zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

I think I can hit your points 2), 3), and 4) with my response, Sam. I acquired only one watch in 2007, which must be my "favorite buy" this year, and I wore it far more than any other.

Right around the first of the year, I sat down, took a look at my modest collection, and smiled. In not all that many years, I'd managed to find a few of the watches high on my little want list, as well as a few that I didn't expect. It was then that I remembered a couple of things. The first was that I never set out to be a "collector." It's just not in my nature to...gather, I guess. I've always led a pretty streamlined, pragmatic lifestyle, in that I try not to have things that don't get much use.

The second thing I remembered was, not so many years ago, I had a single watch. I wore it every day from the time I received it as a freshman in High School, all the way through and beyond my college graduation. It was a simple, boring, Swiss Army watch. But, I liked it for what it was: a clean, legible, durable, accurate timepiece. Aside from sleeping and showering, I never took it off, because I didn't need to. It traveled with me to some thirty different states and collected a lot of memories. I missed that, and decided then and there, that I wanted to have another "go anywhere, do anything" watch. One that I could wear everyday, in every situation for years and years, that I would never have to take off. A watch that would acquire those memories, in the form of dings and scratches and pretty little blemishes.

The choice for me was easy, and soon I was wearing a modern example of what I consider the perfect watch: the Speedmaster Professional.

I've worn it almost every day this year, and my vintage chronos are feeling horribly neglected. We hit nine states, hiking, fishing, and rafting. We've been to weddings and parties, bars and concerts. We've grilled and thrown horseshoes, shoveled snow and mowed the lawn. Speedy's still in really nice shape, at the end of this year, but we're working on that. Every day that passes is another opportunity for a little scratch or a tiny ding, and another very nice memory.

eric