NT931
1865
Looking forward, looking back: a tale of 2 vintage chronographs
Apr 17, 2020,08:08 AM
Thanks FabR for the great theme of "moments that we look forward to living again".
Since we've been asked to select recent pictures, I thought I'd pick two taken this week.
The
first picture looks back, and is a picture of a GP 8846 Olimpico that I bought several years ago. I bought it from a fellow collector in
Italy, and it was bought in a more carefree era.
Now
though, it sits on a background of sombre math equations (which is
actually my cloth mask that I wear) in the hope that science will help
us find a way out from this pandemic.
The second picture looks forward, and symbolizes hope.
I've
always wanted a Longines 30CH but somehow the right one eluded me -
either too pricey for my budget, or the watch had some flaws which
bothered me. When this one turned up courtesy of a collector friend of a
local collector, I jumped on it. As a reflection of these uncertain
times, when it arrived on Monday Apr 13th, I disinfected the
exterior before opening the box, just in case! And found this rose gold 30 CH shining inside...
By
coincidence, the watch was sold on Apr 6th, 1960 to Longines' agent in
Italy ... 60years and 1 week ago. So 60y ago, it made its way from Switzerland to Italy. And now, 60y on, it makes its way from the US to Asia, in another journey.
So why does this new acquisition give me hope, even in such times? I guess it's because the seller was a perfect gentleman, and a genuine pleasure to interact with. And he gives me hope that despite this COVID-19 crisis, we will continue to recognize our shared humanity, and continue to treat one another with honour and decency, for we are all together in this.