Watches Tell More Than Time

by Frank Schiffman

My grandparents gave me my first watch when I was seven years old. Its face had an image of Donald Duck in the middle with duck’s feet for the hour and minute hands. A Timex. Two years later, I took it apart and it became a “Dead Duck.” The watch with the slogan “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking,” had met its match.

At age 11, I got my next Timex. It was traditional with a black band and white face. I felt grown up wearing it.

When I turned 13, my Uncle Irving gave me an Elgin brand, self-winding watch for my Bar Mitzvah. Now, that was a big deal and expensive too. My name was engraved on the back. I only wore it on special occasions.

When I turned 20, my mom bought me a Timex with an LCD Digital display. The company that many had written off, had a huge resurgence based on digital technology. It was also the first watch I had ever owned that has a built-in light.

At 29, I bought myself a solid gold Elgin Watch. Since my uncle was in the jewelry business, I was able to get it at wholesale. My career was beginning to flourish and I wanted to have a symbol of success on my wrist.

In my 30's, I wore a Seiko brand watch. It had a big face with a lot of markings on it. A poor man's Rolex.

My wife and I bought a pair of matching Chopard watches when I was in my 40's. The watch was a bit much to wear to work every day. So instead, I began wearing a collection of vintage watches that had belonged to my father.

In my 50's, I stopped wearing a watch. It wasn't necessary when I could reach for my cell phone. I actually thought that watches were a thing of the past; at least until a Dick Tracey version became available. Turns out I was way wrong about that.

Today, at age 68, I own a Fitbit Watch. It tracks steps, workouts, heart rate, weather, my calendar and a whole lot of things I don't even know how to use. Funny thing is that my son is on the Apple Watch Team, however, because I have an Android Phone, it won't sync up.

People often use the phrase, "Where has all the time gone?" If you really want to know, look at y our collection of watches. They tell time in a whole new light.