Wrist Watches !
Quote from jkwebster06 on December 22, 2023, 9:53 pmI've always liked a decent watch and have a collection of 12 at present, ranging from a "cheapo" to wear when fence painting or decorating ( the latter not often these days !), to an all-singing & dancing radio controlled Eco Drive that relies on sunlight to keep it accurate to one second in a thousand years or something ! On holiday in Banff, Canada , I saw a watch in a Japanese owned shop window that really took my eye - I um'd & ahh'd & in the end felt I couldn't justify paying so much for a watch. Once back in UK I found this watch burning a hole in my head, & despite it being very early days for my t'internet use, managed to trace the jewellers shop on line. I asked if the 20% discount still applied and arranged to pay for it, fingers crossed all would work out - remember, this was about 25 years ago, well before such transactions became commonplace. Shortly after, I received a message from Royal Mail (or was it the GPO then ?) inviting me to collect a parcel from Canada being held at the local Delivery Office - excited I duly went, to be told I had to pay Customs Duty of £164 before they'd release my parcel ! If only I hadn't dithered I could have bought it in Canada, worn it on the journey back to UK , " sailed" through Customs and saved myself what was a considerable sum of money to me lol.
Anyway, the remainder of my collection were all purchased in UK - I have a Seiko automatic, a couple of Citizen EcoDrives, a nice gold watch with matching bracelet, & various other nice looking battery powered quartz jobs, housed in a leather glass topped display case on the dressing table.
Am I unusual with my watch fetish ? I know I cannot be without a reliable watch, these days even needing the day & date visible !! I also know some who don't even wear a watch, preferring to check their smart phones for the time of day, whilst one friend of mine says he worked all his life to "the clock", & now retired refuses all semblance of time keeping, relying on his wife to keep him to any appointments !
So, any others who like watches or are you anti timekeeping ? Give us your views, if nothing else, to prove I'm not alone with my hobby. John (JKW)
I've always liked a decent watch and have a collection of 12 at present, ranging from a "cheapo" to wear when fence painting or decorating ( the latter not often these days !), to an all-singing & dancing radio controlled Eco Drive that relies on sunlight to keep it accurate to one second in a thousand years or something ! On holiday in Banff, Canada , I saw a watch in a Japanese owned shop window that really took my eye - I um'd & ahh'd & in the end felt I couldn't justify paying so much for a watch. Once back in UK I found this watch burning a hole in my head, & despite it being very early days for my t'internet use, managed to trace the jewellers shop on line. I asked if the 20% discount still applied and arranged to pay for it, fingers crossed all would work out - remember, this was about 25 years ago, well before such transactions became commonplace. Shortly after, I received a message from Royal Mail (or was it the GPO then ?) inviting me to collect a parcel from Canada being held at the local Delivery Office - excited I duly went, to be told I had to pay Customs Duty of £164 before they'd release my parcel ! If only I hadn't dithered I could have bought it in Canada, worn it on the journey back to UK , " sailed" through Customs and saved myself what was a considerable sum of money to me lol.
Anyway, the remainder of my collection were all purchased in UK - I have a Seiko automatic, a couple of Citizen EcoDrives, a nice gold watch with matching bracelet, & various other nice looking battery powered quartz jobs, housed in a leather glass topped display case on the dressing table.
Am I unusual with my watch fetish ? I know I cannot be without a reliable watch, these days even needing the day & date visible !! I also know some who don't even wear a watch, preferring to check their smart phones for the time of day, whilst one friend of mine says he worked all his life to "the clock", & now retired refuses all semblance of time keeping, relying on his wife to keep him to any appointments !
So, any others who like watches or are you anti timekeeping ? Give us your views, if nothing else, to prove I'm not alone with my hobby. John (JKW)
Quote from DavidFullard on December 23, 2023, 12:28 amThe only time I actually NEED a watch is for my hospital appointments..nothing else really. I have gone from being fastidious about punctuality to downgrading it to an ‘also ran’ aspect of my life…..apart from hospital appointments!
I wear a Citizen watch. I only buy smallish, light watches. I can’t be done with anything remotely weighty on my wrist.I bought an ‘upmarket’ fake Rolex in Bangkok. The normal tourist fakes were circa £45 at that time. The watch seller in the market went to the back of his stall and came back with about half a dozen fake Rolex’s in fake Rolex boxes which felt and looked far superior to the other ones on show. He asked for £100. I haggled hard and bought it for £60 ( in Baht). I shoved it into my case in the hotel and forgot about it until we got home. I never wore it, it was heavy and quite big and I read an article slating people who wear fake Rolexes etc which resonated with me and I sold it to a friend for £50 the day afterI do have an 18k gold watch. It was presented to me on my retirement from the NHS and paid for by donations from Primary Care Practitioners in the area. I find it uncomfortable to wear and sits in its box in my dressing room. I should emphasise only the case is 18k gold it has a leather band,
My current Citizen watch cost £110. It is circa 12 years old. It tells me the time. but the date no longer works. I lost the previous watch I had which was about 30 years old and pretty manky, scratched face etc but it did only cost £60.
I rise at different times, depending on how late I have switched the bedside light off at night. I am often corresponding or just writing into the early hours. It is after midnight as I type this! Time means very little to me and I often ‘lose’ track of what time it is albeit Lola my dog reminds me when it is circa 12 noon as that is her second of 3 daily walk times. V takes her on her first walk at first light summer and winter. I take her at noon and 2100 in the evening she reminds me then as well. If I retire early she will stand at the bottom of the stairs and bark for a while. If I ignore her she races up the stairs and jumps on me in bed.
I also do not own a mobile phone. After 3 years in HQ 1BR Corps on 24/7 call every third week as duty Press Officer and then on almost permanent call for much of the time whilst in the NHS I ditched my mobile on retirement. I use V’s on the odd occasion I need to or when checking my on-line banking, I do have ( an old) iPad which contains the very secrets of my soul AND is in desperate need of replacement.So John, the answer to your question IS I am no fan of watches at all and, whist not directly anti timekeeping, I pay scant attention to it most of the ‘time’.
The only time I actually NEED a watch is for my hospital appointments..nothing else really. I have gone from being fastidious about punctuality to downgrading it to an ‘also ran’ aspect of my life…..apart from hospital appointments!
I wear a Citizen watch. I only buy smallish, light watches. I can’t be done with anything remotely weighty on my wrist.I bought an ‘upmarket’ fake Rolex in Bangkok. The normal tourist fakes were circa £45 at that time. The watch seller in the market went to the back of his stall and came back with about half a dozen fake Rolex’s in fake Rolex boxes which felt and looked far superior to the other ones on show. He asked for £100. I haggled hard and bought it for £60 ( in Baht). I shoved it into my case in the hotel and forgot about it until we got home. I never wore it, it was heavy and quite big and I read an article slating people who wear fake Rolexes etc which resonated with me and I sold it to a friend for £50 the day after
I do have an 18k gold watch. It was presented to me on my retirement from the NHS and paid for by donations from Primary Care Practitioners in the area. I find it uncomfortable to wear and sits in its box in my dressing room. I should emphasise only the case is 18k gold it has a leather band,
My current Citizen watch cost £110. It is circa 12 years old. It tells me the time. but the date no longer works. I lost the previous watch I had which was about 30 years old and pretty manky, scratched face etc but it did only cost £60.
I rise at different times, depending on how late I have switched the bedside light off at night. I am often corresponding or just writing into the early hours. It is after midnight as I type this! Time means very little to me and I often ‘lose’ track of what time it is albeit Lola my dog reminds me when it is circa 12 noon as that is her second of 3 daily walk times. V takes her on her first walk at first light summer and winter. I take her at noon and 2100 in the evening she reminds me then as well. If I retire early she will stand at the bottom of the stairs and bark for a while. If I ignore her she races up the stairs and jumps on me in bed.
I also do not own a mobile phone. After 3 years in HQ 1BR Corps on 24/7 call every third week as duty Press Officer and then on almost permanent call for much of the time whilst in the NHS I ditched my mobile on retirement. I use V’s on the odd occasion I need to or when checking my on-line banking, I do have ( an old) iPad which contains the very secrets of my soul AND is in desperate need of replacement.
So John, the answer to your question IS I am no fan of watches at all and, whist not directly anti timekeeping, I pay scant attention to it most of the ‘time’.
Quote from Bob Riley on December 23, 2023, 9:35 amDavid as I’m in England I can’t give the count on how many watches are in my bedside cupboard,there must be at least 8/9 and there’s one which Kay bought me when She did the Silk Route travelling from Turkey to China ending up in old Peking duty free on the way home . Kay said She paid $200 for at duty free ,it’s a very nice French watch,I had it priced at our local watch shop in Rochdale at about £950 ,as you can imagine I just couldn’t wear it as it was a) gold. b) very slim for my chunky hands. it’s still in box in my safe at home . Never warn ,but in my bedside the other ones fester,the one I’ve been wearing now for 7/8 years is a Solar Citizen sport type ( dials etc) , I bought it from Amazon and in ALL the time I had it Not Had To Change The BATTERY as I had with most of the other watches,oh by the Frenhy is AUTOMATIC ( very dressy)
David as I’m in England I can’t give the count on how many watches are in my bedside cupboard,there must be at least 8/9 and there’s one which Kay bought me when She did the Silk Route travelling from Turkey to China ending up in old Peking duty free on the way home . Kay said She paid $200 for at duty free ,it’s a very nice French watch,I had it priced at our local watch shop in Rochdale at about £950 ,as you can imagine I just couldn’t wear it as it was a) gold. b) very slim for my chunky hands. it’s still in box in my safe at home . Never warn ,but in my bedside the other ones fester,the one I’ve been wearing now for 7/8 years is a Solar Citizen sport type ( dials etc) , I bought it from Amazon and in ALL the time I had it Not Had To Change The BATTERY as I had with most of the other watches,oh by the Frenhy is AUTOMATIC ( very dressy)
Quote from DavidFullard on December 23, 2023, 11:54 amBob I thought for a moment you were working your way up to offering me one of your watchesLol.
Changing the subject for a second I remember Kay telling me of her Silk Route adventure and I was in awe I must say. I know that watch will never leave your home until you pass it on to one of your children.
I still have to stop for a second when you write you are back in England and remember you live in Ireland Lol. Time for Goa soon.
Bob I thought for a moment you were working your way up to offering me one of your watchesLol.
Changing the subject for a second I remember Kay telling me of her Silk Route adventure and I was in awe I must say. I know that watch will never leave your home until you pass it on to one of your children.
I still have to stop for a second when you write you are back in England and remember you live in Ireland Lol. Time for Goa soon.
Quote from jkwebster06 on December 23, 2023, 9:07 pmBack on track, I might just add that I wear a different watch on most days of the week, rotating them to suit my mood, even my attire ! Time is important to me hence my obsession lol, & like you David, our Cockerpoo "Fudge" reminds me of various events during the day, especially the "3 o'clock outside play ball time" when he comes & drops it at my feet - I often wonder if he's got a built in alarm clock ! John (JKW)
Back on track, I might just add that I wear a different watch on most days of the week, rotating them to suit my mood, even my attire ! Time is important to me hence my obsession lol, & like you David, our Cockerpoo "Fudge" reminds me of various events during the day, especially the "3 o'clock outside play ball time" when he comes & drops it at my feet - I often wonder if he's got a built in alarm clock ! John (JKW)
Quote from DavidFullard on December 24, 2023, 7:29 pmA man with a watch knows the time. A man with 2 watches is never sure.[Segal’s Law]
A man with a watch knows the time. A man with 2 watches is never sure.[Segal’s Law]
Quote from Cliff_C on December 24, 2023, 9:13 pmIve got a few watches, the one I were most of the time is an old G10 which I bought at a car boot sale. I put a van dyke strap on it, now'days I shake my head in disbelief about how much its worth. The gov did not purchase cheap watches! I have the old digital casio (£5) which I had whilst in Sennelager and I wore in Angola. If you have any sense then you didnt wear anything expensive looking in Africa otherwise you became a target! Some of the working class thick gits which came into money working for the oil companies would wear flashy watches then wonder why they were getting mugged. All the divers would wear a Rolex and one evening in a bar in Aberdeen, one of my mates (ex marine) was chatting up one of the girls. Pulling up his sleeve and waggling his wrist and attached watch, he said to the girl "do you know what I am" she replied " a Wan*er". We have talked about that ever since. Like you Dave, I was given a gold watch, a Rotary something or other, it is in a drawer last worn about 10 years ago. When working with the offshore lifeboats it was always useful to know the tides so I bought a casio which I read about on the internet but like most thinks you buy from the internet....It was good quality but the tidal information was too small. If I had seen it before I bought then I wouldn't have wasted my money so that too is in the drawer.
Being and Aberdonian I would never spend a lot! on a watch.
Cliff
Ive got a few watches, the one I were most of the time is an old G10 which I bought at a car boot sale. I put a van dyke strap on it, now'days I shake my head in disbelief about how much its worth. The gov did not purchase cheap watches! I have the old digital casio (£5) which I had whilst in Sennelager and I wore in Angola. If you have any sense then you didnt wear anything expensive looking in Africa otherwise you became a target! Some of the working class thick gits which came into money working for the oil companies would wear flashy watches then wonder why they were getting mugged. All the divers would wear a Rolex and one evening in a bar in Aberdeen, one of my mates (ex marine) was chatting up one of the girls. Pulling up his sleeve and waggling his wrist and attached watch, he said to the girl "do you know what I am" she replied " a Wan*er". We have talked about that ever since. Like you Dave, I was given a gold watch, a Rotary something or other, it is in a drawer last worn about 10 years ago. When working with the offshore lifeboats it was always useful to know the tides so I bought a casio which I read about on the internet but like most thinks you buy from the internet....It was good quality but the tidal information was too small. If I had seen it before I bought then I wouldn't have wasted my money so that too is in the drawer.
Being and Aberdonian I would never spend a lot! on a watch.
Cliff
Quote from DavidFullard on December 24, 2023, 9:22 pmPunctuality is the thief of time….Oscar Wilde
Punctuality is the thief of time….Oscar Wilde