It’s not very often that one goes to a fancy watch outlet to buy a 1,600-dinar (approx. $5,000/-) timepiece. At least I don’t. I’m not particularly enamored with such stuff (same goes with jewelry which I treat as glamorized metal) because for me, a watch is a watch is a watch. So long as it gives me the correct time, any of them is fine with me.
Well, I only have two watches – one a 14-year-old Benetton with a leather strap, the other a 7-year-old Swiss Army stainless steel contraption which was bought in one of the numerous shops along Lake Geneva. The only reason I have it is because the wife and son were haggling for a better price for their fancy watches and the shrewd Swiss salesman told them he’d only give the price they were asking for if they purchased one more.
With a wife’s infinite wisdom, Gladys got it as a gift for me (with my Visa, of course) and popped it out of the box – to my utmost surprise - when we met up by the lakeside walkway in front of the Jet d'eau where I was busy feeding the ducks. That’s how I became a proud owner of a real Swiss watch which actually costed not more than $110/-. Most of my previous watches were Japanese Seikos and Citizens. At one time, I even owned a Timex manufactured at the Free Trade Zone when it was all the rage in Manila. They all served me well until their shelf life ended.
A fine specimen of timekeeping the GMT Master II is
But I must hand it to the Swiss when it comes to precision and great workmanship. This S.A. baby has proven to be a real gem – always kept perfect time in spite of the numerous occasions that I’ve dropped it or knocked it accidentally against glass, concrete and metal. Nary a scratch!
Yesterday, my Boss, who’s in India busily preparing for his daughter’s wedding, called and told me to buy him a Rolex watch which he was going to give as a gift. For whom, I didn’t ask. His future son-in-law perhaps – lucky chap. But he told me to bring it when I flew to Delhi for the wedding. Go and get some money from the accountant and pick up a Rolex GMT Master II with an Oyster fliplock bracelet, black dial and black bezel is what he said. I had no idea how much such things cost so I asked Arun to give me a thousand dinars which, I thought, would be more than enough. Then I went to the Rolex showroom.
Could you please show me a Rolex GMT Master II? I asked the man at the counter. He eyed me suspiciously and thought I was joking. Okay, I couldn’t blame him for acting quite condescendingly since I was wearing badly faded jeans, a grimy shirt and a dusty pair of Nikes. No excuses. I looked awful after coming directly from a site to check on some guys laying a concrete floor - what to do. He slowly pointed out the watch underneath the gleaming glass showcase. May I see it please? I persisted, to which he gingerly pulled it out and placed it very slowly on a green felt cloth specially tailored for such use.
Well, it looked damn expensive alright and exuded quality and craftsmanship but my first reaction was it was too big and heavy. Who wants to lug this thing around, I thought, as I wrapped the smooth satin bracelet on my small wrist. Sir Edmund Hillary for one. He wore it when he conquered Mt. Everest. But it was created on demand for Pan-Am pilots who wanted a watch that could be set to GMT as well as local time. To solve that, Rolex added a rotatable bezel with 24-hour "military time" notation that you could set to whatever timezone you wanted to keep track of. Neat solution. The bezels came in black or blue-black, red-black and blue-red combinations. The last one looked like Pepsi's corporate colors.
How much? I pointed to the crown jewels. He probably thought I had no right to ask because he almost choked on his reply: 1,600 dinars, he muttered under his breath. Any discount? I said. He almost told me: How dare you! but thought the better of it and bit his tongue instead.1,400/- dinars, he grudgingly murmured. That’s it? Last price? Yes, he said triumphantly, thinking I’d skedaddle out of the place never to be seen again.
Just a minute, I said and texted the Boss who promptly replied – get it. But I only had a thousand bucks. You take Visa? I asked Mr. Smartass. Yes, Sir, came the reply – the last word added as an afterthought. But the tone was more business-like and not patronizing any longer. The word Visa must have done the trick, I thought. Okay, I said, taking out the wad of 20-dinar bills from my tattered pocket, here’s a thousand and put the rest on my credit card.
Here's the Pepsi bezel
Would I care for a cup of tea? The ingratiating voice was all warm and friendly now. He was pleasantly smiling - we were the best buddies. Why not, I said. Then with a wave of his hand, he graciously offered to sit myself on one of the plush sofas in the corner then told me in an almost reverential tone to make myself comfortable while he took care of everything. For that amount of money – since I was probably his only buying customer that day – I could have asked for more; perhaps a slice of tiramisu and a cup of espresso from the nearby Meridien coffeeshop. But I didn’t bother. I just wanted to get it over with ASAP, go home, take a shower, and catch Leno on the boob tube - he had Scarlett Johansson as guest.
To pass the time, I walked around the small boutique to check out the rest of the prized collection. How much was the most expensive Rolex available? I asked the assistant who materialized from nowhere, holding a hot pot of green tea with fresh mint. He pointed out a special glass case wherein lay a lady’s watch. It was studded with diamonds. The price tag: 16,500 dinars ($55,000/-). Wow! What about the cheapest? There was a smaller-sized gent’s watch with a plain dial and leather strap. It was going for 900 dinars ($3,000/-), he said matter-of-factly. The word cheap was, of course, relative. To me, it still cost a king’s ransom.
When all was done, Mr. Congeniality ushered me out of the door as though I was royalty, shook my hand firmly, and told me that when I come back again (even in a clown’s regalia perhaps), he would be just too glad to be of service once more. So there I was on the street, holding a bag with a quarter-million peso watch inside not knowing where to bring it: to the office or home? I decided on the latter, taking extra precaution to drive carefully, thinking that if I ever met an accident, the lucky ambulance driver could be wearing a GMT Master II.
I still think a watch is a watch is a watch. Except that some cost a fortune and change people's perceptions about you. A Rolex does that. Just ask Tiger Woods, Maria Sharapova and Brad Pitt. Plus me, of course.
