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Ken Nelson
·Hi - Recently I purchased an Omega watch that looks like the one I remember my father wearing. I have spent quite a bit of time looking for one that matches my memory. Question now is did I find a solid gold one? Below are some pictures and I've also included the story my father used to tell that inspired my search.
Here is an old photo of my father wearing his gold Omega watch.
Transcribed excerpt of the story told about the watch (purchase date would have been around 1948-49)
I remember my first introduction really to fine gold was on a trip my father and mother took me, when I was just a teenage boy to Switzerland. As we were driving through Switzerland and passing snowcap mountains we came to the town of Biel. And there, over a large building was the word Omega, and, of course, it was the factory of that fine Swiss watch known as Omega.
Father stopped the car; it was near Christmas. He said, “I am going to buy you a gift.” Well, how delighted I was to be at the Omega factory and have my father offer to buy me a gift. They had a showroom right there at the factory and so we went inside. And as we went in, I was wondering just how serious my father was about all this, and what selection I might be able to make. And… he didn’t show any indication of restraint; so, I walked up to the counter and the man asked me, “What would you like to see?” I said, “Show me the best watch you have!” My father had offered! I believed! And I was going to have it!
Without showing any alarm, the salesman reached into a case, and he took one out and he laid it on a piece of black velvet, there on the top on the glass case and he said, “This watch is solid gold!” I said: “Fine, I’ll take it!” And I just sort of glanced over my shoulder to see my father’s reaction, and there was a rather visible swallowing that I noticed, as he reached into his back pocket, drew out a wallet, and took out some rather large bills and put them on the counter. Oh, how delighted I was as I put that solid gold watch on my arm. I was anxious for everyone, you know, as a teenage boy, to ask the time of day. I wanted to be sure that my jacket was high enough so that the watch wasn’t obscured from anyone who might not have noticed that I got a solid gold Omega watch. That watch was a gift from my father!
He never complained about the price that he paid for it.
And it had a very remarkable part in my life. I remember looking at that watch the first time I had a date with that young lady that played the piano this morning. I wanted to make sure I was not late. My gold watch got me there on time. And it also marked off the other times of life that were so important to me - the graduation, the birth of the first baby, and great events of life were measured by the gold watch my father gave me.
But I remember the times I was careless. I can recall in the gymnasium when I was playing basketball and somebody hit my arm, the watch fell down and it came apart on the floor. As I picked it up and I put it together I could see that it had become marred and tarnished a bit. And the years went by, father wasn’t at my side any more to offer those gifts. And the watch face had turned dark with age. It was no longer that beautiful piece that he had bought in Switzerland for me.
As I was walking down Nathan road - the main street of Hong Kong that has so many of those watch and jewelry stores, I saw a sign again that said Omega. I looked at my Omega and said, “It’s time for a change!” I walked inside, and this time I was alone as I went into the Omega shop. And there were the beautiful watches that I had seen before at the factory, and some even more beautiful, some with jewels. The seller of watches came up to me and he said, “What would you like to see?” I said, “Would you please show me the cheapest watch you have? Something in a steel case.”
I was buying my own, you see. And now without the father’s gift I had to work on a substitute which I had to be able to pay for myself. The salesman looked at my hand and in Chinese he said, “This is a very good watch! It’s real gold!” I said, “Yes, it’s real gold, but it’s old!” And then he put one of those things on, you know what the watchmaker puts on his eye, a magnifying glass, and he looked down at the watch. He said, “This is solid real gold!” Well, I said, this is a strange Chinese salesman, they are usually trying to sell something, and he is trying to tell me what a fine watch I already have! He said, “Let me take it! I can repair it!” I said, “Well, if you can do anything with it, please take it.” And so, he took the watch, and about a week later I came back to his shop and as I came in, he took one of those black pieces of velvet, like long time ago, at the beginning, and he put it on a case. And then he reached into the case, and he took out the watch and he laid it on the velvet. And my mind went back to the time, as a boy, when father had given me a gold watch. It was the same! It was new again; he had made it new! And I was willing to trade it for a cheap substitute.
My dear brothers and sisters, God looks at you as solid gold, your life is precious, don’t sell it for some cheap substitutes, preserve it, let Him make it new. He will do it to His glory, because He has promised: “I will make a man more precious than gold!”
Here is an old photo of my father wearing his gold Omega watch.
Transcribed excerpt of the story told about the watch (purchase date would have been around 1948-49)
I remember my first introduction really to fine gold was on a trip my father and mother took me, when I was just a teenage boy to Switzerland. As we were driving through Switzerland and passing snowcap mountains we came to the town of Biel. And there, over a large building was the word Omega, and, of course, it was the factory of that fine Swiss watch known as Omega.
Father stopped the car; it was near Christmas. He said, “I am going to buy you a gift.” Well, how delighted I was to be at the Omega factory and have my father offer to buy me a gift. They had a showroom right there at the factory and so we went inside. And as we went in, I was wondering just how serious my father was about all this, and what selection I might be able to make. And… he didn’t show any indication of restraint; so, I walked up to the counter and the man asked me, “What would you like to see?” I said, “Show me the best watch you have!” My father had offered! I believed! And I was going to have it!
Without showing any alarm, the salesman reached into a case, and he took one out and he laid it on a piece of black velvet, there on the top on the glass case and he said, “This watch is solid gold!” I said: “Fine, I’ll take it!” And I just sort of glanced over my shoulder to see my father’s reaction, and there was a rather visible swallowing that I noticed, as he reached into his back pocket, drew out a wallet, and took out some rather large bills and put them on the counter. Oh, how delighted I was as I put that solid gold watch on my arm. I was anxious for everyone, you know, as a teenage boy, to ask the time of day. I wanted to be sure that my jacket was high enough so that the watch wasn’t obscured from anyone who might not have noticed that I got a solid gold Omega watch. That watch was a gift from my father!
He never complained about the price that he paid for it.
And it had a very remarkable part in my life. I remember looking at that watch the first time I had a date with that young lady that played the piano this morning. I wanted to make sure I was not late. My gold watch got me there on time. And it also marked off the other times of life that were so important to me - the graduation, the birth of the first baby, and great events of life were measured by the gold watch my father gave me.
But I remember the times I was careless. I can recall in the gymnasium when I was playing basketball and somebody hit my arm, the watch fell down and it came apart on the floor. As I picked it up and I put it together I could see that it had become marred and tarnished a bit. And the years went by, father wasn’t at my side any more to offer those gifts. And the watch face had turned dark with age. It was no longer that beautiful piece that he had bought in Switzerland for me.
As I was walking down Nathan road - the main street of Hong Kong that has so many of those watch and jewelry stores, I saw a sign again that said Omega. I looked at my Omega and said, “It’s time for a change!” I walked inside, and this time I was alone as I went into the Omega shop. And there were the beautiful watches that I had seen before at the factory, and some even more beautiful, some with jewels. The seller of watches came up to me and he said, “What would you like to see?” I said, “Would you please show me the cheapest watch you have? Something in a steel case.”
I was buying my own, you see. And now without the father’s gift I had to work on a substitute which I had to be able to pay for myself. The salesman looked at my hand and in Chinese he said, “This is a very good watch! It’s real gold!” I said, “Yes, it’s real gold, but it’s old!” And then he put one of those things on, you know what the watchmaker puts on his eye, a magnifying glass, and he looked down at the watch. He said, “This is solid real gold!” Well, I said, this is a strange Chinese salesman, they are usually trying to sell something, and he is trying to tell me what a fine watch I already have! He said, “Let me take it! I can repair it!” I said, “Well, if you can do anything with it, please take it.” And so, he took the watch, and about a week later I came back to his shop and as I came in, he took one of those black pieces of velvet, like long time ago, at the beginning, and he put it on a case. And then he reached into the case, and he took out the watch and he laid it on the velvet. And my mind went back to the time, as a boy, when father had given me a gold watch. It was the same! It was new again; he had made it new! And I was willing to trade it for a cheap substitute.
My dear brothers and sisters, God looks at you as solid gold, your life is precious, don’t sell it for some cheap substitutes, preserve it, let Him make it new. He will do it to His glory, because He has promised: “I will make a man more precious than gold!”
