Watch

Way back in 1990, my mom gave me a digital watch which cost about Rs 15 then. I was overwhelmed and overjoyed. It even had a button to switch on light to see time at night. I would proudly show off the watch to one and all.

Then, in 1992, my dad’s office staff presented me a Titan Aqura watch during my Upanayanam ceremony. I fell in love with that watch at first sight. I stored the watch within its casing and would stare at it for hours together. But I wouldn’t wear it because I didn’t want to spoil it by wearing. So I still wore my digital watch.

About three years later, I realized that if I didn’t wear the Titan Aqura, I would never ever wear it and it will continue to be in its neat Titan case. So, with difficulty, for I liked my digital watch too, I switched on to Titan Aqura and somewhere down the line, I lost (or I threw off because it stopped working – not sure what) the digital watch.

Titan Aqura was my undisputed watch for the next decade. I wore it daily 23 hours and 50 minutes – removing 10 mins only for bath. I never felt the need for any other watch. It didn’t give me any trouble whatsoever. I had to change the strap exactly once in 6 months and the battery perhaps once in 2 years. I liked going to the Titan service center because it was nice and clean and it had AC!

In 2004, I got another digital watch. This Titan watch was presented as a gift to all employees of the company where I work. This was a sophisticated watch. It had time zones across the world – meaning, we could see the time anywhere in the country at any point of time. It had timer, 3 alarm clocks, stop watch and a host of other things. The watch also came with a uniquely shaped CD which had an excellent video about the watch.

Then in 2008, I got 3 watches: a Timex (again from the company where I work but this time from the sub-unit where I belong), another Titan (an official wedding gift from the bride’s side but the watch was chosen together by my bride and myself – although I insisted I didn’t need a watch because I already had 3 then) and a Quartz (from my colleague who had returned from onsite – not a wrist watch but a hanging pop-out watch which I could hardly use because of its very nature).

Then in 2010, I got 2 more watches (as of date): a swashbuckling Cruiser (from my brother-in-law in Dubai) and an MS Dhoni-signed Reebok (an FD got automatically renewed in ICICI bank at a particular time when ICICI bank had promised all its customers an MS Dhoni-signed watch for those who open FD! Imagine my surprise when I got the watch!)

So, now I have all of the above watches except the first Rs 15 digital watch and the 2008 Timex (which I gave to my dad as his watch was in a dilapidated state). That comes up to 6 watches out of which I cannot wear the Quartz. So that’s 5 wrist watches. I can wear one per day to office.

I still love my Titan Aqura and wear it whenever I want. I don’t like the Reebok but its dial is good. I thought the Cruiser was much too big for me but I am beginning to use it more often these days as it looks cool. The wedding Titan wrist watch is stately and elegant and I wear it during important occasions. I like the digital Titan watch too but I liked it better with its original strap. I like the Quartz but I cannot wear it because it is not a wrist watch. I liked the Timex very much and at one point was wearing it daily but I had to give it away to my dad.

Noticed the strangest part?

In my entire life, I have never ever bought a single watch.