Why I Wear An Expensive Watch.
Every day, I wear a watch on my wrist that’s worth more than the typical annual salary in a developing country. This is quite uncharacteristic of me as I generally consider myself an anti-materialist. Almost everything that I own can fit inside one piece of luggage.
In my defense, this watch, while from a major brand, is very understated. I am, of course, aware of the value while I wear it.
The reason I decided to invest in a watch was to have a piece of real craftsmanship that I interact with every day. We live our lives virtually, and so we do not appreciate mechanical objects any longer.
My watch is automatic. This means that the entire information on how to keep accurate time is within the watch. Time itself is coded within the shape and arrangement of the metal within the case. It is accurate to within 2 seconds per day, so within a tolerance of 1/43,200.
The power of the watch comes from the movement that I make each day and requires no electronics. If kept well and maintained, this watch will last for generations. This is not something that applies to the other tools that I use on a daily basis. Laptops, tablets, and phones rarely last a couple of years before needing an upgrade.
The more important reason why I decided to wear an expensive watch is a reminder that time is precious. Wearing a watch every day helps me keep in my mind that the time we have available in life is short. We never know when it is going to end.
We each get 86,400 seconds each day, and that is all we have to invest in the different areas of our lives. There is so much to do and focus on.
It can be overwhelming to manage everything and try to keep everything in balance. This is where focus comes into play. The secret is that you can never have every aspect of your life in balance at any time. So, you must choose what you are going to focus on at specific times in your life.
For me, seeing the second hand moving across the face of the watch is a reminder.
Time is ticking away, one second at a time.
