| My Watches and My Watch Repair Hobby |
| My mother bought me my first watch when I was six (1988). It was a red plastic digital watch with four buttons, two of which were non-functional. It cost 50 rupees ($0.80) and lasted about as long as could be expected (particularly on the wrist of a six-year-old): two weeks. Between 1988 and 2000, I had four more watches, each acquired to replace the last (which was usually either destroyed or lost...rarely did they ever "stop working"). Each of these (except for one) was bought for me by my mother, and each was more expensive than the last: 1) Simple Casio digital with time and date (1990) 2) Analog Alba with cubic zirconia markers at 3, 6, 9 and 12 (1993) 3) A digital Citizen with digital analog hands! The hands would just vanish off the LCD face if the battery was removed. This watch belonged to my grandfather, and when he passed away in 1992, I took it. (1994) 4) Analog Sharp with day and date (1998 - a Wal-Mart watch) I started to develop a serious interest in watches shortly after I purchased my own high school graduation gift in 2000: A quartz Citizen chronograph, which replaced the Sharp watch (which died from a dented back, btw. How it happened, I don't know). This Citizen chronograph I wore throughout college, and as it is the first watch I bought with my own money, I have a special affection for it. It is still my favorite "all-rounder." The rest of my watch collection is as follows: 1) Citizen Elektra Eco-Drive 2) Citizen Eco-Drive dress rectangular 3) Citizen two-tone dress rectangular 4) Citizen 17j hand-wind with date at 3 (ca. March, 1976. Also belonged to my grandfather.) 5) Caravelle 17j hand-wind (ca. 1984) 6) Timex Data-Link (the hold-the-watch-in-front-of-the-computer version) 7) Casio Data-Bank (ca. 1991!) My interest in watches got even more serious when my wife and I went on a vacation to Pennsylvania in July 2005. In addition to Lancaster County, we decided to visit the NAWCC's National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, PA (She loved the Amish quilts, I loved the watches. Win-win :-) It was interesting to see visitors from all over the world there! Not the least of which was a very knowledgeable watch enthusiast from Germany who took the trouble to explain (in German) the details of almost every watch movement to two other Germans who were there with him. I do speak German, but I was awed by his knowledge and thought I would only embarass myself if I tried to talk to him, so I only silently eavesdropped for quite some time. This museum has watches and clocks from the earliest examples to the present. Here are some pictures with comments: |
| Page last updated December 16, 2006 |
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| In the section of the museum devoted to modern timepieces, this is what I saw in the Citizen display. My exact model of Citizen Elektra! |
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| And in the same section of the museum, sits my Timex Data-Link in the Timex display! My watches are getting famous! |
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| Saima and I were both attracted to this Baroque-era clock, and decided to have a nice visitor take our picture with it. You can see the clockmakers workshop display behind us, in addition to some American and British longcase clocks. |