New Watch, Yes, Again

Here it is:

I haven't had very good luck with cheapo watches recently, so I got one a drop better. At least the salesgirl insists that it's guaranteed for a year. The last two didn't last a year. So this is my third new watch in just over a year, and I truly hope it lasts a lot longer than the previous two. It cost a bit more than I had planned on paying, but the style I wanted didn't come in any color I'd wear.

It was bought in Center 1, which is near the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. I didn't have the time to go all the way into the Center of Jerusalem to shop.

New Watch!

I'm probably more surprised than you are that I bought a new watch. I went into the Hadar Mall in Talpiyot today with a friend, during our break in Matan.  I went from store to store asking if they have watches. No, I didn't go into any fancy jewelry stores. We decided that I'm better off with another inexpensive one.

In the stores that had watches, I didn't see any I liked. One had some childrens plastic digital watches. The price was right, NS30, but they looked awful. And I didn't want a digital watch. A digital watch must be "read," while the old fashioned watch face just needs a glance. I don't even need numbers.

Finally we walked into an inexpensive jewelry/accessory store which had a nice selection of watches for only NS49.90.  That's probably less than $14 including tax. I picked one out.

The name of the store, a chain I presume, is TOPTEN ACCESSORIES, and when I went to pay, the salesgirl saisd that it only cost NS29.90, as does most all the necklaces. So, I bought myself a necklace, too. That is only about $8-  Yes, that's it. It cost less than the price of a watch battery. No complaints there, and she said that if it stops, they'll replace the batter for free.

Of course, I wonder how long it will last...

Watch Saga: Clock for Shabbat

Last Shabbat, just as my husband said that he was going off to shul, my cheap NS40 watch, which was well under a year old, died. I looked at it to check the time and saw that the "second hand" wasn't moving anymore.

I'm very grateful that it was working when I woke up, since otherwise I wouldn't have known if it was a time to get out of bed or not. We no longer have a wall clock in the livingroom, since after that one died, I decided that we wouldn't get a new one until we did the kitchen and got new lighting fixtures for the livingroom.

I could manage fine without a watch until Shabbat afternoon, so when we came back from lunch at a neighbor, I asked my husband to leave his watch with me. I woke him when he needed to get up, and then his watch stayed with me most of the time until Shabbat was out.

This week I need to get a watch before Shabbat, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. There's no place to get a reliable watch here in Shiloh. I bought the NS40 one in a toy store. Yesterday I was in Pisgat Zeev with my and granddaughter, and even though we walked around stores and a section of the mall, I didn't see any watches. Sunday I had been in Jerusalem for the NCSY Ben Zakkai Reception, but it was too cold, dark and windy to walk around the Center of town to shop.

Today I'm arriving in Jerusalem too late to shop in town, unless I got to a mall, Center 1, Hadar or a quick walk from Matan during my break on Wednesday. The watch stores people have been recommending aren't in those places. So, if you have any recommendations for those places, please let me know, thanks.

Getting rather desperate, I began to search for clocks in the house. Yesterday I found an old battery powered clock, and I even found working AA batteries. I will have to tape the back shut for Shabbat, since the batteries fall out otherwise. But since on weekdays I have my phone as clock, that can give me a bit more time to search.

I don't know if I really want to get another junky, cheap watch sans guarantee. This is going to be my third watch in less than three years. Cheap is starting to look more and more expensive.

Now Another New Watch

Less than two years years ago I bought myself an inexpensive watch. I didn't even have to pay real money for it. I got it for 59 FOX points, and it was great until just under two weeks ago. While eating at the "farewell" luncheon in honor of my husband's 70th birthday and retirement from work something suddenly clanked/fell on the table. It was my watch. The band just broke, clunk.

I realized that the time had come to replace it, but since the watch itself was still working, I didn't rush. In all honesty, I don't believe in buying expensive watches. I try to find one with a simple plastic band that cost not much more than a replacement battery. I also hate the digital ones and like an old-fashioned one, which doesn't even need numbers.

A lot of the inexpensive ones are junk and even overpriced. When I was in Jerusalem last week I passed some stores with lots of watches and claimed that they were 50% or even 70% off. Now, I'm not that dumb. If a store is making such claims on all their stock, either the initial price is super-inflated or they've been holding the stock so long that the batteries are due to die really soon. And to top it all off, when I looked in the windows, none of them attracted me.

The next day I noticed that the watch, which I kept in a pocket, was losing time. Oops. So it was useless. Of course, six days a week, all I need is my phone, which has a clock. But then I realized that Shabbat was approaching when I couldn't use to phone to see the time. So that night when I saw a neighbor who has a great clothing, toy and misc. store if she sold watches, she said "yes, a few." The next morning, Friday just before Shabbat, I went in and after seeing a few which didn't really appeal, though the prices did, suddenly he daughter pulled one off of a shelf behind her.

It was perfect, and only costs NS45, about $12.

What do you think?

My New Watch for "FREE!"

I haven't had a watch to wear in a very long time. I generally check the time on my cellphone, but I can't do it on Shabbat. My last watch, an inexpensive one, functioned well, but the band broke, and replacing it cost as much as the watch. So I didn't bother. For the past few years i've been managing, but recently, I decided that I really needed a watch. One of the reasons is that without a watch on my wrist I need to wear two bracelets. I don't have enough bracelets, so I figured that it would be a good idea to get a watch.

I didn't actually have an idea of what sort of watch, nor where to buy it, but a miracle happened. The other day in Jerusalem I saw some in a store window, went in and bought one. The price was NS-nothing.

Here's my new watch:

It has a plastic burgundy colored band and face. The numbers are easy to see in the dark, and it's comfortable to wear. Believe me, it's from a real store and has a price of NS59, which is low for watches, even cheap ones.

And this is why it cost me nothing. It is on sale in FOX, and I have a "membership" in that chain. Every time I buy something there points are added to my personal account. I've been saving the points for something for me, and the watch is it. And there are still some points left. So, I'm happy.