My very first watch was a Timex with Donald Duck written on the face which was white with blue lettering and numbers. It was a birthday present from my Auntie Vera and Uncle Henry, given to me in 1966 and although I no longer wear it, I still have it in my watch collection - cherished for being my first ever watch! In my twenties I inherited my Uncle Henry's gold watch so he played a large part in my journey through time. | The Watex Revue belonged to my Granddad on my Dad's side. I wore this watch in my early twenties but have not wore it much since. It is now in need of a little tender love and care and requires a new winder. Nonetheless a fine gold watch and it definitely has its place in my journey through time.
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In 1960 my Uncle Henry was awarded a gold watch from his employer Joseph Crosfield & Sons Ltd for long service. Coincidentally, this was the year I was born and when he passed away, (while I was at university) the watch came to me. It is a very neat watch and one which I treasure greatly. | I wore this watch every day for several years in my twenties and it served me well. Now it is reserved for formal occasions and worn in memory of a loved uncle, who helped start me on my watch journey. |

This was my Dad's Gold watch and it is made by Thomas Russell and it dates back to 1956. It came to me when I was 26 after my Dad passed away and i wore it regularly in my late twenties. Now I wear it as a dress watch as i do my Uncle Henry's watch. Thomas Russell was one of the great names of 19th century watch making – though surprisingly little is known about him outside Liverpool. He was, along with Joseph Sewill, at the forefront of the Lancashire watch and clock industry. Thomas Russell, created fine timepieces and received royal patronage from Queen Victoria, though he was more famous for his pocket watches and suffered when watches changed to wrist watches. Nonetheless, this is a fine gold watch from a respected watch maker. Without doubt it is my most cherished watch, albeit not my most expensive.
Back to the early nineties with this watch. I was holidaying in Cyprus and was enjoying waterskiing and going on the jet skis every day. Jet skis were hired for twenty minutes at a time which was long enough to be charging about the seas at full speed - great fun! However, I wanted a waterproof watch that had a timer on it so i could maximise my time on the jet ski. This nifty Casio watch beckoned me from one of the local shops and I enjoyed wearing it for many years through the Nineties! As you can see in the photograph it is still going strong as of the 15th February 2009!
I cannot remember when Breitling watches first came to my attention but it was a long, long time ago. As my interest in the brand deepened and I explored their history and the long association they have had with aviation, my desire for one just got more intense. As a young boy I had avidly read every Biggles book I could lay my hands on and I concluded that as surely as Bond wears an Omega, then Biggles would sport a Navitimer! If it was good enough for Biggles then it was good enough for me.
I have already mentioned Christopher Ward of London before and explained the attraction I felt for this brand. His watches are sold via the Internet, are designed in London and manufactured in Switzerland using high quality Swiss movements for both the Quartz and automatic models in his range.
Aviator watch by IWC, so this hook worked for me with my love of all things to do with aviation - no doubt started by my fervent reading of Biggles as a youngster. The next hook was having "Malvern" in its name - well I live there - so that was that and a Malvern Aviator was ordered. This comes with a Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic movement which has been beautifully dressed and is stunning to view via the rear view case. This watch is a quiet delight and gets a lot of wrist time, especially being so clear and easy to read and it is limited to 1936 pieces. This man is on a roll right now with some stunning watches to lust after such as the C8 Pilot or the C7 Rapide both for him and for her to mention but a few. Visit the web site at www.christopherward.co.uk and join the CWL Forum to see for yourself and to get sneak previews of upcoming watches.
We have decided to have a driving holiday in Europe
touring Italy and an easy way to plan the route is to follow the route
of the famous Mille Miglia
road race that ran from 1927 to 1957 and which has been revived as a
classic car event. Chopard sponsor the event and commemorate the fact
by producing their Mille Miglia
range of watches. This is quoted from Chopard's web site, "Passion,
performance, precision: these are just a few of the striking
similarities between automotive engineering and mechanical watchmaking.
The Mille Miglia collection links these two worlds and perfectly represents the spirit of la corsa più bella del mondo....
Chopard
has been actively supporting the Mille Miglia as a main sponsor and
official timekeeper since 1988. This longstanding partnership has given
rise to a collection of precision sports watches reflecting this
unparalleled passion and performance". After spending a few months listening to me practising "Showpar" and "mee-lay meel-yah" my lovely wife could take no more and bought me this watch on Valentines Day!There are some fantastic watches out there by the brands that have caught my eye , the Breitling Superocean Heritage 38mm on an Ocean Racer strap, the Breitling Aerospace Avantage, a Christopher Ward of London C7 Rapide or a C8 Pilot's watch, a Hamilton Rose Gold and carbon fibre X-Wind or even an Opel GT Chrono watch. Then there are all the brands that I am less familiar with but which have caught my eye - B.R.M. (The French connection?), U-Boat (everyone needs a submarine?), Panerai or IWC perhaps? The fun is in the chase, the pursuit or waiting for the story to unfold because I have realised that each watch I have has a story to tell, a reason why if you like. The Navitimer was Biggles, The Hamilton was Elvis, The Malvern Aviator was Planes and Malvern, The Chopard was the Mille Miglia and so on. So where next...
| Who really knows but my guess is that it is time to spec a watch for Peanut. She has her Ventura, which is great for dressy times but needs a sporty watch - one to match her love for motors. BRM watches are perfect for the Francophilian car enthusiast so maybe they need checking out, Christopher Ward has a great W7 Rapide but also I know she has her eye on a Hamilton Route 66 a 2008 limited edition but can she track one down... |