The watch in question is a Citizen EcoDrive WR50 model. It was brought by my mom for me in 2001 from a Citizen store in Chandigarh, Sector-22 and cost around 4500 bucks. Since then, we have had a rough history together. Still remember the University riots at the end of first year in Nagpur. Students were protesting against the abysmal results the university had declared. We were standing amongst the crowd on the road in front of the university campus and chatting about how we should lynch the vice-chancellor. Suddenly there was an uproar and people started running towards the inner courtyard. Swept along with the crowd, me and a friend of mine suddenly found ourselves avoiding a stampede and running towards the inner courtyard. Before we knew it, I was all alone in the courtyard surrounded by policemen. Trying to avoid stick blows, I ran towards the nearest wall as the gate was now manned by 4-5 policemen. Just as I was climbing the wall, there were quite a few blows on my hands and back. Somehow I managed to escape and found myself running towards Birdie as I had never ran in my whole life. When satisfied that I had lost them, I stopped and soon noticed that my watch was no more with me. It must have been shattered by the sticks. That was the end of the watch.

Not quite.

In 2005, my parents visited Nagpur and asked if they could buy me anything. Since I didn’t have a watch, I asked them to get me a watch and promptly chose the same watch/same model. Once again, I walked out of Piramyd Mall wearing the watch. I didn’t wear it much as I am not a “watch” guy. A few days later while coming back from college, riding Neeraj’s bike with him sitting pillion, I met with my first major accident. A madman jumped in front of the bike and the collision sent us flying along the road. Luckily we came out with nothing more than bruises and pain in different parts of the body. As it turns out, I had worn that watch for the first time since I had got it and the glass dial was shattered. I had it replaced at a watch store and didn’t wear it for many days. Until the exams. We were not allowed to take our mobile phones along and I wore my watch so that I could keep time. While coming back from college on my bike and with my friend Sanchit sitting behind me, a madman(on a bike this time) cut me off and trying to make the sharp turn, my bike skidded and once again me and my friend went sprawling along the road. Same injuries at the same places. The watch was severely scratched along the dial.

Since then, I have not worn the watch once and would be unlikely to do so in the near future(Until the scars are gone that is..)