Our lives, from birth to death, are full of "firsts". We store them in what I call "treasure chests", which are in our memories. Some are more enjoyable and powerful than others. They are full of magic and have a special emotion – we will feel the same when a new day dawns, and we know that from the moment the sun rises, nothing will ever be the same again. One night, I fell asleep pregnant, and the next morning, I became a mother. My first pregnancy, my first child. I remember it as if it was yesterday: the moment when the midwife handed me this little man, born in my physical body, wrapped in a pink blanket, staring at me with wide eyes curious and friendly. When I first held my little daughter in my arms, when she first uttered the new word "mom", I had been called for 18 years and how it all began.
My watch, my first watch, and my first favorite brand: Omega. It all began in Pian, Switzerland, where the locals called it "the center of the world" with delightful sarcastic humor. I work in international sales, so my wrist has the opportunity to show off many different timepieces, including "work" watches (lent to us as salespeople to represent the brand), prototypes, and new products to show to customers. In my three years at OMEGA, there's one watch that has never left my wrist and that I love to bite: a Speedmaster Broadarrow.
But one day, while I was wandering around the floor where the product was made, a watchmaker invited me to test a movement integrated into the Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M – the first generation with a Coaxial escapement, if I remember correctly. I didn't really listen to what he was telling me because I was completely mesmerized by the classic, almost vintage look of the watch. This is the first time we have met. Prior to that day, I had only **** other members of the Seamaster series, such as the Diver 300M or the newer Planet Ocean, but never** the Aqua Terras.
Love at first sight: Seahorse Aqua Terra 150m. Mikael Gautier.
A statement about women's wrists.
It was love at first sight, and I had never felt this way before. The watch looks huge on my wrist of only 14 cm, with a diameter of 42 mm, a strap with large steel links, a minimalist silver dial with a hint of gold, and a delicate fixed bezel that accentuates its enormity. Yet, I was immersed in happiness a thousand times. It's on my ** like the summer sun.
The watch didn't go unnoticed, and I received some sexist remarks outside the walls of Omega: "Looks like you borrowed your father's watch!".Don't you see that it's too big for you?The lugs are too exaggerated ......"I think you should wear a smaller, more feminine outfit," etc., etc., etc.
Today, women are more represented, listened to and respected in watchmaking (we still have a long way to go), but that was not the case in 2005. At that time, women were synonymous with motherhood – pearl dials, diamond bezels, and quartz movements. While this is still the case today, the situation is less serious. Wearing Aqua Terra on my wrist is not just a reflection of my feminist values, but also my personality.
Deliver the charm. My daughter has been in watchmaking since she was a cradle, and even before that, in my womb – at the fair in Basel, at the Omega ...... in BielBabies are fascinated by spinning phones and brightly colored toys, but my little daughter is mesmerized by my watch. I'll hold them in her hands so she can view them from the front and back, weigh them, make a slight high-pitched sound to express her joy, and then when she wants to chew on them, I'll take them away.
There's one watch in my collection that appeals to her more than the others: the Aqua Terra. It's bulky, dazzling, and lightweight (not as light as a baby rattle, but lighter than a Speedmaster). It is often worn on my wrist – whether it's on weekdays, weekends, or holidays. In all the families** of the daughter in my arms, there is an Omega gift. Often, it's the seahorse. This watch is a part of my history and that of my children. One has grown a lot, the other has also aged, but it has not gone out of style.
It's part of her and her children's history. Mikael Gautier.
Akua and Terra. Water and soil. When the sea meets the mother. I always say that when the time comes, I want to be buried with an aqua terra on my wrist. Maybe it's a little dirty, but I can't imagine myself traveling through the great other world, and if there is a lifetime, it comforts me without it. You know, when my youngest daughter was 6 years old, she said to me that this watch was the thing that best represented me for her. She said she always saw me wearing it and wished she could wear it when I wasn't part of this world anymore – and it touched me.
Reconnect with the original.
Before the model was taken out of the series and replaced, I repurchased my "working" watch. But honestly, as beautiful as the various upgrades to the teak tucalyptus are, none of them satisfy me more than my own. This year has arrived, and I feel as if I have reconnected with my "original" Aqua Terra through the 38mm collection. This time there is no sailor shirt style on the dial, but a sunburst pattern that I love so much, and colors that elevate my body and soul: gray-blue, silver champagne, soft green, orange-red and my favorite copper russet.
Re-purchase and reconnect. Mikael Gautier.
It's the same shade of saffron as the sand on the beach and the moon rising above the Mediterranean Sea in my childhood. Its size fits perfectly on my wrist, its bracelet is very comfortable, and its surface – thanks to the 8800 automatic movement – shows what I call "basic time data", which are hours, minutes, seconds, and date.
Ah, I laughed. I gently touched my aqua terra. For me and for it, the future is secure.