Every watch collector remembers their first watch.
I certainly do.
Mine wasn't a luxury Swiss watch or a limited edition timepiece.
It was a Seiko.
At the time, I didn't know much about watches. I didn't understand movements, craftsmanship, or what made one brand different from another.
I only knew one thing.
It was the nicest thing I had ever worn on my wrist.
I Treated It Like It Was Fragile
When I first received it, I was almost afraid to wear it.
I worried about scratching the case.
I carefully wiped the crystal after wearing it.
Whenever I took it off, I placed it back in its box instead of leaving it on the table.
Looking back, I probably treated it more carefully than some people treat their phones today.
Not because it was expensive.
Because it was precious to me.
It wasn't just a watch.
It was my watch.
Something My Father Always Said
Growing up, my father often said something that stayed with me.
"A good Seiko will always have value. "
" The mechanism is good. "
" Even can sell at pawn shop. "
He wasn't talking about investment returns.
He meant that a well-made watch was something worth taking care of.
He even joked that if life ever became difficult, a good watch could still be worth something.
Whether that day ever comes isn't the point.
What stayed with me was the lesson behind it.
Some things are worth keeping because they last.
Why Seiko Earned Its Reputation
Over the decades, Seiko built a reputation for something many people admired.
Reliability.
It wasn't always about owning the most expensive watch.
It was about owning one that simply worked, year after year.
Many families have stories of a Seiko watch that was passed down from a parent or grandparent.
Some have travelled across countries.
Some have marked decades of everyday life.
There is something comforting about an object that quietly continues doing its job without asking for attention.
Perhaps that's why so many people remember their first Seiko.
My First Lesson About Watches
That watch taught me something I didn't understand at the time.
A watch isn't valuable only because of its price.
It's valuable because of the memories attached to it.
Years later, I can't remember exactly what I wore on many ordinary days.
But I can still remember how I felt when I fastened that first watch onto my wrist.
Proud.
Excited.
Careful.
Almost afraid of damaging something that meant so much to me.
While
After spending years in the watch industry, I've handled hundreds of different watches.
Some are more expensive.
Some are more complicated.
Some are more beautifully finished.
Yet none of them can replace the feeling of receiving that first watch.
Because first experiences have a way of staying with us.
Maybe that's why I still believe watches matter.
Not because of the logo on the dial.
Not because of the movement inside.
But because every meaningful watch marks the beginning of a story.
Mine just happened to begin with a Seiko. And I was just recall all my siblings seem have Seiko for their first watch as a gift from our father while I wrote this article.