the rolex saga, part three

I mean, orchids of course!

The watch stopped again at least once and had to go back to Switzerland again, but then it worked for years. It swam in many oceans and took thousands of showers and had many adventures in many time zones and never skipped a beat. Until last month. Some hesitation and then—nothing.
   I took it off. Even though I don't consciously recall the time and date, I certainly registered when it was unavailable on my wrist. Yes, I know I have it on my phone, but its not the same. Like I need to look at my phone more often?
   I called Rolex. They said they no longer send watches back to Switzerland, and that it would likely cost six weeks and $800 to repair in New York.
   Meanwhile, I could not live without a functioning watch on my wrist, so I went to what Barrett calls "the drawer where you put things you don't know what to do with" and explored my options. There was the Mickey Mouse watch from Walmart that Barrett had given me, and the Saddam Hussein watch Ed had bought for me at a market in Iraq. The Mickey Mouse watch had a clasp that was easier to manage, so I had the battery replaced by a shoemaker on Broadway (go figure!).
   I wore both to the Fifth Avenue Rolex building for an estimate. You sit in a fancy waiting room, and they give you fancy water to drink while you wait to hand your fancy timepiece over to a fancy young woman.

In the Rolex waiting room