My mom & me
This will be the first year that I will not have my mom to call on Mother’s Day. Both my parents are now passed so these sort of holidays tend to make me nostalgic and reminisce about things that once were. I refuse to be sad because my parents were amazing people who lived happy, productive lives. What more could you ask for, except maybe a few more years of retirement to do whatever the hell you want?
It was only a few months ago that we lost my mom. It was a surprise to all of us because she was seemingly in great health. It was my sister who realized something must be wrong because my mom could not be reached and my brother who found her eternally sleeping in her apartment. I was 600 miles away hanging by a thread when my brother confirmed that she was gone.
Carol’s death set off a flurry of activity for the next few weeks while we worked to prepare my mom’s memorial service. Usually, my mom knew all the things to do, so we had to muddle our way through it like lost sheep. Finally, the day came when I would fly back to Virginia for the service. I had to make a decision that any watch collector must in times like these. What watch was I going to wear to my mother’s funeral?
The three watches I took on the trip home for my mom’s funeral
If you are not a watch person, this may sound like a trivial matter. In the scheme of things, I suppose it is. However, watch collectors play games with their watches imbuing some with great personal meaning. We’ve all heard of a retirement watch, a honeymoon watch, a graduation watch or a wedding watch, right? These timepieces are picked to become reminders of those events in coming years. I knew whatever watch I wore to my mom’s funeral would be with me for the rest of my life and labeled a permanent part of my collection.
My watch decision seems like it should have been pretty straight-forward. Simply pick the most expensive watch that I own for the memorial service and a second watch for the interment the following day. That was my thinking as I pulled out a Tudor Heritage Black Bay, and a less common Hanhart Pioneer Mark II Chronograph. Those two went into my suitcase and I wore the Victorinox Swiss Army watch that I had not taken off for weeks on the airplane as my travel watch. It is literally named “The Titanium Watch” and must have been the first design that Swiss Army made in the space-age metal. I have the two-tone version from the late 1990s.
I have a thing for two-tone watches like “The Titanium Watch” by Victorinox Swiss Army
The weeks leading up to the memorial service were abnormal for me, at least as a watch collector. I did not wear different watches everyday or post on Instagram. I left my watch blog to languish in silence. I wore just one watch because it simply did not matter. I remember wearing my Victorinox Swiss Army “The Titanium Watch” constantly as I worked on speeches, plans, photo slideshows and videos for my mom’s service.
“The Titanium Watch” by Victorinox Swiss Army was my constant companion as I prepared my mom’s memorial
Those who have never worn a titanium watch may not know how comfortable they can be. I have several and they are so light that they almost disappear on the wrist. They tend to warm to your body temperature and feel invisible. This is good if you are sitting in front of a computer until the wee hours of the night for weeks on end. A light titanium watch never fatigues your wrist and you almost forget you are wearing a timepiece.
I had 3 watches and a plan… but things did not go as I suspected
My plan was to wear the black Hanhart Pioneer Mark II at the memorial service. It is German austere with a vintage design dating back to the 1930s with a black dial and leather strap. It seemed to be the perfect mourning watch, and I knew that I would likely never sell it. However, when I was getting dressed in the hotel, I changed my mind at the last minute. Maybe a thicker chronograph was not the best choice to wear with a long sleeved shirt with buttoned cuffs.
Being a casual guy, I usually just wear whatever I want concerning shirts and watches. If I wear long sleeves, I usually have the cuffs rolled up to give my watch “room to breathe”. However, the dressy shirt that I wore to the memorial service had tight cuffs. It was at that moment that I understood why people prefer slim dress watches. You could either call that a “Eureka” moment or a “Duh” moment… It seems so obvious, but I had never really run into that problem before or even thought about it.
This watch seemed to fit my mood the best…
I took my Swiss Army “The Titanium Watch” and slipped it on my wrist. It fit under my cuff and the hint of gold tone peeking under the cuff was just what I was looking for. This would be my companion for the day. I think that I subliminally picked this watch. Because I wore it for two weeks straight, I had already solidified an indelible link with it to this tragic time period in my life. It felt right to wear it at the end of the journey to bear witness to my mom’s Celebration of Life.
Me wearing my watch at my mom’s memorial. I will never sell it.
On Mother’s Day, I know which watch will be pulled from the box. As I wear it, I will smile because it will remind me of how we gave Carol Austin Hughes a wonderful sendoff and a true celebration of the amazing person she was. Like “The Titanium Watch” that I wore, my mom was tough as nails… with a hint of gold.
Victorinox Swiss Army “The Titanium Watch” worn at the funeral
