This is a story of a watch.
It starts with a problem I have.
I’ve always chased the newest of new technologies and craved data. For over a decade, I’ve worn a watch that buzzes or beeps when I receive a text message. I’ve had all sorts of watches and devices over the years; I’ve pretty much tried them all. My go-to device turned out to be a Garmin. The battery lasts over a week, and it does pretty much everything — from tracking workouts to measuring health — and it certainly lets you know when a message comes in.
Then, a couple of things happened back to back. First, I made a New Year’s resolution to step back from being constantly online — no small effort for a data guy. The second thing that happened was I realized that my grandfather’s old watch, which I inherited, was sitting in a drawer.
Little did I know the combination of the two would send me down this rabbit hole … the story of that watch.
My grandfather, Ira C. Hyche, was a very quiet man. Born in Holt, AL, near Tuscaloosa, he grew up during the Great Depression, never graduated high school, and married my grandmother in 1940. He then voluntarily enlisted in the Navy less than a month after the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941, as a “Seabee” in a construction battalion. After he passed away in 2015, we found his scrapbook. He made hand-etched covers from sheet aluminum, and while there were some family pictures, most were from the war.
He seldom talked about his time in the war, stationed in the Pacific. Still, he occasionally told stories about fixing his buddies’ cracked watch crowns with hand-polished replacements made from the plexiglass canopies of downed airplanes.
After going through the pictures, there is no doubt he saw hell, but this is not the story of his war days. That’s another story for another day.
When my grandfather returned from the war, he settled back into a job as a machinist and then manager of the large machine shop for Nashville Bridge Company in their Bessemer, AL, plant. If you’ve spent any time in Nashville, you might recognize their original headquarters building next to the Titans stadium.
He kept this job for over 50 years, and it was the only one he ever had. He could do anything with metal and machinery. Even today, you’ve probably driven over many bridges made by his and his team’s hands. But this is not the story of his work on American infrastructure, which could also stand alone.
In June 1960, while traveling overseas, his sister-in-law bought him a watch. It was a 1956 Rolex Oyster Perpetual, Serial Number 632501. As best we can tell, upon receipt, he wore it every day of his life from that point forward. This wasn’t jewelry or a status symbol as we think of it today; it was a machinist’s tool.
After he passed away, my mom saved it, and it made its way to me and then into a drawer, which we dutifully transferred in our recent move. It included the original box, case, and all the original paperwork, including the bill of sale from the Hong Kong PX for $460. Looking up the exchange rates, that was $80 in the U.S. and would be about $850 today. It was a handsome gift then and now. Only I didn’t recognize it at the time.
Earlier this year, as I packed away my buzzing Garmin, I decided to learn more about the Rolex model and the brand. Everyone has heard of Rolex, the premier Swiss watch manufacturer and one of the most influential brands in the world. It turns out that what I knew was next to nothing.
Christian Tapp of Diamond Cellar in Nashville was kind enough to sit down with me and give some history. He dove right in:
“Oyster Perpetual is not just the name of a timepiece Rolex produces. It represents the two most integral characteristics of their timepieces and their two most important contributions to the world of timekeeping. ‘Oyster’ dates back to the 1926 Rolex Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch Rolex created. In 1931, Rolex introduced the perpetual winding rotor,” he explained. “Thus, ‘Oyster Perpetual’ alludes to the fact that every Rolex produced is waterproof and automatic. This is inscribed on the dial of every Rolex watch now, regardless of the model.”
“When Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex in 1905, started selling wristwatches, pocket watches were the norm for men,” he told me. “Men seldom wore wristwatches. He was a visionary, the first to proclaim, ‘I think the future of watches for men is wristwatches.’ The two biggest hurdles to that eventuality were remembering to wind your watch manually and avoiding getting it wet.”
“Rolex introduced these incredible advancements to usher in the new era of wristwatches. Rolex aimed to make the watch an everyday tool.”
“The Oyster Perpetual has an incredible history and lineage with the company. People often think of Pan-Am pilots and the GMT-Master II, Steve McQueen and his 5512 Rolex Submariner, or Paul Newman and his Rolex Daytona,” he listed. “Still, the Oyster Perpetual was the first timepiece to summit Mount Everest in 1953. It was worn on Sir Edmund Hillary’s wrist with his Sherpa Tenzing Norgay as they summited the mountain.”
It was also the watch Mercedes Gleitze wore, Rolex’s first-ever brand ambassador. She has an incredible story of swimming the English Channel twice in 1926.
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual, Sir Edmund Hillary, and Tenzing Norgay. Image: Rubber B
“So the Oyster Perpetual is a deeply important part of the brand’s past,” Christian continued. “Rolex didn’t get into the business of making purpose-built tool watches for professionals until later, so this timepiece was widespread before that era. It’s a very iconic and important reference for Rolex. And you can still buy basically the same watch today.”
“It’s important to place in context that when your grandfather wore that watch, much of the recent history of Rolex, where they have continued to cement their legacy, had not yet happened,” he said. “To your grandfather, it could have just been ‘his watch,’ something he trusted to tell time accurately for his entire life. That remains Rolex’s roots. It is one of the few things still manufactured to last a lifetime and be passed to another generation.”
So that is the story of a watch. It was worn for over 50 years by a humble man who went through hell for his country. Nearly 70 years after being built, with only minor servicing, this watch is still running and amazingly accurate — with no electronics. It certainly does not buzz or beep. Thank goodness.
Think of all the things that have happened since Rolex manufactured this watch in 1956. Countries rose and fell. We went to the moon and unraveled DNA. Presidents came and went. Smartphones that connect everyone are in the hands of billions (for good or bad). And when my children or grandchildren inherit this watch, imagine what more will have occurred.
So maybe it is more than the story of a watch. Maybe it is the story of real people and an era of engineering that changed the world. After all, a mechanical wristwatch always has and always will work without the internet or AI and still accurately records our movement through the world’s most precious element: time.
I encourage us guys to unplug this Father’s Day, look around, and see what stories might lurk in our houses’ forgotten drawers. Or maybe even search for your own stories you can leave that will last generations. In my case, it turned out to be the rich history of people — disguised as a watch — and it turned out to be much more interesting than I ever expected.
After all, it’s not about the things; it’s about the stories.
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Jay Graves
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