I have always had a passion for
time-pieces. I love anniversary clocks, grandfather clocks, and, in
particular, pocket watches.
Many years ago, I carried pocket
watches with me wherever I went. For whatever reason, pocket watches
became harder to find in the mid 1980s and I had no choice but to put
up with wrist watches with their ill-fitted straps and cheap bezels.
I like mechanical time pieces. I am not a big fan of battery powered
watches. Although, in recent years, I have had more satisfaction from
battery powered Timex and Casio watches than I did years ago, I still
prefer pocket watches.
Around 2005 or 2006, I bought a pocket
watch from Fossil. It had a quartz movement. Annoyingly, the battery lasted about a year and had
to be replaced. I found out that Fossil had to use a special tool to
open the watch and replace the battery and when I stopped at the
store, the young lady behind the counter did not know how to open the
watch back, could not find the tool, and suggested I return in a day
or two when the manager was there and could help me. I went home and
threw the watch in the trash.
I found a mechanical pocket watch on Amazon's
website and ordered it. The watch was made by Charles Hubert Paris.
It turns out, the watch was made in China using inferior materials
and it stopped working about six months later.
After a couple of years using a Timex,
I was irritated with having to replace the watch strap again and
bought a new pocket watch in an upscale mall in Columbus, Ohio. It
was made by Dakota Watch.
The Dakota would not wind at all. The
spring was just turning in circles when I tried to wind the watch.
They gave me another one. It stopped running a month later. They
replaced it and told me that if it breaks they will not give me
another and I will have to send it to their repair center to
determine if it was abused or damaged by me. Winding that watch, the
hands slip around when the spring is tighter, but not fully wound.
Another problem.
I then ordered a Celtic design pocket
watch from a store in Ireland. When trying to set the time, the hands
jump around when I push in the stem. Once the watch is set right, it
does not keep perfect time, but it will do. The problem is that this
watch is flimsy and has “quartz movement” under the hood. In
short, it is made in China and it's junk.
I would prefer a mechanical watch, but,
I bought the “Irish” Celtic watch with a quartz movement in the
hope that it would last longer than the mechanical watches that I
have purchased over the last dozen years.
I finally ordered a Seiko pocket watch
that is made in Japan. I should be receiving it some time late this
month. It is a quartz movement with a five-year battery. Unlike most
companies, Seiko still makes a quality product.
When I first started carrying pocket
watches, they were all mechanical movements and they were all nicely
made. Back then, you could buy one for as low as $30 (USD) and get
years of use from them. Today, like so many other things that are
deemed “commodity goods”, it is hard to find a pocket watch that
is well-built.
So, what does this have to do with
passion and self-discipline?
When you really love what you are doing
and you pour your heart into it you don't settle for mediocrity. You
don't want to make junk. No, when you really pour your heart into it,
whatever IT is, you want to do the best you can. You want to be the
best you can be.
Like the sword maker, the pen maker,
and the watch makers of times past, you want to be a master of your
trade.
NOTE: I checked the status of the Seiko pocket watch order just before I started typing this blog post. The order was processed in Japan yesterday. The product was shipped to the USA from a Japan-based UPS terminal. The watch is currently received in a UPS facility in Kentucky and is now scheduled for a delivery today, May 24th. Now THAT is SERVICE!
Perhaps it is the discipline of Japanese people. Perhaps it is their devotion to service. Perhaps it is the culture and success of Seiko. If all businesses were run this way success would be guaranteed
To Seiko, I say:
arigatou gozaimashita ありがとうございました (Thank You for what you have done).
What a great way to start the day!
