take | longines 6b/159 ref. 4830.

(making) a case for scratches — a RAF-issued pilots watch.

the watch that inspired this story was issued somewhere around 1940 to british royal air force pilots. first things first, i absolutely love this watch. i’ve long had a fascination with vintage watches and this watch marks my first step into this world. from the size (admittedly a surprise at first), to the dial and the general history behind this watch as a military tool, there are so many things that continue to draw my eye and fascinate me every time i wear it. for the purpose of this story, instead of telling you about the history and specifications of this model, i want to start by focusing on one specific aspect of the watch: the condition of the case.

beauty can relate to an object as a whole or a single detail. here, it is made up from hundreds of tiny details (a nice word for ‘scratches’ — just look at those lugs). details that end up telling a story. without knowing the past whereabouts of this watch, anything is possible. it is a tiny — 34 mm — canvas for my imagination, every time i look at the watch. whether it was worn by a pilot, a navigator or someone else entirely that might not even have been involved in military duty. i will probably never know but there are sheer endless possibilities to imagine what this watch might have been through in its past life.

up until today, the watch has lived a life that i can only wonder about. but now, as i continue to wear it, i also continue its story. while wearing any watch, we leave marks on them and they leave a mark on us. later in time, we will be able to look at these watches and not only imagine what might have been but also remember what has happened while wearing these little pieces that have so many more stories to tell. having a vintage watch with such a lived-in case condition, has given me a new perspective on watches in general and the signs of wear that these things tend to collect over time. eventually, the details become another story.