Why I Love Watches

During my early years in High School, my Mom gave me an Elgin rectangular watch with leather straps. Later, when I was already in College, she gave me another Bulova rectangular watch with leather straps. I found out later that these watches were given by her uncle who was a member of the US Navy who later retired during the mid-’60s. I really don’t know what happened to these watches after I left College and entered the Military Academy.

When I was at the Academy, I was wearing a Seiko 5 Diver’s Watch which I used up to the time I finished the Academy. Later, I was buying any cheap watch which I could read what time it was during the day.

In the ’70s when I was a cadet, I’ve been observing my uncle who was then a Colonel of the Philippine Constabulary and later became a Brigadier General that he was wearing a Rolex watch which in my recollection, it was a Rolex GMT which has colored red and blue on its bezel. I’ve seen him also wear a Rolex Divers Watch and a two-tone Gold Rolex Day-Date watch. That was the time that I started to love and obsessed to wear a Rolex watch someday.

When I was a young graduate of the Academy, I told to myself that one day I’ll be able to buy a Rolex watch and proudly wear it. I told my wife about this “dream” before she left for the United States to work as a Registered Nurse. Well, she promised me to save some money and she’ll buy one for me. But that promise has never materialized up to the present.

When I learned to love running and competing in marathon races, I bought a Casio Runner’s Watch which has digital display and has a stop watch function. It was made of plastic which was colored aqua blue with a nylon strap which was also colored aqua blue. I used this watch for almost four years until I bought those Nike Runners Watch. For the past ten years of running, I was able to buy at least two Nike Runners Watches as the straps become brittle and became easily cut into pieces when they are bent the other direction.

Another influencing factor that made me love to wear watches was when I became close to my cousins who are rich in the retail/grocery/ and department store business. Almost everyday, these two cousins of mine could change their Rolex watches almost everyday wearing a different model each day. The father, who is very close to me, also wears a yellow gold Day-Date Rolex in President’s Gold straps and he has almost all the collections of Rolex watches in every model to include the Daytona and Cellini models. I wonder where the rest of his watches had gone as he died from heart attack four (4) years ago. My cousins promised me that they will look for a second-hand and slightly-used Rolex watch which they can sell to me at a discounted price. That promise didn’t materialize. Maybe, they didn’t have time to pursue their promise or they thought that I could not afford to pay them once they see one.

In August 1997, I used my two newly acquired credit cards (MasterCard & Diners Club) to buy my Rolex Watch. I bought an Explorer II Model with black dial which I am using up to this day.