What does a watch do?
There it is. The one that started it all. I didn't really understand what this watch meant to me, but looking back now, man, was it impactful. This is the Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster Air Nighthawk Pilot (Ref. BJ7000-52e). I bought this watch on January 21, 2014.
At the time, I was really struggling with trying to become more of a professional and what that entailed. I was six years into a real estate career that began with a thud, starting in 2008 when the market crashed. I had hope, I had drive, I had ambition. What I didn't have was style. Real estate was the first real professional job I ever had. I grew up somewhere between the middle and upper-middle class. I did well in school growing up, but I knew that college wasn't for me. After a few failed attempts, I settled at a job working swing shift in a book manufacturing plant. We made hardcover and softcover books. I ran machinery and had no concerns in the world (or bills). I worked this lowly job for four years, moving up in the ranks and ultimately topping out at $15/hr. I loathed swing shift and knew I needed a change. I wanted to make real money, the kind you could only seemingly obtain with a college degree.
So I did what any 20-something would do, I googled "How can I make the most money without a college degree?" Real estate offered the quickest route from point A to point B, so I signed up for classes not knowing anything else. It's this kind of blind faith that I wish I had more of sometimes, haha. At the time, I had long hair that cascaded down over my shoulders, didn't own an article of clothing that wasn't wrinkled, only owned steel-toed boots and flip-flops, and drove an old beat-up Explorer that backfired when the ignition switch was flipped.
As I began my real estate career, I quickly learned how much appearance mattered in the real world. Working in a factory, no one cared. Everyone was miserable and couldn't wait to punch the clock. Real estate was different. Showing up to the office, going to events, meeting hopeful clients for the first time, it became clear that if I was going to take this seriously, I would have to start putting some actual thought into the way I presented myself. As someone who is 6 feet and 7 inches tall and overweight, I really struggled with self-image. I had never worn nice clothes, other than to Sunday morning mass growing up. I hated the way clothes were cut, nothing ever seemed to fit right. One shirt, the sleeves are too short, so I had to roll them up. The next? The sleeves were perfect, but it was so loose in the middle, it made me self-conscious. The third shirt? Too tight to breathe, showing every bit of why I was uncomfortable to the outside world. It was miserable. I needed something that gave me a small glimmer of hope. Something to level the playing field with everyone else who I always thought looked better than me.
A watch felt like something I should try, but I had no money. I watched all my favorite rappers growing up flash diamond-encrusted wrists at the camera as they threw money around like it was no object. I wanted that, haha. I figured if that made them feel cool and confident, surely it would do the same for me. So I went on Amazon to see what was what. After a little searching, I found one that looked cool, but it was $200! " "That's insane money for a watch!" I thought. Why would I spend all that money when I could just get a watch at the mall for $50? I thought about it for a day or two, and I told myself I was going to live large and have no regrets, bills be damned. $200 made its way out of my account and into Jeff Bezos's pocket. In return, a few short days later, I received my Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster Air Nighthawk Pilot.
I hurriedly opened the package with childlike excitement and pulled out the black box that it was displayed in. Holy shit. This was IT. How had I never experienced something like this before? It was a rush of endorphins like I had never felt. As I slid the bracelet over my wrist and felt the clasp click closed, I rolled my wrist and saw the dial for the first time on my left wrist. I will never, until the day I die, forget that moment. It wasn't so much about the watch itself and what its specs offered - 42mm-Solar powered-Stainless case and bracelet-Slide rule on the dial-200m water resistance-date window-et cetera, et cetera. It was about what it represented. It made me feel like I belonged. It made me proud to have it on my wrist. It fit...me. It really was perfect and just happened to be a perfect size. I wore this watch again and again, every day. Every time something was important, I had this watch on my wrist. Real estate began to gain traction. I sold enough homes to buy one myself. As my success grew, doors opened. I started to associate with other entrepreneurs who didn't want to settle for punching a clock after a shift; they wanted more. So did I. I bought better clothes, upgraded to a nicer car, and my career was now truly underway.
Looking back now, almost 10 years later, I can see how impactful that watch was on my life and career. It may seem like a small thing, but sometimes it's the small things that make the biggest difference. The Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster Air Nighthawk Pilot watch gave me the confidence and the style I needed to succeed. That's what a watch does.
Sean
