The Watch Man

I rarely buy stuff for myself, and don't really price material stuff, but I've always sort of dug watches. I like the way they look, and that they have actual utility. Plus, I contemplate time much of the time -- how it moves, and seems to shorten as we age, and bend when we're bored, or fly by as we watch our children grow. Watches just keep ticking along. One of the creepiest guys I know, a former lawyer roommate who's into killing animals in Africa, is also a watch collector. This gave me pause, as I have a strong aversion to having anything in common with this guy, other than our shared alma mater. But I realized that was silly. I mean, as Mel Brooks taught us, dancing isn't bad even though the Fuhrer was quite the dancer... Years ago I bought myself a gold Omega -- a thin watch that I rarely wore. D1 had her eye on it, and asked for it when she graduated with her Master's degree. We had several links removed from the band, and she now wears it. I bought both Ds Rolex's when they turned 21, and Michelle watches when they turned 15. D2's Rolex was made in 1948, and apparently updated several times. It runs like new, and she enjoys wearing it. My daily watch is a used Steel Tag Heuer that I bought for $400, as well as a Breitling my buddy Joel gave me. He found it at the bottom of the Miami Dade Jail's lawyer locker -- probably forgotten by some out of state counsel. After a sign posted in the lost and found got no response, he kept it. I offered to buy it, and he gave it to me. I had a few links put in, and wear it often, but it's really large and clunky... So ...last Sunday an acquaintance in the business came by with a bag of used Rolex's, and I treated myself to a 2004 submariner, with a blue dial. I paid about half of what a new one goes for. Wifey and the Ds were very happy. They ALWAYS want me to buy stuff for myself. I typically resist, but I wanted this watch, and bought it. I figure after shelling out big bucks for D1's 25th birthday party, it was ok. The last time I indulged myself was when I bought a new Ford T Bird. It sat mostly in the garage, and when Wifey's bad back reared its head, and she no longer wanted to ride in it, became expendable. I sold it to Car MAx at only a slight loss, given its pristine condition. It's funny -- I splurged on that car AFTER I bought my California sister a new Toyota. So maybe that's how I'm wired -- after I take care of others, I treat myself. Well, time marches on, and now I'll get to mark it gazing at a pretty blue Swiss face.