this is the basic watch i bought two years ago. a tissot seastar 1000. about a decade ago i started shutting down battery operated watches. i'd put one on, it'd fail within a day. take it off, it'd start back up within a couple of hours. so i started wearing mechanical (windup) and mechanical automatics (mechanicals that have a counterweight in them so the movement of your arm keeps the watch wound-up). unfortunately really good automatics aren't cheap and the ones that can be had for less than $200 would gain or loose a little time over the course of a month. i'd always said as a graduation present to myself i would buy a rolex or an omega or something really nice. two years ago before i deployed i decided it was taking way too long to get to "graduation" and so i'd buy myself something less nice than a rolex or omega, but nicer than the seiko's i'd been wearing to date. seemed like if i was going to go to iraq i should at least treat myself a little. i saved a little more money buying from a place i found online and bought the watch relatively sight-unseen. i'd had tissots before (hand me downs) so i knew i'd like it. what i wasn't prepared for was to have it become a part of me.

the watch it HUGE. it's heavy. part of the danger of buying the watch over the 'net is that i got an older model with less luminous material on the minute hand so it's hard to read at night. the newer models have a fully luminous minute hand instead of just the tip. i'm a skinny'lil guy so it looks like i'm a kid playing dress up with it. it's still not as accurate as i'd like but i don't want to part with it to have it adjusted. for the last two years the thing has been a constant companion. if you look closely there, you can just see it on my arm for the swim certification test. if you look really closely you can also see the rifle that struck the bottom of the pool and almost broke my nose. why they couldn't have either done the cert in open water or a better pool... i don't abuse my things, but i definately use them. if i spent money on something, i'm going to get my money's worth out of it. i try not to buy showpiece items that i can't use for anything. so i wear the same watch when i'm putting on formal wear as i do to go get muddy in.

so now i'm about 1/3 way through my last class. it's time to shop for that graduation present for myself and i'm finding myself not wanting to replace the old girl. i had a smoking deal on an omega last month. one of the jewelry stores in town had them 1/2 price. but i just can't justify it. nor do i want to. i tried on some battery operated watches recently and it appears as if my pox on them has lifted as well. they weren't shutting off. people have given me all sorts of them over the years because i'm a "gadget guy". i've got watches with digital compasses and barometers in them and all sorts of pretty lights that are so unbelievably light weight and i don't want any of them. i'm happy. she's not quite as pretty as she used to be, a year+ in iraq and all the training before and after has been hard on her (and me), but she just fits.