I’ve been interested in watches for a long time, but only recently had the disposable income to purchase high-quality timepieces. With this freedom, I’ve (d)evolved into a watch nerd.
My first ever watch was the classic Timex Expedition that my parents agreed to buy for me when I found it in a department store. I specifically remember wearing this constantly throughout elementary school and using the Indiglo feature when they would take me along on their date-night to the theatre. I loved this watch, but I don’t know where it is; it was likely thrown out or given away many years ago.
In undergrad, I purchased a few quartz watches, most memorably, a Timex Weekender Chornograph that I would use to time steps of experiments in lab. Also at this time, my girlfriend bought me a Casio A168W that I cherish to this day.
Early in graduate school, I switched to an Apple Watch, namely for tracking my runs and exercise. I’m now on my second, and while they are great devices (I would have considered them magic at the time I was wearing my Expedition), I eventually felt it was time to wear a proper watch1.
My first mechanical watch purchase was a Seiko SRPE93, a.k.a. the modern “Turtle.” I remember learning about this watch on a podcast in undergrad and still loved this model’s style and history when I went searching for my second “first watch.” And I’m happy to say that I still adore my Turtle and find it such a character-filled piece. A couple of months later, I was able to acquire a good example of the original Turtle, the Seiko 6309. The classic shape and patina were delightful, and I knew I would always have a 6309 in my collection. Therefore, when an even better example came up for sale from a trusted seller, I jumped on the opportunity2. While I likely overpaid a bit, it has a beautiful ghosted bezel and the Suwa insignia on the dial. I love this watch and wear it all the time.
From here, I have continued further into this hobby experimenting with different styles and brands. I have established a core collection with a few slots in the box reserved for trying different pieces. It’s a fun hobby with many rabbit holes to venture down. I look forward to many more years of tuning my collection and finding watches that speak to me.