Years ago, my dad must have gotten a couple of gold watches for his retirement, the standard farewell gift of twentieth century corporate America. He gave one to me, since he didn’t need two, and what I’ve found in my first year of retirement is that you don’t even need one. Plus, in the last decade, smart phones have become the primary timepiece, and gone are the days when someone works for the same company for 30 or 40 years and is honored with a gold watch and a handshake. As a result, watches have become less functional and more decorative, worn as status symbols, with pricey brands like Rolex leading the way as trophies of accomplishment. For people like me with smaller budgets, I bought my son a TAG Heuer timepiece for his birthday commemorating the Indianapolis 500, a common bond with us. I also bought my wife a Movado for our wedding anniversary and she reciprocated with an Apple Watch for me. We both follow the modernized list of appropriate gift ideas, and the 15th is the watch anniversary.

The watch my dad passed along to me is a Bulova, commemorating the 150th anniversary of Indiana University, where both of us and my mom received degrees. It was the first nice watch that I ever owned, and I keep it safe in an I.U. treasure chest along with other family heirlooms. Like a music box, when you lift the lid it plays the I.U. fight song. You can also change the recording, with a flick of a switch inside, to the Don Fisher play-by-play of the final seconds of the 1987 NCAA National Championship where Keith Smart hits the winning shot. It was also a gift, along with the hundreds of other I.U. momentos that I’ve received or purchased through the years. These include beer covers, bottle openers, jerseys, t-shirts, sweat shirts, knit shirts, stadium replicas, photos, stickers, pens, pencils, stationary, book covers, dog collars, note books, gloves, buttons, badges, blazers, striped pajama bottoms, brackets, programs, flasks, yearbooks, plates, barbecue spatulas, tickets, name tags, jackets, balls, luggage tags, glassware, framed prints, cuff links, ties, tins, plaques, socks, cards, books, checks, credit cards, press passes, shorts, caps, posters, schedules, magazines, leather goods, headbands, hats, mugs, cups, coolers, etc. You name it – I’ve probably got it, but with the lack of recent success, Cubs merchandise has become the favored gift the past few years.

I did not get a gold watch or even a retirement party when I left the workforce a year ago. I did not expect a special send-off, since the last ten years of my career were at three or four different companies. I do however appreciate the generous pension that I receive from a previous employer and will take that over a gold watch anytime. I was writing this post today in anticipation of a phone call from Apple customer relations regarding replacement of the defective watch that my wife bought me on our anniversary. My gift to her is still ticking! The call from Apple came in late and the service agent apologized for her untimeliness. I joked that “I wasn’t paying attention to the time because I don’t have a watch.” I feel that it’s ironic that in my first year of retirement, instead of receiving a watch; I’ve actually had one taken away!  I hope that Apple will arrange some sort of compensation in exchange for the unacceptable short life of their product. As it turns out, a decision has yet to be made and they will call again on Sunday. I’ll keep you posted.