In this installment of A Man Should Know for The Free Press, Elliot Ackerman reflects on watches, memory, and the meaning that objects acquire when they are carried through a life.
The essay begins aboard the USS Iwo Jima in 2006, where Ackerman met a fighter pilot whose appreciation for watches led him to buy a Rolex Explorer II while deployed. Nearly two decades later, that watch has become more than an object of value.
A Watch Worn Through Life
Ackerman has worn the same watch through war, journalism, marriage, and fatherhood. It was on his wrist in Afghanistan, Syria, and Ukraine, and during many of the most important moments of his family life.
Value, Memory, and Use
The essay argues that a watch does not gain meaning by sitting in a drawer. It gains meaning through use, memory, and the experiences attached to it. A watch need not be expensive to become valuable. It simply needs to last.
Objects Worth Passing Down
At its center, the essay is about inheritance and legacy. Ackerman reflects on the possibility of passing his watch to his son and, one day, giving future grandchildren watches of their own.
A man should know how to own something of value and make it meaningful for future generations.