Watching Space Shuttle Discovery on its final mission to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., was bittersweet. As a child, I dreamed of being an astronaut (like many other children, surely) but life's detours (read: reality) dictated another path for me. Still, I always kept up with the space program, through triumphs and disasters. With the demise of the Space Shuttle program as I knew it, I thought it was time to commemorate it with a Speedmaster.
On another board, I saw a Speedmaster project that used a gen case and a Tissot movement. After WatchCo began dumping their inventory on the 'bay, I began watching for the pieces to the puzzle. At one point a couple months ago, there were about 6-7 speedy cases on eBay being sold by WatchCo. I watched as the one I had my mind set on exceeded my bid by about double. Dejected, I put up a half-hearted bid on one of the last ones and ended up winning a 145.022-71 Speedmaster case with the original hesalite crystal. It also had a somewhat unusual case back, with the hippocampus medal but no moon-related inscription.
After tracking the package and finding that it had been delivered, I could not wait to leave work and get home to open the package. However, my wife, mostly unaware of my purchase, had already opened it and described it as "not [being] in good shape." Clearly, that sucked the wind out of my sails, but once I got home and had a chance to describe the Speedmaster (including more history than she ever bargained for by asking about its appeal) to her, she began to understand why this admittedly worse-for-wear Speedy was special to me. Admittedly, the poor thing was beyond mere wabi-sabi; it had dings, dents, and a completely unusable bezel.
My wife, ever patient and thoughtful, decided to take the case to a personal friend who just happens to run a jewelry store. I got the watch back on the same day my replacement bezel arrived and I'm still astonished at how good it looks with an experienced jeweler's touch. I was then even more excited to get my project under way, so I made the wish list of remaining items:
So finally, why is this watch a metaphor? Well, in a former life, I resembled the watch case below, but I learned that with patience, time, and a plan, nothing is beyond repair.
On another board, I saw a Speedmaster project that used a gen case and a Tissot movement. After WatchCo began dumping their inventory on the 'bay, I began watching for the pieces to the puzzle. At one point a couple months ago, there were about 6-7 speedy cases on eBay being sold by WatchCo. I watched as the one I had my mind set on exceeded my bid by about double. Dejected, I put up a half-hearted bid on one of the last ones and ended up winning a 145.022-71 Speedmaster case with the original hesalite crystal. It also had a somewhat unusual case back, with the hippocampus medal but no moon-related inscription.
After tracking the package and finding that it had been delivered, I could not wait to leave work and get home to open the package. However, my wife, mostly unaware of my purchase, had already opened it and described it as "not [being] in good shape." Clearly, that sucked the wind out of my sails, but once I got home and had a chance to describe the Speedmaster (including more history than she ever bargained for by asking about its appeal) to her, she began to understand why this admittedly worse-for-wear Speedy was special to me. Admittedly, the poor thing was beyond mere wabi-sabi; it had dings, dents, and a completely unusable bezel.
My wife, ever patient and thoughtful, decided to take the case to a personal friend who just happens to run a jewelry store. I got the watch back on the same day my replacement bezel arrived and I'm still astonished at how good it looks with an experienced jeweler's touch. I was then even more excited to get my project under way, so I made the wish list of remaining items:
Movement- Got the Tissot 873 movement, keeping good time though it could use a service.- Dial and Hands - Still watching for some date-appropriate hands and a dial.
Bracelet- Got unbelievably lucky on eBay and found a used 1450 bracelet with a low buy-it-now price; I didn't sleep on this one.
So finally, why is this watch a metaphor? Well, in a former life, I resembled the watch case below, but I learned that with patience, time, and a plan, nothing is beyond repair.
