I thought I'd bump this old thread because I got something in the mail today that relates to this story.
I've recently been thinking about my first watch, the one from 2nd grade that I mentioned in the original post. A few months ago I decided to see if I could figure out what it was, and in a little while, I had solved the mystery -- at least as close as my memory would allow: It was a blue Timex Mercury. I haven't been able to figure out how much one costs in 1973, but I'd guess it was $5-10, which was more than we were allowed to ask for Christmas gifts. It was a gift I didn't know I wanted, but it was the greatest gift I ever received as a kid. I could have had my own edition of
A Christmas Story about it. I remember going back to school with it in January, and at recess, I told my friend to "Go over there and I'll come over in 5 minutes." Those were the longest 5 minutes of my life -- standing in the snow-covered parking lot in Ohio, watching my breath in the cold as 300 seconds ticked by. Unfortunately, I don't know what happened to that watch. Probably, the life of a 7-year-old boy happened to it, and I broke it riding my bike or lost it playing in the woods, as boys of that age are prone to do.
So a few nights ago, my wife was asleep on the couch next to me and I was sipping on a bourbon and Googled "Timex Mercury" and I found a 1975 edition on Ebay for $95 that looked practically new (probably another "new old stock" timepiece). It was recently serviced by an experienced watchmaker and listed as in excellent condition. Click, buy, ship! I probably overpaid for it, but it wasn't about the hunt -- it was about having the watch. It arrived today and I'm thrilled!
It has a replacement strap on it, but the elastic faux metal expanding bracelet that was on mine probably wouldn't fit my wrist anymore, if the elastic still had any spring left in it. The 35mm case size seems tiny compared to my 46mm daily wear, but I'm glad to have my first love. It tells time. But more than that, it tells a story of my love of timepieces.
And if anyone was wondering, the Soviet clock has found a permanent home in the
Time Machine, but we're still under construction. I'm 7 years and 3,100 hours into a 4 year / 2,000 hour build! The electrical work is done, the canopy is on, and I'm doing some fiberglass work before we carry the fuselage up to the garage to mount the engine in the near future.
I've said this a few times before, but I hope it will fly next year. (And this time, I really mean it!)
The clock is the only thing mounted on the instrument panel so far. All the avionics are just paper templates to help me plan the location of everything. The holes at the top are for advisory light, and the ones in the bottom are for switches, as you can see in the pre-carbon fiber version of the panel.
