Hi, first post here but long time lurker. As the title says, what’s a sentimental timepiece to you?
For me it’s an old Seiko quartz from the 80s given to me by my father. It was a gift from his parents to him after he graduated high school. He’s since upgraded to a Rolex submariner and passed the Seiko onto me.
It’s a thin, small watch with only a case size of about 34 mm. Definitely an adjustment to the large men’s watches of today, but it quickly grew on me and became one of my most worn pieces. I like to wear it on days where I’m nervous, such as the an important presentation or the start to something new. I feel it brings me luck, in addition to being an elegant piece.
If anyone is curious, I’d happily include an image of it or it’s reference number.
What about you? Which one is special to you?
Mine is a simple Hilfiger fashion watch that my wife bought me years ago. She had/has no idea about watches, but she really liked it, thought it would look good on me and I wear it at least twice a week.
It would have to be my Citizen diamond bezel perpetual calendar. It was the first watch that caught my eye that I saved up for months to get. At the time it was my “pimped out” watch.
It was just a great time for me. Me and my friends were hitting up bars and picking up chick’s. I needed some bling so I got the watch. It has a lot of memories of all the good times I had with it.
My watch of sentimental value was a bit expensive for me at the time. Because I wanted service, I didn’t buy it online. I paid more to pick up my Baume Mercier at Tiffany & Co thus it is now more desirable with the co-branded dial. It was my first automatic and I wore it through at best count 18 countries. I have great memories with it making new and lifetime friends and even swimming in the Mekong River a few years in a row. Over time It took a lot of abuse and needed some repair twice. Each time Tiffany came through sending it back to BM for me and each time it came back looking brand new. It’s now about 25 years old and a personal favorite. Now that I’ve grown up I’m taking much better care of it.
18 countries is really impressive. I don’t know if I’ve been to that many in my life. Glad the watch has served you well the past 25 years, and I hope it serves you well for 25 more :)
Respect
I have a similar Seiko quartz too - 1994, and I bought it with my 21st birthday money.
It’s 34mm, and doesn’t get a lot of wear, but I still love it and it was my only watch for over 20 years.
I should also include my other watches, my SKX007 and Orange Monster, my Sinn 556ib and my Nomos Tangente.
They are all sentimental too in their own ways.
I recently bought myself a small late 80’s/90’s Seiko quartz after wanting one for a while. They’re really great watches in their own way. It’s gonna be interesting to see if they experience a resurgence in the coming years as smaller watches seem to be coming back.
this post. It a simple fashion watch and I love it to this day.
I just recently got very into watches, and when I saw the purple dial Seiko Rowing Blazers collab I had to have it. I was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (29yo) which has a purple cancer ribbon, so I wear the watch on Thursdays to treatment. Might wear this watch every Thurs after I beat it too.
I wish you the best!
YEAHHH - that’s the spirit man! You’ve got this.
Sending love your way! You’ve got this.
Never a “wear it in good health” was more sincere, mate. Hope the treatment is very successful and keep the good spirits!
Stay strong!
You’ve got this man!
F91W story time: I was having a particularly bad day about 8 years ago (recent break up, shitty day at work, just generally languishing away in my late 20s career latter type shit etc) when I found an F91W just sitting in the middle of the road leading to the parking lot at my job. I didn’t really know anything about watches at the time beyond Rolex = good. It was clearly dead and the resin strap was torn across the notch that the previous owner most likely wore it on. Case was actually not in terrible shape even though it was probably run over by a car. Anyway I put it in my pocket thinking I would turn it in somewhere at work it or fix it some day. I stopped into a CVS to get a drink and thought, hey might as well check what battery this thing takes, and I took it home and swapped the battery. To my surprise this stupid piece of shit powered on and is still running to this very day. I did wear it for a while until I kinda stopped wearing watches then moved to an Apple Watch before getting into mechanical watches again more recently and buying a watch box. It just looks comically small on my 7.5 inch wrists and the poop green NATO strap doesn’t help.
Maybe the previous owner cast it away because the battery died and they couldn’t be bothered, or maybe the strap was on its last legs and they got unlucky, losing a good friend that day. Now I have a good job, happy family and overall fulfilling life. The joy this little plastic bastard brings my 3 year old is priceless. He runs into my closet and yells “TICK TICK TICK TICK” until I bring down my watch box so he can fish it out and wear it around. The F91W represents a lot things to a lot of people (Al Quada, Nico Leonard making a career out of screaming dumb shit like “GOD TIER” and “PURE CLASS” into your face, how far $10 can still go etc etc) but to me it represents resilience.
Just keep ticking you beautiful fucker.
I am rooting for your recovery, brother. In the meantime, where that watch with pride every day, not just on Thursdays!
Beat the shit out of it, bud! I hope the watch gives you the drive to keep fighting! My father passed of pancreatic in 2016 and that purple certainly hits me as well.
Damn this thread has me teared up. Sorry for your loss. I lost mine to the same disease 2013. Commented on this post earlier on the meaning of a crappy watch and what it means to me.
My good friend, 32, just beat pancreatic cancer. You’ve got this.
He’s pretty lucky even by cancer patient standards, pancreatic cancer is exceptionally NASTY
Oh I’m aware. They caught it on an unrelated scan, so he didn’t even have symptoms yet. Unbelievably lucky
That’s some insane luck right there. Usually if you start showing symptoms of pancreatic cancer it’s probably not ending well.
Yup
Showing symptoms is usually stage 4
I’m a doctor. Be careful summarizing a complex disease so broadly. There are different types of pancreatic cancer (adenocarcinoma vs neuroendocrine would be one distinction). Then there are anatomic considerations (head, body, tail), staging, and many biomarkers / genetic profile of the tumor itself that affect prognosis. No doubt there are some very bad panc CA cases and stories but there are good ones out there too.
To the OP, I’m thinking about you and sending positivity and thoughts and vibes and love.
Sending love and light. You’ve got this , and once you’ve beaten it let us know :)
I hope you wear it in good health for a great many Thursdays to come :)
I have the exact same watch because I just love the details and that dial. But it is very nice hearing this, wish you all the best!
The purple dial is awesome, cancer or not - haha! Enjoy the watch!
Fuck cancer, you’ll beat that shit brother
A fossil with black dial and black bracelet. Wife gave it to me when i passed my licensure exam.
I wear an 80 year old swiss-mde manual watch that was worn by my grandfather everyday. Its market value is about 200$ and I spent more than that having its movement refurbished and its reasonably accurate for something almost a century old.
I plan to pass it to my kids one day.
This very scratched and battered Citizen Eco-drive. Graduation gift from my father nearly 20 years ago. Has been worn almost everyday, shower wearing it, treated badly, crashed mountain bikes, scuba dived, lived on 3 continent’s etc. Sent it in twice for new batteries and that’s it.
I’d love to get the crystal replaced with sapphire but citizen won’t do it.
It’s not expensive, but was a lot of money to my family when it was gifted to me. It’ll always be a watch I wear a lot even though now I’ve the finances to get some very nice timepieces.
Love it! One of my first watches was a Titanium Eco drive. Still have it to this day. In fact I loved it so much, i recently had the opportunity to buy the exact same watch. Picked it up for my 2 year old son. Will gift it to him when he’s big enough to fit into it.
I honestly think that’s what I’ll do as well. My son is 4 right now. I’m also looking at more feminine eco drives for my 8 year old daughter - still needs to be tough as old boots though!
My first watch was a titanium eco drive! Gifted to me by my grandfather on my 10th birthday. Still have it and still wear it although not on the original rubber strap, it broke from overuse. That watch has gone to many, many places. The original solar battery is still going strong 15yrs later!
I’m sure your kid will love it
The first vintage watch I ever bought, 10 years ago, which kicked off an obsession.
My hobby and passion now is restoration and servicing of vintage watches, mainly vintage Heuer’s which is by far my favourite brand. Over a decade, I’ve collected all the tools for a workshop and have built my collection of Heuer’s from project watches that needed work.
I bought this Orvin with a £20 eBay voucher and of course it barely worked. I wore it like this for a year before taking it to a jewellers to get the back removed - inside was a wonderful quality golden 17 jewel Lorsa P75. I decided to get a cheap watch service kit and change the glass, gaskets and oil the pinions. This improved it hugely!
Since then, I’ve properly serviced it and put a proper tension ring crystal in with correct gaskets and it’s now fully waterproof - I take it swimming! It’s still my watch of choice for going out and on holiday
That Orvin seriously looms great! I really like the way the 12-6-9 indices are designed, really makes the date window look like it belongs.
Great time piece and even better hobby.
My TT Daytona. Got it with my dad for cheap at a tiny mom and pop jewelry store. We negotiated it for significantly less than what it’s worth.
beauty
Definitely my SKX007. It was my first watch and the one I wore on all of my travels overseas. I wear a Speedmaster now but the Seiko will always be special to me.
Seiko SNK805 on a Bond NATO was my first mechanical watch and the one I wore on a solo trip to Washington DC. Not expensive but special to me.
A Movado watch that I would NEVER buy on my own. I got back from AIT on HBL from the Army. Hating life and all. I just asked this woman to marry me a few days earlier. She got me this ALL BLACK Movado for charismas as I said I was interested in watches. Yeah dudes got fancy Omega’s and more for engagement watch’s but I have a Movado. Its a good memory
My tissot t lady flamingo in the blue mother of pearl dial. Bought it when I got my first bonus at the first year of working
