On this crazy, exciting, and sometimes wildly mind-boggling ride that is watch collecting, you’re bound to pick up your fair share of great stories (in addition to great watches!) along the way. There’s so many interesting characters to be met, tales of historical significance to be heard, and situations to get into, that’ll most definitely influence your ethos and collection. In my few past years as a collector and enthusiast of all things horology, I’ve certainly had my share of funny experiences, and today I’d like to let you in on one. Without further ado, here’s the story of the delayed flight, and the retrospectively idiotic race against the clock for a timepiece acquisition.
Just last year, right before the beginning of Easter weekend, I headed down to Palm Beach for a quick getaway. While the warm weather and tranquil beaches keeps me coming back, there’s another somewhat predictable reason as to why I enjoy my visits: watches. The market for new, pre-owned and vintage watches here in Canada, is quite small in comparison to that of the United States, in addition to the inexplicably and considerably higher prices. On this particular voyage, the piece in question was a Mont Blanc Nicolas Rieussec (a personal favourite of mine for its tremendous horological value proposition) for my father, Adam. The watch was purchased, shipped, and available for pick up at the FedEx location where it was being held, but then an obstacle appeared; our flight that night got slightly delayed. Preposterous, in-house, high-speed, and self-winding lunacy ensued.
Worth Avenue, Palm Beach – home to various top notch watch boutiques. Photo via SnipView
Being the neurotic group of self-proclaimed WIS’ that we are, we instantly formed a game plan. Instead of waiting until the next morning to pick up the watch like any normal person would, we were going to race the clock, and retrieve the package.
As soon as our flight landed, it was out of the terminal, to the car, and the race was officially on. I can only imagine it looked like a scene out of Bullitt, with the slight exception of changing the San Francisco backdrop to Palm Beach. After traveling down the highway at nearly double the speed limit, and with just a single minute to spare until closing time, we arrived to pick up the watch. Mission accomplished! We then proceeded to do the holy process of unboxing, and played with the chronograph mechanism a bit – totally worth it!
The conclusion to any worthwhile journey – a wristshot!
It’s memories like these that make collecting so enjoyable. Years down the road, upon glancing down at his wrist to check the time, I’m sure this incident will come to my father’s mind. This is what I love so much about this community, and this interest we share. Our passion for these watches certainly goes past the aesthetics and mechanics, as it’s memories and stories like these will always stay with us, and can always be connected back to a time of great fun, and what you had on your wrist. As my friend Adam Craniotes once said: “If you’re not having fun with horology, then you’re doing it wrong.” – a statement I wholeheartedly agree with.
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