Father's Day
With Father's Day quickly approaching, it may seem customary to gift the usual accouterments – a tie, khaki slacks, or a subscription to Men’s Fitness magazine. Although these gifts do mean something, they don’t show any deep thought into the years of your life where a father plays a pivotal role – playing catch, learning how to ride a bike, learning how to tie a tie.
As a father, in fact, one thing your dad probably wishes he has more of is time. It’s a central concept (or controller) in our lives; will I get to this meeting on time? When is dinner? How long will the drive be? All of these are questions that are frequently asked, especially in our time-centric society. But all of these somewhat meaningless questions seem to fade into obscurity when faced with the eventuality of your children growing older and moving out, and the eventuality of becoming older. What better gift to give your father then, than the gift of a wristwatch?
Similar to the way babies and young children “play with mommy’s hair,” children tend to fumble with their fathers’ watches. It is often one of our first memories; the cold feeling of metal against our tender skin, the subtle tick, tick, tick. There was a point in time when wearing a watch was nearly synonymous with manhood. James Bond wore an Omega, Steve McQueen wore a ref. 5513 Rolex Submariner. “Do you have the time?” was a question commonly asked on the street and train alike. It seems as though wearing a watch has become antiquated, but this isn’t the case. More and more men (and women alike) are beginning to wear watches again. Similar to how styles go in and out of fashion (at one point in time, shoulder pads in every shirt was considered “hip,”) wearing a watch has become cool again. There are countless watch companies, including the Égard watch company, that specializes in quartz (battery powered) and automatic (mechanical) watches alike. Égard even has options below $200 for budget-friendly shoppers.
Looking at a watch, however, means much more than simply checking the time. Watches become a large part of our personas – when you wake up in the morning, aside from eyeglasses or contacts, a watch may be the first accessory on your body. While working in the yard, relaxing by the pool, or enjoying an ice-cold beer on a hot Summer night, your watch is perpetually there. Watches are passed from father to son, then from father to son again – eventually, in a certain respect, a watch becomes a member of the family (as corny as that may sound.) So this Father’s Day, dare to venture outside the realm of the first crew-neck sweater you see at a department store – give your father the gift that keeps on ticking.