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It Takes a Village... A Grail Find and a Story

  1. Modest_Proposal Trying too hard to be one of the cool kids Dec 22, 2016

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    In the shadows of a sketchy gas station, during the dead of night, a watch changed hands in Austria. As the seller drove away, the new owner looked dumbly at the thing in his hands and let the light of his dashboard play with the dial. Was this antique timekeeper worth risking life and limb and robbery? He pushed the chrono button and smiled. Yes. Even if he was not to keep it!

    Days later, the watch exchanged hands again in a nice restaurant, over food and cheer. And then it took a flight to Florida, where it enjoyed a climate it had never known before. And then... in a flash in was in California.

    Ad now I sit with it...

    And when I see it, I think not only how beautiful it is. But also how grateful I am for the friends I've made through collecting. It took multiple degrees of friendship to ferry this watch to me. And this is not the only watch I've had help with.

    On more than one occasion, other collectors have aided me in acquiring watches that I otherwise would not have had access to. Either because of an American-hating German who refused to deliver to the US. Or a man in the UK who wasn't comfortable sending international packages... the community has helped answer the call for aid. And although this Omega was not the product of Omega Forums ties - Omega Forums has helped with others.

    I'd like to think that collecting has made me a better person. I try to help people when I can. With information and appraisals when I feel comfortable doing so. People like Al Archer and many others influence me.

    I've not always been perfect. Mac_Omega knows this. But I like to think I'm bettering myself and proving some worth to the community. This is as much a draw to collecting as the watches themselves.

    And now for the watch, as well as a few others with I could not have owned, but for the grace of others.

    .
     
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    jordn, NT931, ahartfie and 36 others like this.
  2. Modest_Proposal Trying too hard to be one of the cool kids Dec 22, 2016

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    By the way, would a mod change this to the Open Discussion category? I think it would be more appropriate.
     
  3. Vitezi Dec 22, 2016

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    This post makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.:)
    But my avatar thinks that feeling might just be a hairball. :(
     
  4. noelekal Home For Wayward Watches Dec 22, 2016

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    A well-written rumination about gratutude. I enjoyed it greatly.
     
    Severin likes this.
  5. ulackfocus Dec 22, 2016

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    NFWs. REALLY NFWs. ::love::
     
    Baz9614 likes this.
  6. Tom Dick and Harry Dec 22, 2016

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    A great tale and a stunning piece (amongst others). This for me is what the community is all about and there have been plenty of occasions when I've been enormously helped out by forum members (such as my recent arrival from across the pond, which a forum member not only took in for me but also hand delivered to STS for me) alongside opportunities where I've managed to help out others.

    It's such an amazing thing that there is such a sense of trust and community in a group of like minded people who 9/10 meet only in a virtual world.

    I try to meet forum members face to face when I can, it's a dangerous thing as anyone who's been to a watch fair with testify to there are some bloody odd looking people at them! That said in my 15 years of collecting I've not met a loon forum member yet.

    Just last week a met a fellow forum member at a retail outlet on the M1 for a Christmas coffee and watch geek catch up (something we try and do every six weeks or so). Whilst chatting and showing off our respective recent arrivals (he had a lot more to show than me) I noticed a 9K UK made, Birmingham Hallmark buckle on one of his watches. I'd been looking for one for over six weeks, scouring Ebay every night in the hopes of picking one up for my Dennison cased (UK made) PiePan Deluxe to complete the watch and make it perfect!

    Without a second though he passed me his watch and said swap the buckle on mine for yours, mine was a very nice original period omega buckle but plated! 'I can't do that' I said 'mine is plated and yours is solid gold' he replied 'don't worry about it, it's neither here nor there for me and you really want on so go ahead'....... made my day, in fact made my week
     
    Edited Dec 22, 2016
  7. Giff2577 Quick with the tools! Dec 22, 2016

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    I enjoyed this well written tale and the photographs. Thank you for sharing!
     
  8. Rman Dec 22, 2016

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    Truly gorgeous piece David. Glad you found each other.
     
  9. ConElPueblo Dec 23, 2016

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    Well written - I share the feeling :)

    Only yesterday I (yet again) called on a forum friend in the states to help me with a new-found acquisition and naturally the gentleman (yet again) was ready to help out. I've mentioned this before, but if anyone on here would like my assistance with anything here in the EU or more locally in Denmark, give me a shout.





    EDIT: Oh, and dibs on that Longines ;)
     
  10. Mark020 not the sharpest pencil in the ΩF drawer Dec 23, 2016

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    That Omega ::bleh::
     
  11. WatchVaultNYC Dec 23, 2016

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    This is so nice. I was an instant admirer of your collection when I first saw it in the GTG!
     
    tpatta likes this.
  12. kingsrider Thank you Sir! May I have another? Dec 23, 2016

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    ME TOO!
     
    WatchVaultNYC likes this.
  13. NT931 Dec 23, 2016

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    Beautiful reflection D. Love the new watch!

    Speaking as a fellow forum member who's had lots of help from OF forumers over the years, I can vouch for the warmth and helpfulness that permeates OF (along with the occasional teasing). Besides OF, I've also had help from other collectors (local & overseas) in the past 4 years I've been in this crazy hobby, and I try to pay it forward with my meagre knowledge whenever possible. We have a wonderful community here!
     
  14. SpeedyPhill Founder Of Aussie Cricket Blog Mark Waugh Universe Dec 23, 2016

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    Sounds like an episode of "" Chasing Classic Chronographs "" ::popcorn::