"Hi Nick and the team,
The smoke is also starting to settle over on my side of the fence after the fantastic events of Thursday. First of all I would like to thank you again for the opportunity. The collimating events of having the privilege to wear the Rolex that sold for a dollar are quite astounding and I still can't really believe it happening at all. There is a real story behind this watch already and now it becomes an even greater vessel of history.
Since my son was born almost a year ago to the day I have started to really reflect on my family as I guess most people do in such events. One of the great narratives and symbols of love in my family is an Omega Seamaster that my Grandmother bought my Pop when one of my uncles was born. They were living in the country near Moree at the time. Out in the drought stricken outback, a Swiss watch was a real piece of majesty and a marvel for the district. A mechanical wonder that didn't need any batteries! When my Pop passed his watch into my uncle I became aware of just how special a gift a watch was for a father to give his son. My uncle treasures that watch today and all of us in the family think of our pop when we see it.
Anyway, my whole life I had a vague interest in watches due to my Pop's watch but never really became a fan or devotee (I didn't even know there were forums or books etc not been into blogs or anything like that). However, I have always been really into the magic that makes a watch. I am an electrician and have always had a strong respect for mechanical inventions that don't require any electricity at all. For me an automatic Swiss watch is almost magical in the way it can stay alive purely through the movement of the owner - actually working and almost alive from the energy of the owner. Even a manually wound watch only really stays alive through the care of the owner to keep it wound.
When my wife and I started to think about a family, I really started to think hard about getting a watch for my child so it was the same age as them. I started to really look on the internet and eventually settled on Nick's blog and web page as one of my foremost pages of interest. I could really tell Nick felt the same way I did about the magic of a mechanical watch (obviously he felt it on a much larger scale and held a more vast knowledge). So after a year or so of looking and think about what I would like to buy I settled on the Rolex Explorer ii. My closest friend was a Rolex devotee and I always admired his watches and the enthusiasm he took them into his life story (a watch as a reward for his hard work in his career and one to celebrate his love for his partner).
Subsequently, my beautiful son was born and I got lost in his story well and truly. However, the desire to get a watch to mark the occasion grew stronger and more profound. Although I do very well in my career and love what I do, my circumstances meant that I couldn't justify that kind of expense. One again I started to trawl through Nicks blog and subscriber emails. I started to think that I would get an IWC Mark VI as a second hand option to a new Rolex but even that became out of reach when I decided to buy a place with a backyard for my son and family to grow in.
I couldn't believe it when Nick's competition came up. I mean, my exact dream watch potentially mine for a dollar! My whole dream was suddenly realistic again (not that I thought I had a chance of wining as my busy job hardly leaves time to respond quickly to an email- I guess everyone feels that way). It was a great excuse to sign up to a worthwhile premium email subscription anyway so I did it. The rest is history.
It was unbelievable to get the email back from Nick. I told my wife and she was convinced I was been lured into an email scam to be mugged and taken for my money! I assured her of Nick's reputation and of course it worked out. So now I sit here writing this email with an amazing timepiece packed full of a fantastic history of being the first Rolex to be sold for a $1. To me the competition and the price don't matter. I now wear a watch that I am ultimately looking after for my son. The fact that I won it from a true devotee of a fine timepiece is an even better and magic story than simply purchasing a new Rolex in my opinion. I even discovered that the watch was originally purchased in Harrods in London which is even cooler. I can't wait to tell this story to my son and it is already another grand tail in my family to rival my Pop's famous watch. He already likes listening to it.
Thanks again Nick and the team for this opportunity and I wish you all the best. Thanks to everyone else in the competition and I will treasure the watch as you would have if chance had of gone the other way.
I have attached a dodgey photo of my Pop's Omega Seamaster."
No comments:
Post a Comment