Did You (Will You) Get/Receive a Retirement Watch?

[MRC]

My retirement from full-time work was when I was escorted off the premises on crutches on the very first day I came back from knee injury. Two thirds of the company had been been made redundant (USA: laid-off but with better financial settlement) and as someone who was recruited for my experience in fast-growing software companies I wasn't needed in a shrinking one.

Two days later I could go back to collect my own property left there in the rush. In less than a week the email questions started to arrive. I answered the ones from the guys I'd recruited who had been working directly for me. Ignored the rest.

No watch 🙁

 

[RI Omega Fan]

After making millions of dollars for them for 35 years, I didn’t get shit from the company when I retired.
But my team of wonderful people threw me a kick-ass party and presented me with a beautiful 12-string Taylor guitar.
No watch, though.

 

[RobMc]

RI Omega Fan

After making millions of dollars for them for 35 years, I didn’t get shit from the company when I retired.
But my team of wonderful people threw me a kick-ass party and presented me with a beautiful 12-string Taylor guitar.
No watch, though.

That was a wonderful gesture by your team. And frankly, that's got to mean more coming from people you worked with then a thoughtless gift from corporate would have.

 

[Duracuir1]

R RobMc

That was a wonderful gesture by your team. And frankly, that's got to mean more coming from people you worked with then a thoughtless gift from corporate would have.

Agreed. They loved you @RI Omega Fan

 

[RI Omega Fan]

Duracuir1

Agreed. They loved you @RI Omega Fan

Awwww.. you guys!

 

[SC1]

Retired jazz musician, under contract to be writing a manuscript that's as stalled as a Tesla in Death Valley, former stay at home dad...

I ain't getting shit for retirement (which is why I buy myself watches).

 

[Scarecrow Boat]

RevZMan123

When I worked for IBM (2001-2012), for my 10th anniversary I got to choose from a catalog of typical IBM schwag valued at no more than like $25 or 50 MAX! I picked the knife set as it was the most useful at the time and I do still use the block and a few of the steak knives which only really cut cake anymore.

You missed out on your IBM watch 😉

I picked up this one from another forum member.
IBM Quarter Century Club gift.

Edited: Apr 5, 2023

 

[Evitzee]

vbrad26

The family company bought my grandfather a Coral OP for his retirement.
Our company logo is a red "S" and I was instructed to buy him a Rolex with a red dial.
So I did lol. He wore a gold Day Date and the OP sits in the box.
I don't think we will be making a habit of buying watches for our retirees.
But I also wouldn't mind doing so if they actually had an interest in it.

Ah, yes, the famous Rolex that grandma and her posse took control of to get engraved because they 'knew people'. I remember your journey well.

 

[RevZMan123]

Scarecrow Boat

You missed out on your IBM watch 😉

I picked up this one from another forum member.
IBM Quarter Century Club gift.

Yup, that was when Lou Gerstner came in and forced everyone to retire for their big reorg. I've seen a few Omega pop up from time to time, usually the Devilles, but since I have 3 already, it didn't make sense to add a 4th identical watch.

 

[river rat]

I retired from a city. We used to get anniversary pins like 5 year, 10 years and so on. Even got a pencil and pin set once. I was asked if I wanted a retirement party, I said no just wanted to go out quietly so got no plaque from the city manager they normally get. But I bought my own retirement watch with my own money. Funny one day I came to work and said to myself it's time to retire best thing I ever did. The brown nosing to get promoted I had enough was not on your qualification or knowledge and work performance was who you knew. Some friends of mine I worked with seen me trying for years to get one promotion and I was overqualified they went to the union without my permission went to the union and personnel looked at my qualification and I was on the list since I took the test 3 times and got promoted last one, I ever got there. With the navy retirement and the city retirement, I do OK.

This bought it my self they were cheaper then could not afford it now.

 

[Bruce235]

My company gives anniversary gifts. We may choose from a catalog of items all at a certain value depending at the anniversary. I recall that there were some watches but nothing "good", just fashion names like Boss or a Casio. At 20 years I selected a nice Le Crueset frying pan and at 25 a nice espresso maker. I likely won't make it to 30 years, at least I hope not.

 

[Walrus]

vbrad26

The family company bought my grandfather a Coral OP for his retirement.
Our company logo is a red "S" and I was instructed to buy him a Rolex with a red dial.
So I did lol. He wore a gold Day Date and the OP sits in the box.
I don't think we will be making a habit of buying watches for our retirees.
But I also wouldn't mind doing so if they actually had an interest in it.

Are you hiring? Edit, only feel like I got another three days of work left in the tank is that long enough for a Rolex

 

[SC1]

On second thought (as per my previous reply)... upon completion - and thusly calling the job retired ie: done - of demo'ing 600 pounds of sod and 1100 pounds of decking as well as removing tile, grinding concrete and sealing it in prep for astro & concrete I was gifted a Railmaster '57 from myself for a job Well Done:

Edited: Apr 5, 2023

 

[Walrus]

Ooh that was very well done nice job (the watch as well of course)

 

[Cayohuesovespa]

The company I work for gave my coworker a 29$ pulsar for 30 years of indentured servitude for the city we work for.
She got that, a pat on the back and an attaboy at a city council meeting.
30 years of eating crow and ass kissing.
Ugh.
I've been there 9. F that.
I'm out as soon as I'm vested. 11 more months.
No one really cares what you do for a lifetime of service. You just get replaced by the next guy in line...
Sorry so solemn. Working for the govmnt isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Anyways. I'm buying myself something nicer when I walk out the front door with 2 middle finger salutes.

 

[Pastorbottle]

I managed to get seriously injured working for a company, my immediate boss was an old school hardarsed Irishman from Belfast, with a reputation of flattening idiots, all the suits were shit scared of him. Everybody loved working for him, because you knew where you stood with him, he wouldn’t let the office johnnies give us any grief and was very good at his job. The only competent person in the company.
He wouldn’t let them give me the arse, so I was retained for 5 yrs whilst I recovered with 5 reconstructive surgeries.
He got cancer, and sadly died, the bastards didn’t even wait for his funeral before they gave me the arse.
No watches there!
And these days it would seem it’s only the shit head executives that give watches to one another, all out of company funds off course, no one else would get a look in.
Loyalty is a alien concept to these corporate pricks.

They kept buying competitors to buy market share, but couldn’t keep the client base they bought.
They ended up going broke and got taken over by a equally bad competitor, who were also trying to buy market share.
I wouldn’t want any shitty cheap arse thing that they’d choose in the unlikely event that they’d offer something.

It’s funny, there is a severe skill shortage of my skill set these days and I keep getting calls from these arseholes begging me to work for them…..….not a chance!

The outfit I work for now, is a lean machine, the is no corporate Taj- Mahal office, just 2 blokes always on the road working outta their laptops and phones, all the usual office functions like payroll etc are outsourced.
They’re got so much work that they can pick and choose their clients, they pay better than the others, and as they’ve signed an agreement with the unions. Us contractors have money paid into an industry redundancy trust to cover us should things turn to shit, and money is also paid into another industry trust to provide us with long service leave.

Edited: Apr 5, 2023

 

[SC1]

Cayohuesovespa

The company I work for gave my coworker a 29$ pulsar for 30 years of indentured servitude for the city we work for.
She got that, a pat on the back and an attaboy at a city council meeting.
30 years of eating crow and ass kissing.
Ugh.
I've been there 9. F that.
I'm out as soon as I'm vested. 11 more months.
No one really cares what you do for a lifetime of service. You just get replaced by the next guy in line...
Sorry so solemn. Working for the govmnt isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Anyways. I'm buying myself something nicer when I walk out the front door with 2 middle finger salutes.

All piss & vinegar (understandably so by the way) aside...

it's true.

My wife, an RN going into her 37th year, has saved (along with coworkers and Docs) more ass than the bible on a Sunday but yet makes a fraction of what Docs & hospital admins pull down - and - during 36 years of Nurse's Weeks has received:
Plastic totes with hospital logos printed on them
Plastic pens with hospital logos printed on them
A couple balloons - yep, with hospital logos printed on them
A bag of of jellybeans -- again yes, hospital logo printed on the bag
and various other dime store bullshit bought in bulk and mass printed to save coin by billion dollar healthcare systems.
Cheap fuckers the lot of them.

Only upside, various surgeons shaking their head's in disgust when administrators & nurse managers hand this shit off to my wife and her coworkers like they should feel grateful and they've won the lottery.

 

[BradleyJ.]

Last guy who retired received a junk watch with the company logo across the dial. It's a popular company in and outside the USA, so I'd imagine it would be a little pricy handing out $5k+ watches to everyone that retires. I personally don't feel like my company owes me anything other than respect and a paycheck each week.

That said, my father retired last July and I gifted him a seamaster. I still love the gesture of watch gifting, but I think it meant more to him coming from me rather his employer.

 

[MRC]

SC1

My wife, an RN going into her 37th year, has saved (along with coworkers and Docs) more ass than the bible on a Sunday but yet makes a fraction of what Docs & hospital admins pull down - and - during 36 years of Nurse's Weeks has received:
Plastic totes with hospital logos printed on them
Plastic pens with hospital logos printed on them
A couple balloons - yep, with hospital logos printed on them
A bag of of jellybeans -- again yes, hospital logo printed on the bag
and various other dime store bullshit bought in bulk and mass printed to save coin by billion dollar healthcare systems.
.

Ah yes, corporate gifts 🙄

One place I'd been at for too many years gave everyone a company branded sweatshirt. First the peons in the USA. Then those outside the USA, but the only ones left to ship were the XXL size. I took pride in wearing mine to work hanging off like a red ComputerVision-branded garbage bag. Left not long after.

 

[Canuck]

The firm I worked for, for 25 years, sent two “hatchet men” as area mangers, during my last 5 years of employment. Object? To make it rough for long term managers who they wished to replace with cheaper people. When I accepted a package and left, the dick that that was area manager, knew the system, and how to work it. For some time, there had been a Rolex GMT Master sitting on the desk in his office. The corporate managing director had announced a visit to see him. The evening prior to this meeting, the area manager and the GMT Master disappeared! He quit, rather than to get fired! And took the Rolex with him! At one point during his tenure, he suggested that I was guilty of “conflict of interest”. Several years later, I encountered him on a street downtown. I pretended I didn’t see him, and kept on walking. He called my name, twice, and I kept on walking. To this day, I regret not having acknowledged recognizing him, and letting him know that the company learned a lot from him, about “conflict of interest”! Oh! And also theft!