What's the time, Mr Wolf?

I have a new watch and it's pretty.

This is a big deal for me, who has inherited my parents frugality and never thrown anything out unless it has already fallen apart and walked to the rubbish bin of its own accord. I have grown up very clearly knowing my needs from my wants, and seldom giving in to the latter.

To date, my 4 previous watches have been functional, reliable timepieces. My parents gave me a lovely gold one, with a round face and stretchy gold band for my 12th birthday. It was a rite of passage in our family to receive a watch at 12. This reliable Seiko lasted until I was working, at which time the glass cover fell off, and the hands, exposed to the elements, bent and didn't quite travel around the dial as they should.

At this point I bought myself a practical Lorus watch, with actual numbers (not marks) for the hours, and a sweeping second hand. It did also have a cute inset, where a crescent moon showed at night, and a smiling sun during the day. This one had a leather strap, and while I had to replace that strap a number of times, the watch kept on ticking.

After an internal struggle, I bought another watch while my trusty Lorus was still going strong. This was another functional purchase - a sturdy black digital watch, with stopwatch, countdown timer ... and a few other features that took me a while to master. This was my 'weekend' watch, that I used when playing cricket, or umpiring hockey matches.

Sadly, after a good 10 years of service, my Lorus succumbed to my rugged use, so I purchased a similar looking Seiko. This one had a slightly smaller face, as I tried to heed my mother's words about being a lady. I still kept to the leather strap, and have replaced that quite a few times, but the watch is as reliable as ever.

Well, I've now done it. After a few years of admiring those very pretty watches in glossy magazines, I saw and fell in love with a beautiful Raymond Weil timepiece. This is my new watch, complete with diamond/crystal sapphire thingy embellishment around the face.

It will occasionally catch the light, and I'll find myself admiring my indulgence. By the way, it's 6pm at the moment, on the winter soltice, just in case you want to know.