Paris Je t´aime
(Story of an Horological Rite)
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”
Letter to a friend, c. 1950
From: “A Moveable Feast” Ernest Hemingway.
¡Oh! ParĂs, ParĂs.
Though I have not lived in Paris as a young man, I always feel her with me, wherever I go, deep in my heart, and for the rest of my life.
To pronounce the word “Paris” has brings a bit of magic to me. Like the magic in the smell of wet grass in the meadows, after a spring rain, or the sound of sea waves breaking smoothly on the sand at sunset.
Paris is like a beautiful and capricious lady, of whom you fell in love. It´s so difficult to write objectively about a place when you love it, as it is to write about the woman you have felt in love so long ago. How not to forgive her any little defect?
I´ve been in Paris a few months ago. I have been there many times, but it brings me the same thrilling feeling to be there again. Like the first time.
The grandeur of its buildings, the richness of its historic and cultural heritage, everything is marvelous in Paris!
All the haute couture displayed in rue de Saint Honore, or the shining atmosphere around Place Vendome, where the most conspicuous horologic and jewlery stores have their shops greets you from the magical well lit windows.
Paris also got its more reserved little magic places, like Place de Vosges, or some magnificent points like the Etoile at the end of Champs Elysees, where we find the Arche of Triumphe.
The “Rive Gauche” or left bank of the river, feels more quiet, more bohemian: Montparnasse, the Latin Quartet, La Sorbonne… It is in this left bank, that we find the most well known symbol of the City: the awesome steel structure designed by Monsieur Eiffel when the XIX Century was ending.
At the left bank, we also find the more sofisticate Saint Germain des Pres. Right there, we find our favorite little Hotel, at a few paces from the Saint Michel Fountain.
The Hotel faces the Seine river, at the Pont Neuf, and over the Quai des Grands Agustines, where the “bouquinistes” display their stands full with old books and prints, by the river front. We can see the Ille de la Cité and Notre Dame, just from the hotel balcony.
Life and good luck made that I had to visit Paris many times together with my wife.
I wish good luck will keep me returning to the city again and again. My first grand daughter was born there, and may be this adds to the charm and pleasure it makes to return to this place every time.
Paris is many things at same time.
Like trying to recognize the city described by Hemingway, or shown in the charming B&W photography of my admired Cartier-Bresson and Doisneau.
From any point of view, the city offers a different awesome landscape, like postcards which I keep deep in my heart.
Paris can mean to observe the barges and boats gently crossing under the bridges over the Seine, or the feeling of the thin cold rain on your face, when you get out the metro station Abbesses. Or just the trying to find the bistro which offers the best “soup d´onion” to fight the cold of the Parisian winter.
Or may be to see the old Tower, completely lighted at night, throwing its strong light at the top, to the four winds.
- Here I am! She seems to tell me with pride!
From some time now, I was willing to comply with some “Horological Rite” in Paris.
A pleasure I could finally fulfill during my last visit I made in company of my wife.
To take the Metro and feel that we can dominate its underground intricacy, makes us feel like we are a bit Parisian. If we know a bit about its lay out, it´s easy to arrive to your desired destination. In this case, Place Vendome.
To arrive to any place in Paris, taking the Metro, always includes a little walking and this adds to the charm of the vision you get when you arrive to the corner of a street, and find the Place Vendome and its thick big column, atop of which a bronze Napoleon statue seems to preside the place, looking like infinitely thinking about his past glories..
A little stroll along the rich buildings which surround the Place, makes us recognize some legendary names: the Ritz Hotel, the new Rolex boutique which opened some four years ago, or the luxury shops of the most conspicuous horologic names: Blancpain, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Cartier, etc..
But my personal compass pointed to a particular point: the number 6 of Place Vendome, where we find the central boutique of Breguet, within a venerable old XVIII Century building.
To enter any of these wonderful boutique premises, whichever the brand, requires a very similar procedure -a bit intimidating I must recognize, specially to plain people like me, not acustomed to transit the Jet Set or High Social levels of those who cross with some frequency, the royal doors of these sanctuaries of luxury-
You always have the door opened by a tall and strong man, black glasses covering his eyes, and a little artifact inside one of his ears. From this artifact, a little coiled cable goes to the inside of its always impeccable and always black suit. He gives us the first formal “bonjour monsieur-damme”, while eyeing us discretely –or not so discretely- from top of head to toes, through his obscure glasses. You can surely feel that!
Your are inmediately welcomed by a trio of sales staff, who greet you at the same time, making you doubt to whom of them you should refer to make your first question.
I tell them what I was looking for (actually, I tell my question to the whole trio, as I still couldn´t find to whom to speak of the three), and I try to sense a bit of disillusion in the eyes of the nice lady sales person who answers me, when I mention the “cheapest” of all the watches being offered in the so well lighted cases.
Actually, I can´t find any disillusion on her, when she asks us to follow to a small and more private place, adorned with more cases with the different models of the brand.
We are invited to take seat in front of a small high quality table, and an assistant brings in the piece I had mentioned.
She handles it to me, and my heart pounds fast, and I feel my cheeks going red and warm, just when the lady puts the jewel on my hand.
She invites to try it on my wrist, and I comply with great care.
I show my now crowned wrist to my wife, seated by my side: the Type XX Aeronavale shines like the most desired grail.
Do you like it?
Yes, she says.
What do you think?
Well… give yourself the treat! She says with a smile.
And the treat I give to myself!
With vintage watches, you need to discover their previous stories, already written by a previous owner, and then, you should keep writing your own story with them.
With a new watch, you should start writing its story, as soon as you buy it.
Right here I begin writing the story of my own XX.
To the trial of the watch follows a long paperwork, filling certificates, manuals, and registering my own name and serial number of my watch in the Book of Clients of the firm.
My name –that of an unknown client I feel- will be entered together with some other truly conspicuous customers of Breguet, like Napoleón Bonaparte, Maria Antonieta, the Zar Alejandro of Rusia, Queen Victoria, or Winston Churchill, the lady sales person asures me with a nice smile, while she continues filling forms with her elegant fountain pen.
I feel this instant has something of a ceremony. Something like a rite. An Horological Rite, if it is allowed to me, to call it that way!
It is pleasurable to think how much I´ll enjoy this new watch, and that someday it will belong to my son, and then to a grand son. And that they will recognize it like: “the watch grand dad bought in Paris”.
I finally go outside the shop, with my wife at my arm, and in my other hand a big hard paper bag containing an enormous luxury cofferet made of wood and leather. (Oh, my God!! How I´ll do to return home with this big box inside my luggage?)
Inside this big box, resides my new watch. I didn´t dare to put it in use immediately.
I reserve the pleasure of watching it in detail, with more tranquility, that same night, at the Hotel, before strapping it to my wrist for first time use.
We march fast through rue de Saint Honore, my heart pounding at full. I could not help to show a big smile which satisfaction puts on my face. I´m sure some people we crossed by have thought: “why does this guy smile for”.
I know that plain durable happiness doesn´t exist. They are just instants… small explosions of happiness, which we should know to recognize and must take advantage of. This is one of those rare instants, and I enjoy.
With the cold breeze of ends of Parisian winter on our faces, we get into the Art Nouveau Metropolitain entrance. The fast train will take us to Saint Michel.
May be old Papa Ernest was right: Paris “IS” always a Feast.
Presenting my Type XX Aeronavale
This watch is the present rendering of the time piece adopted by the French Air Naval Forces in 1954. Its reference is nr 3800, and got a 39,5 mm diameter case of good height as it can be seen here.
It has a bidireccional bezel and a threaded back case, which together with the screw in crown, makes the watch waterproof to 100 meters.
Movement, is the well known Breguet caliber 582, of 13-3/4” lines, and 25 jewels, based in Lemania 1350. This movement is automatic, with a power reserve of about 40 hours
Dial is a satin black color, with Arabic numbers with generous lume, with excellent night vision. It got three sub dials: seconds counter at 9, minutes accumulator at 3, and hours accumulator at 6.
This chronographs is operated as usual, with the classic two buttons besides the remontuar crown, but it offers the fly back option, or as romantically sounds in French:
“Retour a vol” feature.
This means that, pressing the down button, you get all counters back to zero, and the main trotteuse starts counting seconds again, in just one pressing, allowing to measure a different event on the spot.
This watch is offered with an stainless bracelet, or with Black or brown croco straps.
I opted for the latter, as I like the classic and low profile looks of the watch with them.
There is a detail I like very much in this watch: it employs a “bombe” (domed) zaphire glass which gives it a very nice retro look.
I like this bombe glass so much instead of the usual “flat” look of modern zafire glass which equip modern watches.
For example, the new Submariners, got the flat glass, while the vintage models got the plastic bombe ones.
I´d love to see the new Sub ceramic with a bombe glass, like in old times. As a matter of fact, Rolex adopted this type of glass in the DSSD, and Omega did the same in their Seamaster Bond watch.
I hope you forgive my disgression and I go on with my presentation:
I feel that all in all, it is a very nice and aesthetically pleasing watch, with a classic timeless design. Very elegant, I feel.
It got the Breguet touch, in its high quality finish, the fluting of the case sides, and the elegance of the white lettering of the brand Breguet on the black dial.
To say that I´m very happy with this watch is an understatement. I really love it!
I wish you´ll like it and enjoy this story about its purchase in Paris.
Best cordial regards, Abel.
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