I’m a history buff; because I love seeing how events shape people and how things so often work together for good. And so, in that vein, it’s time for The Watch Writer’s origin story. 

Growing up, my family didn’t have a ton of money. As such, we frequented garage sales and Goodwill for our fashions and accessories.  I’m guessing I was around 9 or 10 in this story. 

It was probably a weekend morning and I was at a garage sale with my sister and my mom. And at that garage sale, I fell in love… with a Structure water resistant digital watch made for skiing. And no, I didn’t ski. BUT the fact that wearing it made me feel like a badass X-Games athlete just added to the experience.

This particular watch came in a tin box and it must have cost $5, maybe $10. I had a few dollars saved up and was able to convince my mom to chip in the extra few bucks. The rest, as they say, is history.

I’m not sure exactly what drew me to that watch. As mentioned, I didn’t come from money. Ergo, I didn’t grow up watching my Dad or Grandfather wearing a Rolex every day, My grandpa wore a Timex Easy Reader and my Dad wore a simple black Citizen. But something in me loved the idea of snagging that Structure watch.

Over the course of my school years, I had that watch and later added a second one – an orange and black Fossil watch. I don’t remember how long I had that first, skiing watch but it eventually died. Maybe it needed a battery or maybe the electronics got wet and shorted out. I would assume it ended up in the trash many, many years ago. Regardless, the impression was made.

After I graduated from college and settled into life as an adult, well, that’s when the obsession took over. Since then I’ve had no fewer than a dozen watches in my personal collection at any time, and sometimes as many as 50 (as of today, that number is 44. But there’s another shipment on the way…)  And whether I want it to be this way or not, watches are a permanent part of my paycheck. 

I love sharing stories but I think an important component of that is unpacking lessons from those stories. So what are the lessons I see when I reflect back over this story? 

1 – I want my clients and friends to know a little about who I am, as I think that’s what makes social media an amazing tool. 

2 – Sometimes you make mistakes (throwing away that old watch, for example). But I believe in redemption. Sometimes bad situations can turn around. Sometimes good things circle back around decades later.  I often purchase boxes of broken watches online, fix them, and sell them in online auctions as a side business.  Funny enough, one of my boxes last year contained – you guessed it – another Structure ski watch.  It’s still a work in progress but a pretty cool thing to have in the collection again.

3 – That person throwing a garage sale decades ago doubtlessly had no idea the impact they would have. Ergo, the lesson is that you have no idea the deep impact of seemingly-tiny decisions you make. As much as possible, then, I think it’s crucial to live in a way that is mindful of the potential impact your decisions may have.

Taking #3 a step further, something so small as selling a watch had a ripple effect 1,000 times over into my personal and professional life. All that to say – a simple word you say or action you take could have immeasurable effects on others. So be sure to do whatever you can to make sure that effect is a positive one. 

Sidebar note – when I started a freelance copywriting business, the watch industry was where my passion met my clients’ needs. I could have entered larger space with tens of thousands of companies, but I wanted to spend the late nights and long hours talking about something I love. So if you are a watchmaker or watch brand owner and want to advance your business in the digital writing / social media era, let’s talk. My passion shines through when I write about watches and that passion can’t help but draw consumers in.