Well it started very early for me.
As a young'n (think elementary school), I was always getting my parents to buy me various Timex Expeditions (gota love the Indiglo!).
However it was around this time I first saw Apollo 13, and I will always remember the scene where the astronauts are getting suited up before boarding, and there is a brief moment where they show a Speedy with the long velcro strap getting strapped on to the arm of one of the astronauts and I thought that was SO COOL that that watch went into space. I obviously had no idea what it was and did not find out till much later, but I knew I wanted to have the same watch as them.
Once I hit middle school, I upgraded a bit to a G-Shock and then thought I was getting fancy with a Fossil.
Pretty much wore a couple different G-Shocks and Fossils all through high school and even in the beginning of college.
Then I found Swatch. Picked up a couple of those while in college and then I bought a Citizen and then a not totally crappy, but not that nice Seiko.
It was around this time that I knew that it was the Omega Speedmaster Professional that was used in the space missions, and I knew I really, really, really wanted one. But at that point in my life I knew there was no way I was getting one any time soon...but maybe one day...
For my 28th birthday my Dad bought me a Hamilton Khaki King Auto, and that made me really start looking at "nicer" watches and appreciating the craftsmanship, style, and history of watches in general (although I have always been fascinated with them for one reason or another).
It was at that point I decided that I would buy the Speedy for my 30th birthday. That was my goal, and even though it was 2 years away, I was excited.
However, around 8 months before my 30th birthday my wife and I found out we would be having our first child.
Having just bought a house, and quickly realizing how expensive a child will be, I decided the right thing to do would be to hold off on buying the watch.
I was upset in a way, but I knew it was what I had to do.
On the morning of my 30th birthday, my wife takes me in to our recently finished nursery, and pulls out from under the crib a big black box.
I knew what it was immediately and I could not believe it, but she had bought me the watch I wanted for the last 23 years.
It means so much to me. I wore it the day my daughter was born, it is so much more than just a tool to tell time.
Although I have my own personal grail watch, I would not mind picking up a vintage Speedy as the years go on.
I am not planning on buying any more watches till my 40th birthday and for that I want to find a birth year watch.
I don't find anything special about a 1988 Speedy so I may buy a Rolex of some flavor (as of right now I'm thinking a polar Explorer II).
Well anyway that's about it. If you read all this thank you, this was about 5 min of work at the office I should have been doing instead!
I did not mean for it to be so long but it just started flowing....
