I like to write. Everyone has a creative edge, some in art, some in cooking, some in business. I've a little bit in many areas and occasionally in writing. Mostly I have fun whenI write. I decided to sell my watch on eBay and as I held in in my hand, I thought to myself, "How can I distinguish this watch from all the others out there competing for buyers' attention and money?".
See, part of the thrill in eBay is scoring. Yes, it's fun to make money, but it's more fun to connect with a bunch of buyers and sell something they want. For a brief moment, you feel like an anonymous star, catching the attention of the masses (or even 4 or 5 who get in a bidding war over your item). It reminds me of that movie 'Turk 182', where the star kept putting his brother's fireman's badge number on public monuments to draw attention to his injuries and the city's refusal to address them. He was a star and everyone wondered who he was and why he was doing it.
So, I have this watch (or had, it'll be gone in another hour). What can I say about an old watch, still working, still ticking, but old nonetheless. It didn't really talk to me, but in a way it did. I thought about all the places that watch had been and the things I had endured while wearing it and the following just started to flow:
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Seiko Quartz Diver's Watch Automatic
You are bidding on a Seiko Autowind Quartz Diver's Watch, water resistant to 150m.
See the photographs, the watch is used, the bezel scratched.
Let me tell you about this watch:
First the technical:
The watch works fine, keeps good time, date changes properly. It's got a Rotating bezel, Stainless Stell case, multi language day of week, etc. It's a good watch.
Now the History:
I am the original owner. This watch was purchased in 1988. It spent most of it's operational history wrapped around my wrist on top of Nomex Fire retardent gloves. It has flown inside Apache and Kiowa Helicopters and flown over Germany, Austria and Italy. It deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm and walked the streets of Dhaharan, Ad-Damman and Rafah. It flew in combat operations at 3 a.m. across the Iraqi border before the ground war kicked off and deep into Iraq as part of the action to kick the Saddamites out of Kuwait. It's weathered blinding dust storms, searing heat, soaking rain storms and a lot of sweat. This is a watch with a noble history and it served me and our country well.
So why sell it? This is a tough watch for tough missions and tough environments. I left the Army and flying long ago for corporate America. I wore it for a while, but it began to look more and more out of place. Here was a watch designed for physical challenges, clinging to a wrist that was pushing papers across a desk. It seemed out of place and it seemed kind of wrong; like making a race horse pull a plow. I eventually took it off and put it in a drawer, where it has been for several years. Periodically I pulled it out and set the time, moved it around to keep things working (and it always did), but I began to notice it seemed heavier and heavier each time I picked it up, almost as if I were growing weaker.
Finally, I began to hear the watch talking to me, saying things like "uhh...excuse me? I'm a little bored here. Could you send me to Bosnia to go back to work? Then it began asking for duty in the Persian gulf, enforcing the U.N Resolutions. At first, I ignored the voice, but it began to get louder and more assertive, especially after 9-11. And then last night, it became downright abusive: "Hey LimpWrist! Yeah, I'm talking to you - desk rider!! If you don't get my quartz outta here I'm gonna take charge of all the clocks in the house. We're going to organize, put together a little union action here and then you know what? We're going on strike. How you gonna get to work on time after that...Paperboy! You might get fired and then have to get a Real Job..."
So, let's face it. If you can get past the fact that I'm hearing my watch talk to me (and getting pushed around), this watch needs a better home, one full of abrasive sand, wet with a little RBC,climbing a mountain, diving to a wreck somewhere...Anywhere except riding in my desk drawer. Please, I can't handle the voices anymore! I'll even list it for a penny if that's what it takes to get this thing off my back and around your wrist, doing tough things like it's designed to.
I'd would even lie to get rid of this thing and say stuff like "it'll make you better looking, pull in the chicks like a magnet, and make you tougher", except eBay would skewer me for false advertising. So, lets just say it might do all those things for you if you're the winning bidder. It might.
Either way, it's a damn good watch.
Shipping is $5 to anywhere in the U.S. If you are a soldier serving this great country and currently deployed to Iraq or Afganistan (or just came back) I'll ship it to you for free in the U.S. To a foreign address or APO, I'll take $8 off the total shipping if you're out there serving the U.S. somewhere. Non U.S. persons at foreign addresses must wait for invoice and actual shipping calculations before paying. If you don't like the idea of me subsidizing the shipping for U.S soldiers, I don't care. They're helping to keep your ass from getting blown up and deserve a break.
Bid with confidence: Everything is described accurately, so bid accordingly and no returns on this item (are you kidding me, like I'm going to let it back in the house? Right):
Good luck bidding!
Tom.
P.S. In the photo, the back of the watch looks like a burnished bronze when in fact it is a brilliant stainless steel. I couldn't get it to photograph well and get the details of the backside/serial number and look nice at the same time. Also, there is no guarantee this watch will talk to you too. In fact, I hope not. But I hope it helps you tell some stories of your own some day.
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The best part of the whole thing has been the comments I've had from the various folks out there reading the listing:
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jimmyc36 (35)
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Hey Dude- Great Story & History!
If someone doesnt buy this watch- We may as well hang it up and move out of the country-huh?
You should consider writting, as you have an great flair for it-im sure you would sell many copies-im not kidding! Good Luck & Take Care-Jim (USMC Veteran).
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$oldout$ (1437)
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That was a great narrative about your watch. Are you a writer, because you should be. It really made me want to own the watch! Thanks and good luck.
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canage16 (84)
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Hi, Not a question but a comment. KEEP THE WATCH!!! That kind of history and sentimental value cannot equal the peanuts some one will give you. Put it in a box and strap it on for old times sake. Just a thought. Ernie
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My Reply:
Ernie - Thanks. There are many things involved in this sale with two the most significant: 1. I helped my parents move to their retirement place a few years ago and was staggered at the sheer volume of stuff they had that they did not use and could not move. My mother agonized over getting rid of all these unused, unappreciated (stored for years) 'treasures' that they could not move to their smaller home. My 7 siblings and I received everything that had meaning to us (a large volume of items). In the end,however, they still had a lot of stuff they simply gave/sold to folks who had no regard for the history. In retrospect, although it seemed ridiculous at the time, I now recognize that they were not much different than many/most middle class Americans who fill their garages and attics with stuff they will not use again, often do not know they still have but can't bear to let go.
2. I read a book called 'Margin' by Richard Swenson. Without providing a book review, let me say that the book and what I learned from my parents convinced me that I needed to take an honest look at the trappings of life and hold tightly to those things most important to me that had real value (monetary or otherwise) and let the rest go that really was just stuff, all valuable, but only in the right hands. I have many mementos from the Gulf war and my time in service and although each is part of a story, it's my story and only I can tell it, something I can do with or without those things. In the end, it's now an unused watch, a tool designed to be used for telling time in tough environments. I've gotten more than my money's worth through the comments of folks like yourself who have written to me. I enjoy writing and it is gratifying to read the comments and know my words have moved others in some way. I am happy to sell the watch to whomever needs and wants it and give them a bit of history at the same time. If a soldier buys it, all the better. Thanks and best wishes. Tom
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wesman777 (327)
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Best Seiko watch Ebay listing EVER. HoooRaaah.
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Great fun! I love eBay.
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