I’ve been stalling. I honestly don’t know how I’m going to do it. But I continue to dream of owning just one watch. It’s not exactly as easy as getting rid of all the watches, either by selling them or giving them away. The challenge is more nuanced than that.
What do I do with the gifts, for instance? How do I pick which watch to stick to? How do I get rid of the appetite for more watches? The desire is not just going to go away after all. But. Here I am. Overthinking again. Let’s tackle one problem at a time.
What do I do with the gifts?
Already I’m set up for failure here. If I truly want just one watch, I can’t keep the gifts. But I can’t just sell or give them away, for sentimental reasons. Maybe I can let go of the “lesser” gifts.
I feel like taking a shower after that last statement.
There are no lesser gifts. A gift is something someone took the time, energy, and money to find something they thought I would like. They thought of me. I should be grateful. And I am. What I think I’m trying to articulate here is that some gifts are more meaningful than others.
Case in point:
This Casio A168W is a gift from my daughter. It’s one of only two gifts I ever got from her. The other one is a Megatron (Transformers) t-shirt she forced her mother to buy for her for me when she was ten years old. I still wear that shirt whenever I can.
My ex gifted me three watches. The 1972 Glashutte DAU Cal 09-20 I consider to be the best gift I ever got from anyone. The 1960s Laco was my last Christmas gift from her. And the Swatch Red Shore is a souvenir she got me just before we broke up. Yes, she broke my heart. Yes, I shouldn’t hold on to the past and I should move on. But these are the reminders of a person who’s been a significant part of my life. As as painful as these reminders are, I won’t give them up.
There are other gifts but these are the ones that matter the most to me. I may be able to surrender the other gifts (unlikely) but these four won’t go anywhere.
I think I will just have to exclude these from the one-watch project. I know it’s cheating. What am I gonna do? Also, what do I do with future gifts? Tell the giver not to bother? Seems disrespectful. I don’t want to be an ingrate. I’m still holding my breath for my father’s Rolex Explorer 2, if he gives it to me. No issue if he doesn’t. But I shouldn’t close my door to the possibility.
How do I pick which watch to stick to?
I have several candidates for this esteemed position. Those who read my posts know that I love my JLC Reverso and that’s the obvious pick. I’m not fighting it. There’s so many reasons why it’s THE one watch.
It’s the watch I most identify with. Fits great on my wrist. The watch I love to wear whether I’m in a suit or wearing shorts. It’s my Batman watch. It’s a no-brainer.
Still, there are other candidates.
There’s the Longines 990.4874 from the 80s. While I own several automatic movements, this is a favorite.
I have not forgotten my 1950s Zenith Stellina Jumbo, which I got from my travels.
A possibility is my 1997 Speedmaster Automatic. I can see myself looking at this dial every single day.
Speaking of Omega, the 1954 Automatic Omega Seamaster Calendar, which is a good-looking all-around watch and in great condition.
You’ll notice that these watches seem random, no real “specs” to speak of. Or rather, I didn’t mention specs. I don’t care about sapphire crystal or what water resist rating they have. They’re not “GADA” because all watches are “GADA” to me. Well, almost all. You really can’t make a G-Shock work with a suit. Anyway, I won’t be able to swim with any of my choices given their age. However, if I were going to wear just one watch, I don’t want to base it on whether I could wash my hands while I have it on. I want a watch that I love to wear.
When all is said and done, it will probably be the Reverso. That said, I don’t have to decide right now. I’m keeping an open mind. This is a long-term exercise. I can’t just have one if I’m obsessed. Now…
How do I get rid of the appetite for more watches?
Cold turkey? Hah. I’ve already admitted to failure to truly owning just one watch. Additionally, getting rid of the watches take time. So no. I can’t do cold turkey. I can quit buying or acquiring new watches right away, that’s a start. But I know I’ll cave in sooner or later. Heck, just over the weekend I bought the Orient Mako 3 on a whim. A few weeks ago I bought a vintage Junghans. I’m happy with those purchases. Oh and there may or may not be a vintage art deco Benrus Endurable on its way into my watch box.
So let’s be real and let’s be brutally honest. I won’t be able to quit right away. And frankly, I’m not in a rush.
Over the past several weeks, I had been doing “try-outs” with all of my watches, rotating only three watches per week. I discovered using this method that some watches I wear with pleasure, some I wear out of obligation, others I don’t know how I feel. I expect to get through all the watches in a few months. After that, I will move all the watches that I enjoy wearing to the main watch box–not to get off-tangent here but I hate that I have a “main” watch box–and the rest will be either be posted online to be sold (I’m doing this already for the obvious ones that I don’t want to keep) or be given away. Until then, they will be locked away in deep storage. Why not use them while they’re waiting to be disposed? I don’t know. I don’t want to? I want to be able to enjoy the watches I wear because I love them, not because I own them. The hope is I’ll be able to get used to and love wearing only a handful of watches (at first) and then eventually this will translate to one watch.
I have no idea whether this process will help curb my impulsive behavior. No one says weaning off watches is going to be easy. But I have to try because I believe it is worthwhile, even if I don’t succeed in the mission.
I’ve spent too much time on this topic already. I won’t write anymore about having one-watch. Whatever happens next, I’ll keep to myself for now. I’ll still write about watches, obviously. I’m still very much invested. There are plenty to write about.
The Escapement Room 