My Father's Rolex
Some time ago my mom asked if I wanted my father's Rolex. I think it may have been when he was admitted to Potomac Group Homes. My first reaction was "No, Mom. I don't want that watch."
My father's Rolex was my father's Rolex. I wasn't ready to accept it. He wasn't even ready to part with it. See, you have to understand. This watch represents something much larger than a timepiece. Something much larger than an expensive watch. This watch was my Dad's recognition for himself that he had reached a certain level of success. He had climbed the ladder of American Dreams and bought a coveted Swiss timepiece.
I think I was around 8 when he bought this watch. Somewhere around third grade. He chose the stereotypical executive's Rolex. The Presidential bracelet with the Jubilee bezel and the Champagne face. Years later after I graduated college and he was well into his retirement, he added small diamonds to the faceplate at the hour marks.
This watch was something extraordinarily special to me. When my sister graduated college, my dad bought her a Rolex. It nearly matched except that the faceplate was a different color. When I graduated college, I felt pressure to also get a Rolex. But I had mixed feelings. First of all, I didn't necessarily think I deserved one. Secondly, I didn't want the same watch that both of them had. I wanted something different. So I got a Rolex that was anything but ordinary. So in that right, I feel great about it and I always have. It has a blue face. It has a smooth bezel. It has a non-traditional bracelet. It's entirely different that my dad's. And my sister's.
Last night, my mom gave me my Dad's Rolex. I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. Not the least of which is how classic and wonderful it looks. Even with the diamond hour marks he had added later on. Initially I said I would change the hour marks back to regular slashes. But this is the watch he created. Is this the watch I would have created? Certainly not. Certainly not right now. I am not accomplished. But he was. And this is the watch he created, so I will not change it. It reflects his choices. His successes. His desires. I will respect that. So what does that mean for me? I will wear it proudly for occassions that I could feasibly pull off wearing a watch with diamonds on it. And to be honest, they are relatively subtle. As subtle as diamonds on a watch can be. So, maybe I don't deserve to wear diamonds. Maybe I'm not accomplished enough to wear diamonds. But at least I deserve to wear the watch that my father viewed as the symbol of his success. The marker of his lifelong success. So I will wear it to pay tribute to him. And if anyone questions me for wearing such a flashy watch, I will explain that I wear it in honor of my Father, the man who put me in front of you.