This week we’re trying something new: WWR Wednesday, a post about something we love about watches. What’s more I want to hear from you guys. Like wrist shots on the forums, this is your opportunity to tell a little story and share something you like above horology. This week? Tell us about the watch that got away.
This week I’ll start. I want to tell you the story of the Mexico City Watch Brigadoon.
I went to Mexico with my wife when we were pregnant with our first kid. What we thought was morning sickness was actually caused by drinking the water from the ice cubes so one morning she stayed in the hotel and, well, evacuated, and I went for a walk near the old city square. It was early afternoon and the streets were quiet enough and, nestled between a little grocery and a newsstand was a tiny watch shop.
It was dusty, didn’t look promising. There was a Renata battery ad on the front window. The lone proprietor sat behind thick glass.
I walked in. It was a dream come true. Every watch I had ever wanted was there, from a Submariner to an old Seamaster to a Speedmaster Professional. There were Seikos, Citizens, and Tudors. There were odd watches I had never seen and even a Breguet! It was a miracle!
The prices weren’t bad but I need to decide. The Speedmaster was about $600 – an absolute steal – and I rushed back to the hotel to care for the wife and then get laid low myself. A few days later we went back the square and took the turn to the watch shop – at least the one I thought I had taken. We took another turn. Then another. It was gone. The grocery was there as was the newsstand – as far as I could remember? – but we couldn’t find the watch stop. It had vanished.
It just goes to show you that you should always buy when the instinct bites. You never know when your dream watch will disappear.
Now we want to hear yours! Share in comments.
