It's Mom Time In The HODINKEE Community

To celebrate Mother's Day, we put out a call to our readers to share the watches that most remind them of motherhood. We heard from moms all over the world about the watches they wear during bath time, at work, and during Zoom school. Each response was unique and special, just like mom (awww). Jessica Aujero, Brooklyn, New York I haven’t worn a watch since March 14, 2020, not because I don’t love the collection I share with my husband (the benefits of sharing a wrist size) but because for moms like me, time actually stopped moving right around that day. There’s no need for our beautiful OP 39 to remind me it’s been 2 minutes and 15 seconds since my children last yelled at me for another snack. My first watch, a Cartier Tank, is useless to me when I’ve got a kinderzoom schedule laser-etched into my brain for the rest of eternity: Morning meeting at 9:17 (why the seventeen? You’re just messing with us now, right?), reading at 10 quickly followed by math at 10:35, and finally “gym” at 11:05 or whenever we remember to log in. What’s a few minutes when you’re 5 and the assignment is literally to run in a circle in an NYC apartment. While I’ve spent a year not paying attention to time, I know it will soon be the year 2040 and our house will be too quiet, too big, and too empty. I’ll have a watch on my wrist again. Both daughters will have moved out and I’d give away every watch I own to be quarantined for months on end with a five and two-year-old, complaining about the sounds of their tiny heavy feet stomping past me all hours of the day, time flying by. Elisa Adams, Cary, Illinois I am a one-watch woman. I wear a Rolex 14060M no-date Submariner, every day. In 2012 I became a single mom of four children. I also became a single mom of a chocolate and yellow lab, a tortoise, and a cat. I also opened my own law practice. I decided to reward myself and bought a watch to empower me. I didn’t know about watches at the time. All I knew was that my watch had to go in water, as I live to swim, and it had to stand up to my world. As this Mother’s Day approaches, I reflect on how my watch has become a part of me. It has been to every event, happy or sad. Graduations, memorials, sporting events, seeing my kids to colleges, jobs and through breakups and hard times. My children know all the stories. I keep a log of all the bodies of water my watch and I have been in together. I wear my watch with bracelets that have meaning, and it's showing its wear. Purchasing my Rolex was the best decision I ever made and I will never stop wearing it. Elise Adams wearing her Submariner Berna Jay Vanton, Atlanta, Georgia The best parts of my day are those spent holding hands with my kids, walking them into school, or visiting with friends on a playground. I love the beautiful watches my husband has given me because they are a constant reminder of my family's love. The fun I have styling them is just an added bonus! Art by Berna Jay Vanton Susan Galvin, Sydney, Australia The past year has really been a whirlwind. After working as a watchmaker for 10 years (6 years at TAG Heuer and 4 years at Omega), in March 2020 I was made redundant three months into maternity leave. I always dreamt of starting my own watch brand and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. I started designing watches for my brand, Galvin Watch Compan y, in March, and by April I was planning my crowdfunding campaign. All of this was done while raising my first-born son, Atso. I would work while he was sleeping and my husband Michael would help too. Between October and December, I began the difficult task of fulfilling the crowdfunding orders. It was so challenging finding time to look after my child, regulate watches, maintain a social media presence, launch my website, and keep up to date with bookkeeping. Ironically enough, the greatest challenge has been time. However, I’ve heard from customers  all over the world who recognize that I’m a working mother and that I bring something fresh to the watch industry. A year in two photos Lucy Fisher, Los Angeles, California I am a mom of a three-year-old and one-year-old, and my choice of watch is often predicated on our activities. For example, I once wore the Tank Louis Cartier (on an alligator strap) that my husband and I share into the bath with both my kids. Now my everyday watch is either the Rolex Explorer (36mm) or the Apple Watch Series 6. Depends on the day, the activity. Different purposes, different ends of the spectrum. I know the Explorer is all about Everest Summits, but let’s be honest: A mom with two kids under three is really the true “master of extremes." Lucy Fisher in her Tank Louis Cartier Shawn Haysom, Lake Elsinore, California In 2020 the pandemic hit as my family was about to celebrate my 50th birthday and my sons had to cancel the celebration they planned. Unbeknownst to me, my oldest son, David, decided he was going to make it up to me the following year by getting me my grail watch. About a month before my 51st birthday, David sent me a text with a photo of the Tudor Black Bay 32. "I'm working on an article about this watch, wasn't this one of your favorites?" he asked. "OMG, I love that one!" I replied. We chatted about whether I preferred the blue or black dial (definitely blue) and how someday I hoped to buy one. The next time we saw each other, I asked to read the article. "Mom, it takes time; it's not done yet." A few weeks later we all gathered at David's house for my Irish-themed, 51st birthday party. When it came time to open David’s gift to me, I instantly noticed how heavy the wrapped box felt. "Perfume perhaps," I thought to myself. Seeing Tudor on the box took my breath away. All the dots suddenly connected. I put my face in my hands and cried tears of joy. I never imagined my son giving me such an extravagant gift, one that I couldn't have given myself. When someone remarks on the watch I never tire of saying, "yes, thank you, I think it's beautiful too. It was a gift from my son." Shawn Haysom wearing her Tudor Black Bay 32 Hero image: Lucy Fisher's Rolex Explorer (Left); Susan Galvin at work (Right). Answers have been edited and condensed. Shop Talk Happy Mother's Day! Our colleagues over in the HODINKEE Shop have put together a curated selection of watches, straps, and other accessories to make her feel extra special this year. Discover the HODINKEE Shop Mother's Day collection right here .Readers from Atlanta to Australia tell us about the watches they associate with motherhood.