"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
—Maximus (Gladiator)
A Tale of Two Rolex Submariner Time Machines
An Emotional Letter from a Reader
On What We Leave Behind
Michael is a reader who wrote-in and included the photo above of his two deeply meaningful Rolex Submariner models. Michael originally asked me not to publish his letter, but I thought it was such a nice note I reached out to him and asked his permission to publish it, to which he responded:
'I think it is a sad story and your readers would not want to read such a story, but if you think so you can publish it.'
I found Michael's letter emotionally moving in a loving way and I can relate to his story. The interesting thing is that jewelry items—including fine watches—are built to last indefinitely (if taken care of properly) but we as human beings sadly are not.
I own a bracelet that belonged to my Aunt Dora Jane who raised me, and it was on her wrist all the time. So much so, it was a trademark part of her personality.
Today, when I hold my Aunt's bracelet in my hands and look at it, two things come to mind:
First, it Deja Vu's me out in a great way as I feel her energy emanating from it! Great memories of the time we shared together come streaming back and bathe me is a tidal wave of positive nostalgia. Yes, I have some sad memories of her, but I don't tend to focus on them—kind of like Barbara Streisand's hauntingly magnificent lyrics from "The Way We Were" from 1975 which you can enjoy below:
Secondly, it trips me out, how in life we all leave behind relics of our life when we depart this existence, and it never ceases to amaze me how a piece of jewelry can so easily outlast a human, while acting as a nostalgic memento or miniature time machine that can transport us back so far on our own timeline.
So Micheal, I don't find your story to be sad. I find it to be an uplifting celebration of your parents who's memory is enshrined in your two beautiful timeless Rolex Submariner models.
Below is Michael's note he sent in:
Dear Jake,
First of all, I would like to thank you for your work with your passionate blog. I am a very big fan of your blog.
As a child, I grew up in the last years of the Cold War next to an Air Force base in West Germany. In my childhood I always watched airplanes with my father and was fascinated. This was also my first contact with ROLEX, after I got to know some pilots with their GMT MASTERS. That is why I am so fascinated by your reports on very different people.
In addition, of course, there are the James Bond films. And so I had always dreamed about my own SUBMARINER.
Unfortunately, my father died early. When I graduated from university, my mother gave me my first Submariner, as a gift and I didn't even take the watch off to shower or sleep. That was about ten years ago.
It became a 14060M. Unfortunately, my mother also died last year after a serious illness. As a reminder for all the wonderful hours with my dearly loved parents, I was able to buy my second with my own money.
My licensed dealer, was very patient with me and I was one of the first owners of a 124060. There are around 10 years between the watches and both fascinate me.
Attached is a photo of the two watches with a toy from the Cold War era, a Soviet BTR-60 tank as it can be found today. Perhaps, the quality of the picture is sufficient for your blog and you will give me great pleasure in publishing it. The letter is FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. Always wanted to write this term. ;-) Please go on with your blog!
Kind regards,
Michael
