I logged onto the page this morning expecting to read Chuck's passionate rebuttal in the case of Donahue v. Foyt on the racing thread (did anyone ever get—or want—the last word with Chuck?) And instead…

This is a sad, sad day at On the Dash, and I’m typing this through my own tears. But as we grieve, let us remember not only what we’ve lost, but what we had.

Chuck loved watches. He wanted you to love them too.

That’s a simple impulse. But it’s also a truly profound one, one grounded in sharing of the deepest kind.

And Chuck walked the walk. With the newbies, he shared his passion, his patience, and his wisdom. With the veterans, he got down and dirty about movements and casebacks, but never lost sight of the Big Picture: This is supposed to be about fun and friendship.

Chuck was anything but a WIS (Watch Idiot Savant.) When you’d open one of Chuck’s posts you’d learn about the evolution of Speedmatster registers, or read a spirited defense of the Heuer Camaro. But you might also get a clip from Gone in 30 Seconds (alas, without Angelina Jolie), a short history of the Apple Newton, or a pro-NASA op-ed on why we need to continue exploring the heavens. I can only wonder what he might have said about Speed Racer: The Movie.

We came for the watches. We stayed for the show.

So I sit here wearing my Speedmaster Professional, and by most standards of value or rarity, it’s not a special watch. But Chuck was the one who posted the pics that made me want, no, need one. He was the one who parsed the ebay photos as though he were buying it himself. And he was the one who made me feel smart and savvy for having snagged the World’s Last $1,000 Speedy. So it’s plenty special to me, and always will be.

And then Chuck taught me the most important lesson of all: “Don’t put it in a box. Wear it. Every day.”

Because if our watches serve to remind us of anything, it’s that while we can’t stop the passage of time, we can spend our time well, with nice things and good friends, perhaps having made the world a little richer for our presence.

I’ll give Chuck the last word (as if he would have had it any other way.)

“Chronographs, like most finer things in life, only improve with time.”

Peace
Allen St. John