Retirement gold watches

[dnw64]

I'm 55, have owned my company for 30 years, and worked for it the prior 6 years. Will probably retire, sometime. Will always wear a watch. Give me a break, I'm German - we have to know these things.

Regardless, I have worn a watch since I was about 10, when my Grandmother (living in Switzerland at the time, after moving there from her native Germany) sent me the equivalent of about $20 IIRC for my birthday.

I can't imagine ever being without a watch. Or a pen. OK, maybe I could give up the pen in true retirement. But we just went on a cruise and I kept my pen with me every day that I wore a shirt that would accommodate it...

Yes, I carry a cell phone with me 16/7. But it takes waaaaay longer to pull it out than twist my wrist 20ｰ or so. And my watch not only has the time, it has the date, as well as a one-button access to tracking events. Yes, it's a chronograph - I don't even have to look at it, never mind unlock my phone, find the Clock app and start a Timer or Stopwatch. Within about 1 second I can start a stopwatch in pitch dark or under water. And of course I can also Stop or Reset within the same parameters. I never realized how handy that could be, until I had it.

Additionally, my watch is fully mechanical. No batteries, no solar, not even any winding is necessary as long as I wear it every day. I love that part of it. I like things that are designed for a purpose and work they way they were designed. OK, I have to reset it every couple/few of weeks (it gains about a minute per month), but if I want SUPER ACCURATE time I can look at my cell phone or computer. How often is it critical (life or death, win or lose a billion dollars) that you know to the nearest 1/100 second what time it is?

 

[bunyip]

I'm 55, have owned my company for 30 years, and worked for it the prior 6 years. Will probably retire, sometime. Will always wear a watch. Give me a break, I'm German - we have to know these things.

Regardless, I have worn a watch since I was about 10, when my Grandmother (living in Switzerland at the time, after moving there from her native Germany) sent me the equivalent of about $20 IIRC for my birthday.

I can't imagine ever being without a watch. Or a pen. OK, maybe I could give up the pen in true retirement. But we just went on a cruise and I kept my pen with me every day that I wore a shirt that would accommodate it...

Yes, I carry a cell phone with me 16/7. But it takes waaaaay longer to pull it out than twist my wrist 20ｰ or so. And my watch not only has the time, it has the date, as well as a one-button access to tracking events. Yes, it's a chronograph - I don't even have to look at it, never mind unlock my phone, find the Clock app and start a Timer or Stopwatch. Within about 1 second I can start a stopwatch in pitch dark or under water. And of course I can also Stop or Reset within the same parameters. I never realized how handy that could be, until I had it.

Additionally, my watch is fully mechanical. No batteries, no solar, not even any winding is necessary as long as I wear it every day. I love that part of it. I like things that are designed for a purpose and work they way they were designed. OK, I have to reset it every couple/few of weeks (it gains about a minute per month), but if I want SUPER ACCURATE time I can look at my cell phone or computer. How often is it critical (life or death, win or lose a billion dollars) that you know to the nearest 1/100 second what time it is?

I wear a variety of watches depending upon what I am wearing, a few are mechanical such as my Rolex, Omega and Tissot, also have a Seiko Solar and a few quartz Tissots, I collect old watches but try to limit it to fusee pocket watches which I have a fascination for.
Like you I always carry a pen and when shopping for shirts always make sure it has a pocket so I can carry a pen and phone.
People tell me it is just as easy and quick to use the phone to tell the time, to this I say what a load of rubbish, by the time I have turned my wrist and observed the time they are still getting the phone out of their pocket and have yet to activate it, like you all my watches are chronographs, not something I use every day but they can be useful and the tachymeter is useful at times on the highway to get an idea of speedo accuracy.
I have one German clock, a Schlatz, looks nice but is hopelessly innacurate, just a mass produced timepiece turned out at about the same rate as the old USA Waterbury and Ansonia but having said that my Atmos is not that accurate either but I never have to wind it.

 

[dnw64]

I wear a variety of watches depending upon what I am wearing, a few are mechanical such as my Rolex, Omega and Tissot, also have a Seiko Solar and a few quartz Tissots, I collect old watches but try to limit it to fusee pocket watches which I have a fascination for.
Like you I always carry a pen and when shopping for shirts always make sure it has a pocket so I can carry a pen and phone.
People tell me it is just as easy and quick to use the phone to tell the time, to this I say what a load of rubbish, by the time I have turned my wrist and observed the time they are still getting the phone out of their pocket and have yet to activate it, like you all my watches are chronographs, not something I use every day but they can be useful and the tachymeter is useful at times on the highway to get an idea of speedo accuracy.
I have one German clock, a Schlatz, looks nice but is hopelessly innacurate, just a mass produced timepiece turned out at about the same rate as the old USA Waterbury and Ansonia but having said that my Atmos is not that accurate either but I never have to wind it.

You speeka ma language!

 

[stuckmotor]

I don't wear a watch or wedding ring. I didn't wear them before I retired, either.

 

[tree farmer]

I worked for the same company for 42 years before retirement 7 years ago. On my 30th, my boss gave me a Seiko Kinetic watch. I think it was sort of spendy, but too heavy and glitzy to wear. A few days later he asked why I didn't wear it. I told him it kept stopping unless you wave at everyone continually, which is true. 12 years later his son, who had taken over the company took me to Portland to shop for 2 new trucks. On the way, [2 hrs] he asked what I would pick for a retirement gift. Don't know why, but I said a new dual sport motorcycle. We had lunch, I picked out the size, brand, and color I wanted. He wrote the dealer a check and we were on our way home. Have been enjoying that much more than a watch....Dan

 

[newbury]

First of all, this thread is not old enough for retirement, it's only 8 years old.

<snip>
Like you I always carry a pen and when shopping for shirts always make sure it has a pocket so I can carry a pen and phone.
People tell me it is just as easy and quick to use the phone to tell the time, to this I say what a load of rubbish, by the time I have turned my wrist and observed the time they are still getting the phone out of their pocket and have yet to activate it, like you all my watches are chronographs, not something I use every day but they can be useful and the tachymeter is useful at times on the highway to get an idea of speedo accuracy.<snip>

I wore a wrist watch from about the time I was 8 (1959) till I was 18, when I ripped of my 3rd good watch, that time moving a snowmobile, and lost it. With my lifestyle I figured wrist watches were not for me. I learned to look for clocks and be generally well aware of the time. And I occasionally carried a pocket watch.
But for most of those years I also carried a pen or pencil and an IBM Think pad.

My Dad and I worked at IBM in the 70's so Think pads (the analog paper ones) were freely available.

I've been very happy since about 1995 when I got my first pocket computer, an HP 95LX. Since then I've generally had a pocket computer that fits in my shirt pocket for telling time, plus all the other things a computer can be used for. Now its also a phone, a GPS, etc. But I also carry a pencil/pen and something to write on. Have not been able to find a Think pad for years, but am partial to the Rite in the Rain shirt pocket size memo pads.

As far as speed for checking time - I've a "sports" wrist carrier for my phone so it can be worn like a huge wristwatch. Or if not on my wrist I just look in my shirt pocket and squeeze the phone and see the time.

Now if I could just get a foldable, waterproof Samsung s10 note I would be very happy.

 

[bunyip]

I don't wear a watch or wedding ring. I didn't wear them before I retired, either.

A friend got his wedding ring caught on the edge of the tray of a truck as he was jumping off, he still has the ring but no finger to wear it on.
I don't wear one as I don't like the feel of rings on my fingers, I tell SWMBO it improves my chances at discos, having said that she very rarely wears hers either.

 

[eubie5]

Didn't get a watch, just a retirement badge. And 12 years later, seems like I'm working more hours now than before i retired. Of course, 1st retirement, i was kinda young.

 

[dnw64]

I worked for the same company for 42 years before retirement 7 years ago. On my 30th, my boss gave me a Seiko Kinetic watch. I think it was sort of spendy, but too heavy and glitzy to wear. A few days later he asked why I didn't wear it. I told him it kept stopping unless you wave at everyone continually, which is true. 12 years later his son, who had taken over the company took me to Portland to shop for 2 new trucks. On the way, [2 hrs] he asked what I would pick for a retirement gift. Don't know why, but I said a new dual sport motorcycle. We had lunch, I picked out the size, brand, and color I wanted. He wrote the dealer a check and we were on our way home. Have been enjoying that much more than a watch....Dan

Whoa! That is some retirement gift!!

 

[dnw64]

A friend got his wedding ring caught on the edge of the tray of a truck as he was jumping off, he still has the ring but no finger to wear it on.
I don't wear one as I don't like the feel of rings on my fingers, I tell SWMBO it improves my chances at discos, having said that she very rarely wears hers either.

My son is a police officer, and in the off-work time does a lot of mechanical work. He has a gold wedding band but only wears it for "dress". Other times he wears a silicon one.

Similarly, his "work" watch is a digital (LED) one with integrated rubber strap. He has a nice solar powered Citizen that I handed down to him for low impact use.