Watches.......Not a Rolex but it's still ticking err pulsing

My dad has an old digital watch from the 70’s. It’s a brass body with a maroon colored lens. Push the side button and the red LED segments would light up showing the time.

I had an expensive watch only once, a Rolex Oyster that I got from a very good friend of mine..unfortunately the watch was gone when our lakeside house at Balaton was looted by burglars in 2004. (The burglars were busted, but the watch never recovered, nor compensated for by the culprits who were finally sentenced for serial burglaries..) My good old friend also passed away...

Since then I have always had Citizen Eco-Drive watches with solar batteries...unbelievably punctual clockwork despite being partly mechanical, they miss maybe less than 5 seconds in a year. The one on the right is 13 years old, and is my everyday watch...The other one is just a 3 or 4 years old shelf queen, even though my intent was to use it when I bought it...just too sophisticated..

getback wrote:I have/had ?? a Waltham wrist watch with stopwatch feature my Dad gave me when i was a young lad after i went through sooo many Timex it has a large leather band , christyl got broken $25 to repair back then last time i checked probably in the 90s $100 Darn its still broken / but works  Looks kidy like this .. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-WALTHAM-Chronograph-Running-2-Register-Watch-17-Jewels-BLACK-DIAL/402506768651?hash=item5db745e10b:g:tDQAAOSw0wJfkJqq

Waltham Watch Company has a long a storied history and underwent many name changes starting out as the Boston Watch Company changing in 1805 to the American Waltham Watch Company.  My Dad was quite familiar with it working just a stones throw away from the factory in the nineteen fifties.  

My connection.



Andras, your story reminded me of another watch story.  A couple of months ago I was going through that same drawer looking for something when I found this old Seiko that my wife had given me decades ago.

It was our anniversary and she had forgotten it.  Unusual as I'm the forgetful one.  But, this time I hadn't.  It was at the breakfast table and we both were getting ready for work. You didn't give my wife flowers, "waste of money" but she loved jewelry and nick-knacks so I bought her this mourning dove affair and had it gift wrapped.  Big box, silvery wrapping with a big bow.  I sat it at her place at the table.  

She came down the stairs saw it, startled and fumbling for words.  For once I had her.  Happy Anniversary I said.  Not knowing what to say, defensively she mumbled "You know we always celebrate later in the day!"    So, evidently she took her lunch hour and found me this watch and gave it to me that afternoon, all gift wrapped with a big bow.  

Took the watch from the drawer and put it on the set of doves which despite a clipped wing survives.





Her picture taken about that same time.

nice story Bob I actually have a dove wing figure thingie i gave my second wife ,, i still have it here so to keep her coming back LOL

Very heart-warming story Bob, that tells a lot about your deep emotions, and the humor as well, shared with your late wife..A nice combination of the gifts you gave to each other, now still sitting together, representing your never ending relationship.. that survives all unwanted clippings of life.

Nor exactly a watch but still a favorite of mine is this MIG cockpit clock with chronograph and flight time indicator. It' a copy of the Jaeger-Lecoultre Chronoflite. The Chronoflite was also built in in the dash board of rallye cars.

Thanks for the kind words Andras.

Have to ask Lieven. MIG cockpit clock out of a Russian MIG? MIG-15 would be neat.




Are you still driving that Citroen?

Bob

Russian MIG indeed; MIG 15, 17, 21, 23, 25, 29 and 31. It's a 2 day clock with a 27V heater inside.

Yes, still Citroën-active but working on the Panhard 24 right now: changing carb jets, installing wasted spark ignition and a Stewart Warner electric fuel pump. I overhauled the brakes and still need to check the valve clearance.

OVERLORD wrote:Russian MIG indeed; MIG 15, 17, 21, 23, 25, 29 and 31. It's a 2 day clock with a 27V heater inside.

Yes, still Citroën-active but working on the Panhard 24 right now: changing carb jets, installing wasted spark ignition and a Stewart Warner electric fuel pump. I overhauled the brakes and still need to check the valve clearance.

When I was in the Navy I instructed Naval Aviators in instrument flight and emergency procedures using a P-80 simulator, had the same instruments as the actual aircraft. One was a wind up clock - shown under the turn and bank indicator. Simple thing but accurate. One of our checks was to see if the student wound it up prior to flight.




Really neat having an instrument out of a MIG. I'm pretty sure there are several 15 and 17's flying in the USA owned by enthusiasts.

Nothing fancy.  Nothing valuable.  Just a plain old (new) silver pocket watch.  What makes it special is that my Mum gave it to my brother for his 50th birthday.  He was killed a year later.  Mum then regifted it to me for my 50th birthday.  She passed away a little while after.  Sadly, she never had it engraved, but left instructions on what she wanted.  I'll be hanging on to this.  I may give it to my son when he turns 50.