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  1. Terere Sep 25, 2017

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    Hello, everybody!

    My apologies in advance. This will be a bit of a lengthy post.

    I'm a new member and I aspire to start a watch collection. I don't know much about watches yet, but I know I love Omegas. Things of beauty, these small machines. I've been lurking here for a while and I wish to thank all of you for the excellent info and the obvious passion you guys have for horology, as well as the generous attitude you show posting here. I am so glad that this community exists. I currently own a single watch (not an Omega, though), but hopefully, that will change soon.

    The reason I decided to create an account is to share a story. I'm sure that many here appreciate that a wrist watch is a very personal belonging and a daily companion to its owner and, therefore, a priceless heirloom to those who inherit it from a loved one. I'm also certain that all of you will agree that the monetary value of the actual watch is of no importance in this context. Isn't it a bit silly, how we value such things? I own a number of "worthless" trinkets that are very dear to me because of their history and I know most of you do too. Maybe it's not that silly. Who knows?

    Very sadly, this is a tragic story: a young man - a boy of only 15 - passed on, leaving a devastated family mourning. This young man was the nephew of a close friend of mine, who has no children of his own. His nephew was like a son to him.

    The lad was always enterprising. From a very young age, whenever he set his sights on something, he'd work hard to reach his goal. And so it was with the watch in question: he fell in love with a Casio G-Shock. I don't even know the exact model of the watch, but I know he wanted it and saved money to get it, and he got it. The thing looked ridiculously large on his skinny wrist for years, but as he grew taller and generally bigger, it started to fit him better, and it suited him. The piece shows its use, as the young man wore it while doing all sorts of things. Bit of a mechanic, this little dude, as is his uncle (who is also the proud owner of a Speedmaster Racing, btw. That's the Omega connection to this forum.).

    So, the first time he showed up at his uncle's wearing the watch, he jokingly said "that's a watch for a real man, not a small boy. I would wear it better than you", or something along those lines. It became a running gag between them that the uncle should be wearing the watch and not the nephew.

    And then, tragedy struck. Last week, the boy died.

    Close relatives spent a lot of time with the boy's mother, taking turns. Each spent roughly 36 hours at her place before someone else took over. The watch sat silently in a drawer the whole time, until the uncle came. He walked in and a few seconds later an alarm went off. They looked for the source of the noise and found the boy's G-Shock screaming for attention in the drawer where its owner left it. The racket stopped as his uncle picked the watch up. Meaning was immediately attached to this surreal event and it was decided that the uncle must keep the watch. It was a sign.

    Now, I don't know about signs or the afterlife. I don't know about objects calling for a person in particular. I assume this digital watch can be set to ring an alarm on a given day and time and it must have been, and it happened to be right the moment when my friend walked into his sister's house. The thing is, my friend believes that his nephew gifted him the watch and so does his sister. Who am I to disagree? It gives this particular object a very, very special meaning. He told me that he'll be wearing it most days. That's what all watches want, right?

    After hearing this story, I asked for permission to share it here, and it was granted. I took a picture of the watch last night and I will upload it here, if you guys want to see it. I must warn you, though, that the quality isn't great. It was dark and I am a crappy photographer.

    Again, I really like it here. You guys rock. Keep it up! When I start my Omega collection, you will be the first to know.

    EDIT: Formatting
     
    Edited Sep 25, 2017
    Watchmutt and the.watchdoc like this.
  2. Terere Sep 25, 2017

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    Sorry about the format. I wrote the text on "Notepad" and copied and pasted it here. Didn't realize there would be issues.
     
  3. the.watchdoc Sep 25, 2017

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    That's a very moving story. My sincere condolences. Watches are indeed more than the sum of their parts, and indeed of their price tag. I've got a few watches that I don't intend to sell unless I literally can't put food on the table, which goes to show how much sentimental value we attach to these things.

    On a brighter note, welcome to the forums. Hope you enjoy it here.
     
    Terere likes this.
  4. Terere Sep 25, 2017

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    Thank you, the.watchdoC. I do enjoy it here!

    Edit: Mispelled your handle!
     
    Edited Sep 25, 2017