110%

That’s the inflation rate for Seiko watches over 21 years.

Back in February 1987 I bought a very plain Seiko watch. Ninety bucks. Over the years, I only had to buy four or five batteries. About a year ago, I cracked the crystal. About the same time, I replaced a battery. The technician said the stem was corroding and would at a point die.

It hadn’t yet reached the age of majority and they’re talking about death?

Last week I inadvertently put it out of its impending misery, by drowning it.

I’m not real competent in the morning. On Tuesday, I turned on the shower and stepped in. With my watch on my wrist. Only for a second. I toweled it off. There was water inside the crystal but it was ticking.

On Wednesday it was still ticking, but with little beads of water under the crystal. Mid-afternoon it ticked its last. The date and time of death were February 13, 2008, at 3:15 p.m., EST. Even in the end it gave me accuracy.

I didn’t take a lot of time to grieve. Thursday I bought pretty much the same watch. Two hundred bucks. It doesn’t have any scratches. We’ll see if it lasts long enough to gain some character.