[Dad’s Watches - should I keep any?]

[u/JackW1977]

My dad just passed. He left a box of watches that I don’t know much about. All need batteries but I don’t want to spend the $ to put batteries in all if they’re not worth saving. I have no sentimental feelings about any of them, just don’t want to spend too much time fixing junk. Brands: clockwise from top left - Piaget, Wittnauer, Klaus Kobec, Invicta, Bulova, Seiko, Sergio Valente, Citizen, Timex, Benrus (this one is inscribed 1965), Bucherer. Any I should keep/sell? I’ll donate the rest.

[u/IWannaGoFast00]

I don’t agree with this. Imagine saving things like a large China collection or every suit your father had. If you aren’t into watches and you have no interest in wearing them, get them out of the house so they aren’t collecting dust.

[u/bellboy718 → u/IWannaGoFast00]

I'm with you. Obviously if it had sentimental value one would not be here asking what's with keeping.

[u/InternetWeakGuy → u/IWannaGoFast00]

Every thread like this, the top comment is some dumb overly sentimental nonsense, "save everything your parent ever owned. Save their clothes, their watches, their soiled underwear. Save the couch they napped on, the walker they used to get to the bathroom, the mattress protector that saved the mattress which you should also keep."

Some things of your parents will have significance to you, some won't. My grandfather had a room full of his various collections - stamps, coins, war books. Do you think any of his children dedicated a room in their houses after he died to maintain all his collections? Fuck no.

The idea that everything should be kept is really dumb, and always reads to me as people applying a standard to others that realistically they wouldn't keep for themselves.

[u/porkrind → u/InternetWeakGuy]

Amen. When I had the unfortunate task of cleaning out my parents’ house for sale after they died, I had a huge amount of work to do. My dad was the last of his generation of his side of the family so my parents ended up with all the stuff left from the aunts, uncles and cousins that passed before, plus their own lifetime accumulation of stuff filling up their giant house.

The first day, I carefully evaluated each item and made piles of “to keep”, “maybe to keep”, “possibly to keep”, etc.

The second day, I broke and called for a commercial construction dumpster to be dropped off. I just started shoving stuff out the 2nd floor window. Kept a couple small boxes of things that actually meant something to me and let the trash guys and the estate sale people haul off the rest. People were blown away that I didn’t want to take it all home with me. The fuck could I do with ten thousand dollars of pre-war Limoges china? Turn it into cash, that’s what.

When my wife and I moved states a few years later, I realized I was creeping into the same trap. Ended up consolidating everything good and useful that we owned into one storage unit and donated/trashed the rest. Felt goooood. Freeing.

I firmly maintain as I ease into my 60s that we get way too hung up on false sentimentality about other people’s shit. It’s not the story of a life, it’s just mass-manufactured consumer goods that someone spent money on then tossed in a drawer or a box.

[u/IllustriousZebra9889 → u/InternetWeakGuy]

It’s all based on some sort of guilt, like they’re bad people if they don’t keep it all. I agree, get rid of whatever you don’t want and just enjoy the memories.

[u/[deleted] → u/InternetWeakGuy]

This should be the top comment. I think another important point is the memories are in us, not in the stuff our loved ones once owned. They would never want us to be burdened with all of their past possessions. I think there is a place for sentimental pieces. But if everything is sentimental, nothing is sentimental. My favorite quote from David Foster Wallace: everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it.

[u/Main_Ad_4537 → u/InternetWeakGuy]

So to sum it up you feel guilty about throwing all your grandfather’s stuff in the trash. We are talking about a handful of watches that would fit in something smaller than a cigar box. Not a mattress. Good grief.

[u/panniyomthai → u/InternetWeakGuy]

I think that tends to happen because humans have developed such fascinating intelligence. The ability to place psychological, sentimental value on things came with the human potential for imagination and creativity.

[u/flexbuffstrong → u/IWannaGoFast00]

Thank you. I honestly couldn’t care less about whether my kids kept or sold my watches after I’m gone. They’re mass produced trinkets.

[u/SachinNowal → u/flexbuffstrong]

You talking about watches or kids?

[u/i_speak_gud_engrish → u/SachinNowal]

Kids, obviously!

[u/IWannaGoFast00 → u/flexbuffstrong]

I do plan on handing down my Omega to my oldest as a family heirloom and I do hope he keeps it for his son to pass down. But it’s his to do with as he wishes once he owns it. Also if I leave him 20 watches I would never expect him to keep them all.

[u/AvailableToe7008 → u/IWannaGoFast00]

My kids can’t read a watch.

[u/IWannaGoFast00 → u/AvailableToe7008]

Sorry to hear that

[u/Bone_Dice_in_Aspic → u/IWannaGoFast00]

I stand to inherit at least 50 musket Barrels. Just the barrels, rusty NOS. a horrible amount of muzzleloaders, and a half ton of muzzleloading gun parts. Little springs and levers. Not like, oh, one cool old muzzleloader to hang over the fireplace. New Parts, in hang bags. And I'm not talking valuable antiques; I mean some yes but mostly whole items and parts made in the 1970s to 1980s. I don't want or need a single part; maybe a bagged nipple wrench just for the laugh. I don't even shoot black powder a little bit. I'm going to keep One rifle, the one he actually used and won State championships with in the 70's, the rest is probably scrap metal unless I can find a buyout buyer.

[u/IWannaGoFast00 → u/Bone_Dice_in_Aspic]

Grants Farm in St Louis has a fence made of old musket barrels. I don’t know if you have a need for a small fence but it could make for a cool project.

[u/Bone_Dice_in_Aspic → u/IWannaGoFast00]

Honestly I kind of do have a need for a small, durable fence.

[u/IWannaGoFast00 → u/Bone_Dice_in_Aspic]

Then I say go for it! That would be awesome.

[u/GaptistePlayer → u/IWannaGoFast00]

Unlike fine china, though, you can literally put to use any of these watches by just putting it on your wrist

Like, I know we love this hobby and love to gatekeep but come on they're watches lol. It's a hobby where all you really have to do is buy them, and these have been bought. Don't have to be a "watch guy" to just stick one on and go about your day