My Dad’s Watch
When I was a kid, my dad had a watch that looked just like this 1973 Rolex Red-Submariner stainless steel wristwatch 1680. On his, the glow-in-the-dark dots on the face were white instead of yellow.
I came across this image on the Clars.com auction website and I was filled with pleasant nostalgia.
At Christmas when I was about 5, I sat on Santa Claus’ knee and he was asking whether I was a good boy and what I wanted for Christmas. I looked down and saw this watch. I looked up and realized that my dad was Santa Claus! It was a magical moment.
When I had grown, my dad and I talked often about that moment and how impressed he was that I figured out it was him. He’d say, “You bum! You figured it out! How’dju do that! You were just a kid!” I loved talking about that with him.
Whenever we’d talk about it, we’d wonder what happened to the watch. We never figured out exactly. The watch got lost at some point. But that’s ok, our shared joy is intact.