Rolex

You never know what a day will bring, do you?

My whale-watching trip was cancelled when we got to the ocean, thanks to heavy swells and chop. After more than a few people got sick and the galley was closed due to flying beers (is that a bad thing?), the captain turned back. After my wife picked me up at the dock, we turned the opposite way at the corner, bought some sushi for lunch, and came home with an old watch.

Here's how it happened.

We went down to our friend's boat, where we snagged a couple Pacificos and sat looking at the water. After awhile, we thought it would be polite to let him know we were there. We called him and discovered that he was a hundred yards away, in the yacht club having lunch with some pals. They invited us over.

It was three old retired Navy SEALs, having lunch by the water on April Fool's Day. Talking about old times and how the world has passed them by.

Gary asked me if I'd be interested in taking a look at his pal's watch. I said yes, he unstrapped it and handed it over, saying, "Only a Tudor. Officers got Rolex. We got Tudor."

I commented on the state of his strap -- it was a bit ragged, to be honest.

He said "I've been wearing the watch on this strap since 1965 and see no reason to change it. Although I have lost the little flap that snapped on to cover up the lume at night, and my tiny compass is less than accurate nowadays."

But that didn't mean it couldn't use a mild cleaning. 

So here it is. I'm thinking of taking a few photos during the cleaning, and (if he's okay with it) sharing a few tales about his SEAL days. Would that be okay?

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