A Gift from Dad
3/September/2026 Sometime back, before we moved to the shoebox, Dad gave me his Revue Thommen Airspeed XLarge chrono. I remember it was on a visit to Sungei Wang Plaza that I bought a G-Shock square, 5600, with Tough Solar charging. And it was a classic work of art. I sat down to unbox it at a coffee place when Dad said he wanted it -thru the mindspace. Reluctantly, I parted with it. There is something attractive about the 5600 models, crisp and solid, even. And while I was in rehab, Dad wore it every time I saw him, weekends.
The RT, on the other hand is a bona fide luxury timepiece (exceeding $2k). I could see blued screws, Geneva stripes, micro regulator, while the dial was a designer shade of blue-black with a red-orange sweep seconds hand. The crown screwed in confidently, as if the threads were beefier and the hands were in the borderless lumed sword style (think Sinn). The case was 40mm, with a display back and front sapphire crystal. I put it on stiff black nylon 2-piece.
I guess, growing old, Dad didn't want to take care of a mechanical watch, bother with changing the date alternate months, and resetting the time every week or two. I was surprised, he enabled the lift to light-on feature of the G-Shock and declared it a modern marvel. Being an avid gardener in the tropics, I remember cleaning all kinds of dirt out of his G. I had only ever done it once. Likewise the Airspeed chrono. Rated at 50m WR, it's safe for swimming and showering, in other words, getting drenched would not be a problem. And it began to grow on me. I wore it out today, on a long walk, and felt proud to own a categorically luxury watch.
Took time out to cook pasta for the folks. Then I need to resume coding net4spice. Overhaul the node-setting statements which I no longer remember why they are the way they are. Stroke does these things to you. Took a break to work out. Had some baked beans for supper, now past 2am. I believe I have water retention. Must head out on a run tomorrow evening.
Am filling in the nodes in net4spice very systematically. It's still not done but the guesswork has been taken out of the algorithm. However it's getting late and is nearly time for bed.
I drew a new KoangDeLambe comic strip. It's another jumbo 2-column. From now on, I will concentrate on my testimony and less on basic faith / contentious issues. Managed to get cleaned well. Still my weight is above 93kg. Gone up nearly 2kg, mostly water retention, perhaps due to the hot, hazy weather. Today is chores day and I won't have much time to code.
My muscles have grown well since I started the inclined leg push-ups and Russian roll situps. Finished sweeping the shoebox. Grandma is ill and the folks decided to visit her early this weekend. Had a fever yesterday and isn't doing well. When she passes on, we'll be able to divide out the house. On the other hand it is cruel not to let her see the coming of Christ, so near. And I have never agreed with the onset of her 'dementia' from the beginning despite needing protection / money etc. Family, some of you should repent of this act, and pursue the way of kindness. God blesses the merciful.
And I was thinking of the RT Airspeed which cost circa 10kRM. Would I ever want a watch more expensive than this? There probably are a few I might look at, such as the Seiko Kinetic perpetual calendar (which actually is cheaper). IMHO, there is no point going for something like a Longiness, Mido, or Hamilton, more so a Tissot, which are essentially pale shadows of former glory. The Seiko PC is on sale for 1.9kRM. I have saved only 1.2kRM. Will try letting go one of my other watches.
I signed up for eBay as a seller. Decided not to auction off my watch collection but to sell the ABY sketches I made in 2013. Also decided not to buy a Kinetic perpetual, just a Casio to fill the gap between Edifice and Mudman. Not sure what it might be.
My watch crisis is resolving. I will wear the Mudman on walks and outstation trips, while the shiny Edifice chrono will be used for dressier events. Am now looking at options to make it a 3-watch rotation, that don't require me to sell to raise money for. Was thinking I'd spend less than $200.
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