Easter gifts

We have always celebrated Easter as a family, rejoicing in the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. He showed us that our life on earth is but a moment in time. There is more, beyond. And that we need to spend our minutes and days well.

So this Easter, I wanted to make time visceral and to remind us that it is perpetual. Naturally, a self winding mechanical watch, powered only by the kinetic energy of the wearer, is a fitting gift.

But these gifts are more than just reminders of God's promise to us. They are also tokens of my love to both of you.

As you know, I am in the middle of an 8 city, 11 flight, 18 day round the world trip from Munich to Washington DC, then Riyadh and Dubai and back to KL and Singapore (where I am spending the easter weekend) and out again to Amsterdam and Berlin before returning to Singapore again.

Jet lag, red eye flights, unfamiliar rooms and uncomfortable pillows all conspire to make me miss you all more. Indeed, I already started longing for you as I was setting off to Munich knowing it'd be two weeks before I will see you again.

So there in this pretty catholic German city, I walked into the renowned watch retailer, Wempe, and bought a special watch for M. The Metro was a major milestone for Nomos; it was the first watch to feature a movement with the Swing Sytstem. Beyond that, the Metro Neomatik is simply a great watch with one of Nomos’ quirkiest designs (brought to life by famed industrial designer, Mark Braun).

And it is the design that reminded me of M. She has always possessed a great sense of style and I instinctively know she would agree with Mark Braun's creation, petitely made like she is: all simple elegance. What drew me even more to the watch is the night blue colour of its dial. It is the sheen of the deep sea. It is the shade of the night sky just before the stars shine the brightest. So when she looks at the watch, she can also imagine her dad who is often overseas as well as her brother who in due time will be halfway around the world. In short, it's a poetic colour, befitting M's creative (if sometimes moody) soul. Last but not least, her mom has the same watch (also a gift from me, being the 27th anniversary of our first date). Three good reasons why this watch is the best instrument to keep time for M!

I even wore this watch a few days on my trip so technically I am giving her my watch.

Similarly, for J, I wanted something special too and in the same value as the one I got for M, to be fair. Indeed, I have been looking for this watch since the start of the year when I first saw it. I finally found it in Dubai, fittingly for a newly promoted Lieutenant who needs to help keep peace in the world.

It's the baby Brother of a watch I just bought, though mine is in the signature green Color of the brand. This watch needs to be different.

He is a rugged chap and needs something that fits his lifestyle. So a watch that is meant to withstand diving the depths of the seas and yet bears the colour of the earth should serve the purpose. Indeed since getting him his first watch, a Luminox, he has shown good interest in timepieces and proceeded to buy two himself (one in Taipei and one online). I thought I should add to his collection with something quite special. According to HODINKEE (my Favourite watch review site), the Tudor Heritage "Black Bay Bronze is one of those watches that, whether intentionally or not, serves as a reminder that nowadays, a lot of us find it hard to settle down and make a commitment to That One Special Watch. The whole point of the Black Bay Bronze, I think, is to watch it gradually change, from one day to the next. Seeing the patina on the bronze slowly begin to darken the original, almost milky-gold hue of the bronze of the case is an enormous pleasure, taken one day to the next."

This is a watch that will become uniquely yours, as its patina develops based on how, where and who wears it. I thought it fitting that as J goes off to the US to study environment that he has a watch with a diamond second hand and snowflake hour hand. And as he exposes it to his environment, this watch will change its hues but fundamentally it remains a faithful keeper of time.  Indeed these are developments we wish on both M and J that they keep growing in their own unique ways but deep down inside remain rooted in their faith, and may this little piece of mechanical wonder on their wrist serve to remind them of the love all around.

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