The Watch Widow

For many years, watches were my world, not Linda’s. She would occasionally join me for events, especially when we were hosting something ourselves, but I always suspected she was participating more because she loved me than because she loved watches. She proudly called herself a “watch widow.”

After a couple of such declarations, I began a campaign. I wanted to buy my wife a beautiful watch. Linda wanted absolutely nothing to do with the idea, and most of the pieces traditionally marketed to women made the problem worse. Add diamonds, make the dial pink or pastel, and suddenly it becomes a “lady’s watch.” I knew she would never want anything flashy. She certainly wouldn’t wear something to work that felt extravagant or drew too much attention.

Eventually, after presenting her with more options than she probably wanted to see, I found one she was willing to accept: a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface. There were diamonds, but they were subtle enough for her. The watch was elegant rather than flashy. And because a Reverso can take on an entirely different personality with a new strap, I added several straps in different colors. I even put a buckle on every one so she could change them herself, depending on what she was wearing or simply how she felt that day.

Finally, Linda said yes. For me, it was a small victory. But over time, the watch came to mean something more. Linda had begun this journey as the self-described “watch widow,” sitting beside a husband who could happily spend an evening discussing watches she had little interest in understanding. Now there was a Reverso on her wrist. It was about finding the watch that felt like hers. And perhaps that is one of the nicest things a watch can become: not simply something another person loves and gives to you, but something you slowly make your own.