I have the very same gadget watch fixation. Divers, chronographs, dive chronographs, bubble depth gauges, mechanical alarms, tide indicators, even calculator watches. Long live the fiddly bits!
Another great essay. It is not a simple thought exercise for folks in fire country or earthquake country, or for that matter, folks living in troubled locations - like Sri Lanka for example. It is very real.
We always had (still have) our go bags and always hope that we will have time to load the Jeep but you never know.
In a very real sense, your essay captures the stoic view of momento mori. Live in the moment because you need to remember death (or in your essay - fire).
Enjoy your cozy home. Just remember it is all impermanent. Except for the DOXA (or in my case, the Bulova Devil Diver).
Not surprised about grabbing the DOXA. Based on how you talk about that watch, it surely surpasses the way you talk about your Rolex and SMP300. I have an Omega Aqua Terra, which value wise is probably the best thing to pull out of a burning house or accompany me in a post apocalyptic world. However, I would be a fool to not pick up my Seiko 6309-7290 slim turtle, which I was able to restore to its all original parts and with new gaskets to boot, can swim with me.
Jason - I feel a similar connection to my TGraph and for different reasons. Nick F did write the discovery story a while back but it was part of the find that included my wife and newborn daughter that make the Doxa very memorable to me. Since my daughter was less than 2 months old and we have only 1 car, I convinced my wife and baby to hop in the car so we could check out this auction lot and not leave them car-less at home (because I was irrationally concerned that something would happen when I was away, and wanted to see this watch). All of this was a complete surprise to my wife and since she was closing out year end deals, like all salespeople due at that time of the year, she went along with it and took calls from the car. After seeing the Doxa in its original glory, deciding to bid hard for it, all with my family nearby made the acquisition special. Throw in the gentle restoration and servicing at LAWW in Pasadena - as part of a different trip, the journey has been sweet from the TGraph’s discovery and resurrection / hope to see you at WindUp next month
The lawyer in me appreciates the disclaimer at the end---though not sure it would hold up :-/ As for the collection and what to take and leave...I would love to hear how my other half would respond to this pondering, you just gave us our car ride topic for this weekend. J
My brand new Sub 1200T Mkii stopped working after 4 days on the wrist back in the day. Never looked at the brand again. However, I’d look at THIS piece again...one of your best Substack essays to date!
I don't wear my Doxa 200 T-Graph Pro often enough but love everything about it. No one else around me has anything like it on their wrist. Its just fun to look at!
I have the very same gadget watch fixation. Divers, chronographs, dive chronographs, bubble depth gauges, mechanical alarms, tide indicators, even calculator watches. Long live the fiddly bits!
Hear hear!
I mean, that Doxa is the coolest of the cool. I'd happily wear it with a 3-piece suit and a drysuit.
Jason,
Another great essay. It is not a simple thought exercise for folks in fire country or earthquake country, or for that matter, folks living in troubled locations - like Sri Lanka for example. It is very real.
We always had (still have) our go bags and always hope that we will have time to load the Jeep but you never know.
In a very real sense, your essay captures the stoic view of momento mori. Live in the moment because you need to remember death (or in your essay - fire).
Enjoy your cozy home. Just remember it is all impermanent. Except for the DOXA (or in my case, the Bulova Devil Diver).
Cheers
JR
Not surprised about grabbing the DOXA. Based on how you talk about that watch, it surely surpasses the way you talk about your Rolex and SMP300. I have an Omega Aqua Terra, which value wise is probably the best thing to pull out of a burning house or accompany me in a post apocalyptic world. However, I would be a fool to not pick up my Seiko 6309-7290 slim turtle, which I was able to restore to its all original parts and with new gaskets to boot, can swim with me.
Love it, Jason. Good choice. Subs and Seamaster’s are a dime-a-dozen or so to say. The T Graph, not so much.
Jason - I feel a similar connection to my TGraph and for different reasons. Nick F did write the discovery story a while back but it was part of the find that included my wife and newborn daughter that make the Doxa very memorable to me. Since my daughter was less than 2 months old and we have only 1 car, I convinced my wife and baby to hop in the car so we could check out this auction lot and not leave them car-less at home (because I was irrationally concerned that something would happen when I was away, and wanted to see this watch). All of this was a complete surprise to my wife and since she was closing out year end deals, like all salespeople due at that time of the year, she went along with it and took calls from the car. After seeing the Doxa in its original glory, deciding to bid hard for it, all with my family nearby made the acquisition special. Throw in the gentle restoration and servicing at LAWW in Pasadena - as part of a different trip, the journey has been sweet from the TGraph’s discovery and resurrection / hope to see you at WindUp next month
The lawyer in me appreciates the disclaimer at the end---though not sure it would hold up :-/ As for the collection and what to take and leave...I would love to hear how my other half would respond to this pondering, you just gave us our car ride topic for this weekend. J
My brand new Sub 1200T Mkii stopped working after 4 days on the wrist back in the day. Never looked at the brand again. However, I’d look at THIS piece again...one of your best Substack essays to date!
Good read, hope to see you in Chicago.
I don't wear my Doxa 200 T-Graph Pro often enough but love everything about it. No one else around me has anything like it on their wrist. Its just fun to look at!
I get it. I really do.