Mark – My most memorable watch growing up was as a teenager during the mid-1980s. It was bright blue, had an analogue face and red flashing lights all around the dial. It paired via Bluetooth with my Nokia mobile phone and buzzed and flashed when you had a call. This sounded great in practice, except when it also flashed when others nearby had a phone call!
Some 30 years before the Apple Watch, it was way ahead of its time. Looking back, I realised it got me excited about watches. Not flashing ones from China, but real ones, made by master craftsmen in Switzerland.
Years later, during my early career in Sales, I longed for a Breitling. Big, chunky, shiny and tough as nails. It wasn’t until my 40th Birthday, that I treated myself to my first real watch.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST ‘REAL’ WATCH?
My first real watch was a Breitling Skyland Avenger with a whopping 45mm case. It made me feel great to wear, glancing down at the Chronograph sub-dials glinting in the sunshine. It stayed with me for over 10 years and I enjoyed the feeling it gave me.
In 2015, when the Apple Watch came out, I knew I had to be first in line to get one. As a fanboy, it was the ultimate in gadget tech. I wore it daily and enjoyed the thrill of closing my rings and getting subtle taps on my wrist navigating central London and as a reminder to turn left at the end of the road.
For quite a few years I only wore my Breitling on special occasions. My Apple watch did it all for me..at least I thought it did.
And then it hit me. I missed wearing a real watch. My Apple Watch became an almost invisible utility strapped to my wrist. I didn’t need to look at it to tell the time as it constantly buzzed and beeped throughout the day reminding me to be at one meeting or another. It wasn’t scratching my itch any more. I sold it on eBay a week later and haven’t missed it.
WHY DID YOU SELL IT?
I later sold my Breitling when I realised that I didn’t enjoy wearing it anymore. It was too big, too chunky and way too heavy. The search started for a replacement.
During my research for something to make me smile again, I discovered the joy of scouring Chrono24. Many many hours later and after lots of research and speaking to other enthusiasts, I pulled the trigger on a Speedy.
Not a Moon watch as you may have expected, but an Automatic. I wanted a classic looking watch, not too big, not too heavy and with a beautiful Chronograph dial. After hours of searching, I found one with a gorgeous patina on the indices at a price I was happy to pay.
I love my Speedy and its rekindled my love of watches.
I don’t have a large watch collection, but every watch I own, I wear. And every watch tells a story – all different and its that which drives me to keep looking for the next one…
Neil: I was very jealous of Mark when he first got his Breitling. He now has some amazing pieces and I admire his collection. Between us, we now have some great watches and enjoy them an awful lot. I think i need to start wearing some of his now!
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