…..I love junk shopping and there used to be a very, very junky shop in our village that I would shop regularly. One day I found a 1956 Rolex Oyster Perpetual man’s watch in a dish with a bunch of junk. I paid $2.00 for it. Yah….2 bucks! Well….then I paid a couple hundred to get it running, but the entire experience was exciting, educational and fun! I can understand how people become old watch collectors. They hold alot of fascinating history.
In 3 rd grade as every other kid my age in my rather catholic Central European country I was preparing for the First Communion. As you may imagine a kid of 9 years old does not fully understand intricacies of the catholic doctrine, however I was more than aware that taking the body of Christ for the first time also involves getting a watch immediately afterwards.
It was just the way things were – outside the church the families used to wait for their little ones with gifts in their hands. Nowadays, it would be probably a Playstation, then it was a quartz watch with Mickey Mouse on a dial that moved his arms to show me the time. I was so fascinated by it that my teacher banned me wearing it just after a week as all I could focus on were the constantly moving Mickey’s arms.
The watch fell apart and was mended at least twice until nothing else could be done to make it work again. And after all those years it still lays at the bottom of my jewellery box as a reminder of my childhood.
IN
I love watches, feel a little naked without one. That one looks intriguing!
Absolutely love your blog.
Definitely throw my name into the hat! I have a wooden travel mug (cedar) that a friend made on a lathe; the warmth of wood against the skin is lovely. This watch looks beautiful,a little work tool work of art.
In! The first watch I remember owning was a Mickey Mouse one, actually SHAPED like Mickey’s head with the ears in gold. Oh my. I haven’t worn a watch in years, too dependent on cell phones, but I’ve been contemplating wearing them again. I love the look of a chunky watch.
In. The watch that comes to mind was a casual gift from my college roommate’s mother. She actually had bought herself the same watch with a white face, thought I would like it as well and bought me the black one. It was silver and this bracelet style that slipped on easily. I wore it until the battery died and of course never just replaced the battery because I was a busy college student! I was mostly touched that she thought of me.
The first nice watch I owned was one I bought in the Virgin Islands, a Tissot which was self-winding. Then my husband gave me a lovely Seiko bought on a business trip to Japan. I wore that watch for many years. Then I wore an inexpensive but pretty one of no special brand until it accidentally fell of my wrist and I wasn’t even aware. Finally, I gave up wearing watches altogether when we were burgled and the thief/ thieves stole all my watches. I just never got around to replacing them with a new watch. So long story short, yes! I am IN for a new watch. That wood watch looks like fun to wear.
In.
I had a marvellous watch when I was in my late teens. Must have been my Dad who bought it for me. He had prescient taste. It was a silver plated watch with a very small face. The band was solid, like a bracelet. About one-quarter of the “bracelet” was a hook-and-eye latch – the mechanism for space for one’s wrist. Years later I saw that Gucci had produced the design for it’s own mark. I stopped wearing watches after a while, to live by my own rhythms. That’s had it’s plusses and minuses.
IN! I wear a sports watch 24/7, unless I am getting a little more dressed up. Then I wear a silver model that I picked up at Costco. Although so many of the younger/brought-up-on-cell-phones generation do not wear watches, I am lost without mine. The wooden watch which you sport in the photos seems pretty perfect for my very casual style!
In!
I started wearing a watch in first grade and my writst wasn’t without a watch until just a few years ago. With clocks everywhere including the car, and my cellphone, it didn’t seem necessary.
It turns watches are necessary, when I’m in a client meeting I need to be mindful of the time without pulling out my phone to check. The easiest way to do so is to subtly glance at a wrist watch.
I’ve been searching for something
In my world, not many wear watches but I like the look of it all!
In! I’m currently wearing a slim Fossil watch which is very practical, but after several years, the leather strap has gotten worn. My BFF recommended this style of watch because it’s not too ultra-feminine. I love sturdy watches, and wood material, and never thought to mix the two!
In! My watch is the long hoped for saved for dreamed about since junior high Cartier Tank Solo. The kids these days are “obsessed” with everything, but I truly was obsessed with this watch for nigh on 30 years. For my 40th birthday, the dream finally came true. I expect it will be a fixture for nigh on 30 more. But my dad, who is obsessed with ALL watches, would find the little gem above quite a treasure.
In!
I have a totally impractical 1850s wind-up woman’s watch to be worn on a special chain looped around the neck. Looks fabulous with a period correct hoop skirt (which I also have – also impractical!)
In! I can’t imagine not wearing a watch. I feel naked without one on my wrist. My mother always loved wearing an interesting watch that revealed something about her personality and I feel similarly. It’s statement jewelry for your arm — so much more interesting than a cell phone. My first watch was a gold bracelet watch from my parents for my 13th birthday. Wore it every day until, for my 16th birthday, I got a sophisticated tank style watch (a Cartier wanna-be). After that stopped working (a tragic dish-washing accident) I branched out into bright plastic Swatches, a big-face Timex, there may even have been a Mickey Mouse watch for a year or two. I am ready for something new and interesting — and the fact that it’s light on the wrist is great.
IN!
I mean come on…..that’s a Fieldcrest Series called “Maple.” That would be wearing the family name!
First watch I remember was a gold Seiko from my dad as I headed south to UCLA. The watch I wish I had is the one pictured dangling from Dad’s shirt. Looking to be 5 or 6, he’s digging his toes in summertime dirt on some country road. It had been his father’s, a man I never met.
The picture hangs in my hallway, the perfect reminder of the meaning of time.
In!
I live in my Timex ironman, or for dressy occasions I have a swatch bracelet watch or a seiko kinetic tank style watch. I’m naked without my watch.
IN! After not wearing watches for years I started again when working for a company with lots of meetings and no clocks in the conference rooms. Looking at your phone makes it look like you’re not riveted by the discussion so I switched to large watches with easy to read faces that allowed for discrete glances to determine how much longer was required.
No longer with that organisation but the watch wearing habit has stuck.
In. When I was a struggling graduate student with a toddler at home, I bought myself a beautiful gold and silver Seiko look-alike at 47th Street Photo. Just looking at it made me happy. One day I was cooking in the kitchen and took it off, putting it on the counter. My son was pestering me for attention but I was too busy to notice him. When I went to put the watch back on, it was gone. After I looked around all day for it, my son announced he had thrown it in the garbage. I went outside, tore through all the bags outside – nothing. I was heartbroken and have never forgotten that watch – but still remember I couldn’t really get angry with my son. The same incident was described in a children’s book “I’ll Love Forever”. Watches come and go – but I have only one son.
In! My first watch was given to me (perhaps as an 8th grade graduation present?) sometime in the 1960’s. It had a gold case and came with a thin band made of two black strings. I didn’t realize that the strings (which were pretty sturdy) were intended to be temporary and that you were supposed to buy a band. In any event I couldn’t afford a band, so I wore it that way all through high school and probably beyond. I don’t know where it disappeared to, but for me it was a sign that I was growing up.
In! I have a mother-in-law of 40 plus years who is known for her sharp tongue, bless her heart! I had a Lucien Piccard watch many years ago, and upon seeing it, she asked, ” What are YOU doing with a Lucien Piccard?” Her dig at me was typical, and I did not feel the need to tell her that it was an inexpensive watch.
In my opinion, the wooden watch is beautiful – original and such a versatile look. I’d love it for my self, but could easily see gifting it to my college-aged son.
In! Wow, beautiful. I still have the Elgin watch my dad bought my mom. And my first watch ~a blue Swatch that was a birthday gift in the 1980s. Thank you
In! I LOVE watches. Cell phones: phooey. Fumbling and reading glasses to be sure. My favorite watch was one my father gave me in the swinging sixties: white patent leather strap, bright turquoise blue face, surrounded by chrome case, with the words Tempus Fugit on the face. (I am now a Latin teacher.)
In! My first “important watch” was sadly not a Rolex (although I wished to have the funds to buy one while I was knocking around Europe as a college student). My husband and I bought my lovely (then and now) Swiss made watch at Fortunoff when I was pregnant with my oldest. She is now heading off to college, and when she needed a watch to wear recently I gave her that first “important watch” as a gift. How that time flew.
In, please!
My first watch was a black-strapped Timex official Girl Scout watch, given to me by my mother on my tenth birthday. So grown-up, to wear a watch! Years later, just before I turned forty, I felt utterly burned out from working too dang much, and it quit my job and took several months off from work entirely. One day I vowed to unhitch from time, and to go watchless for a while. But my wrist felt funny with nothing on it, so I rummaged through my jewelry box for a watch substitute. The old GS watch filled the bill — because years earlier, long after its workings had given up the ghost, I had removed them from the case, and filled it instead with tiny perfect seashells. I strapped it on my wrist and felt very happy to have a watch on that reminded me not to move in lockstep with man’s time, but to pay attention to the rhythms and reminders of the flow of God’s time.
In. My grandfather gave me a stainless and gold-tone Seiko, which I’m sure is a copy of the similar Rolex, when I was in 4th grade. 35 years later, I took it to the watch shop for another battery, and they diagnosed it as being broken, saying it would cost more to fix it than to buy a new one. I suspect they just wanted to make a sale, so I didn’t bite, and haven’t work a watch regularly since then. I went through the Swatch craze, and got a beautiful Tiffany silver watch from my same grandfather when I graduated, but that Seiko is the only thing that feels like my watch. I should probably see if I can find someone who will take the time to repair it. I do wear my husband’s giant stainless Seiko that is allegedly powered by kinetic energy, but even when I conscientiously pump my arm up and down and around on a regular basis, I can’t keep it ticking, so it functions more like an awesome tomboy bracelet.
In.
Gift from the ex-husband, then pre-ex, a Rolex.
Lovely to look at, but unreliable.
Just like him.
Hmmm. E-Bay? The Rolex is photogenic (yes, jut like the ex) and bids pour in. The Rolex flies to Scotland, heavily insured. I bank the cash and start looking for a new mountain bike.
Now: Fabulous bike. Plain,dependable watch. I am fit and on time. And happy.
In! An oversize Timex INDIGLO had my loyalty for years until I dropped it into the lake while canoeing!
In! I know I’m late to this but I thought you’d enjoy hearing about my watch. About 15 years ago, going through a bad patch with the career, I decided I needed to be a little more light-hearted. I bought a Bugs Bunny watch for myself with a clear plastic band. The hour and the minute hands were carrots held by Bugs. I loved that watch – it meant the world to me. I wore it for years, changing batteries and bands whenever they wore out. It finally died for good, and what I wouldn’t give to have another one of those.
Great story.
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