Speedmaster Date

This was the first watch my grandfather gave me that passed as a genuine family heirloom. I got it in high school. He collected watches and I inherited the passion, watching him do it from my middle school years on. It felt like part of him, and like his induction gift to me as I developed my unhealthy relationship with watches. I did all the research on the history of the moon watch and wore it regularly.

One night in college I took it off before sleeping and lazily left it sitting on my bed. All steel, extremely hard sapphire crystal — it seemed impossible I could break it lying in my bed. I woke up to a shattered crystal and the lume part of the minute hand broken off. It eventually had a date with Omega service repair and a new crystal, but they didn't replace the lume, so to this day I'm reminded, to my chagrin, of my utter hubris that sapphire isn't capable of being broken.

The only reason I need to like it is my grandfather, and that it started the obsession.

The red tones unique to this Japanese racing variant. Minimal, but just a tad different from the relentless ads for traditional black and white dials. It was functionally my only watch in high school and college, so it participated in a lot of my early life. Leather band these days. I wear it mostly in summer, when I'm in a more active mood and might have the rare need to time something.