Higgins' watch

[waverly2211]

This is an old thread, but I'd like to give my opinion on this...

You have to consider the time period. When Higgins bought his watch, it was the 70's, not the 80's. At this time, quartz watches were not the cheap junk watches they became in the 80's (and throwaway plastic trash of the 90's). They were more expensive, better made and still a novel technology. Yes, Higgins was a classical-type guy and you'd expect such a guy to have a classical mechanical watch, but he was also an exacting, precise ex-military guy. Quartz was (and is) far more accurate and reliable.

Also, Higgins' digital watch apparently had dual time zones - handy for when he needed to know the time in London.

I would bet Higgins used the watch so he could know what time it was in Hawaii and set the other time to the time zone of where Robin was.

[Styles Bitchley]

I would bet Higgins used the watch so he could know what time it was in Hawaii and set the other time to the time zone of where Robin was.

Astute observation! You must have Majordomo experience.

[rgholmes]

Maybe you have some stories from your unlcle and/or father of their service experience you might share?

Uncle Sam was a mortuary assistant during the war. He helped with recovery and processing of bodies in London. He had great finish carpentry skills from building coffins.

Every Christmas I would get him to tell the story of how he and a brand new partner were collecting a soldier who dies in his sleep from the upper floor of a horel when the partner leading the way back down the stairs bumped the stretcher into a wall and the body burped because of the gases being released.

His partner dropped front of the stretcher and ran! Uncle Sam would sit back in his chair and smile and add, "I never saw him again...as far as I know, he's still running."

[Styles Bitchley]

Uncle Sam was a mortuary assistant during the war. He helped with recovery and processing of bodies in London. He had great finish carpentry skills from building coffins.

Every Christmas I would get him to tell the story of how he and a brand new partner were collecting a soldier who dies in his sleep from the upper floor of a horel when the partner leading the way back down the stairs bumped the stretcher into a wall and the body burped because of the gases being released.

His partner dropped front of the stretcher and ran! Uncle Sam would sit back in his chair and smile and add, "I never saw him again...as far as I know, he's still running."

I just cracked up and snorted my morning coffee through my nose. Thanks!

[308GUY]

Great story RG! Thanks for sharing.

Would welcome any others you have you'd care to share in the future.

Looking at your log-in, shows you're in Rockville MD....just wondering if you know/know of, a Jim Sutter, also of Rockville, MD. He was the founder-owner/operator of IRM, a specialty car company that centered around the Pontiac Fiero. Last I knew, he was operating out of a converted indoor horse arena that he turned into his business. He had a stroke some years ago and sold off just about everything he had, that's how I know him. We bought all of his fiberglass molds for the Fiero's. Just curious, I know Rockville's not exactly a "small" town, but at one time he was fairly high profile. Before and during his tenure as Fiero expert, he ran a large electrical contracting business. They did a lot of work in D.C. from what I remember.

Anyway....either way....thanks for sharing your unc's story with us!

[rgholmes]

Sorry, I haven't been here that long. We PCS'd here July of last year from Camp Lejeune.

Wow, I haven't thought about a Fiero in a while!

[K Hale]

This is an old thread, but I'd like to give my opinion on this...

You have to consider the time period. When Higgins bought his watch, it was the 70's, not the 80's. At this time, quartz watches were not the cheap junk watches they became in the 80's (and throwaway plastic trash of the 90's). They were more expensive, better made and still a novel technology. Yes, Higgins was a classical-type guy and you'd expect such a guy to have a classical mechanical watch, but he was also an exacting, precise ex-military guy. Quartz was (and is) far more accurate and reliable.

Also, Higgins' digital watch apparently had dual time zones - handy for when he needed to know the time in London.

I would bet Higgins used the watch so he could know what time it was in Hawaii and set the other time to the time zone of where Robin was.

^ No doubt.

Also, Higgins used the alarm on his watch (seen in "Photo Play") and there were several instances where he looked at it and pressed a button that was probably the light display to make it light up so he could see it easier without his glasses.

Higgins wears no jewelry, not even a ring, so I can see why he would want a practical and (at that time) rather pricey and technologically advanced watch instead of something fancier or more attractive. That sort of thing apparently did not matter to him. Also, someone asked earlier about a pocket watch. He wears one in "Deja Vu" for sure, but I can't recall offhand seeing it in other episodes. Although that's not to say it didn't appear.

As an aside, Hillerman in real life was quite a "gadget guru" as far as electronics so that might explain why someone his age in the 1980s would wear a digital watch. In Manetti's book he says JH was the first person he knew who owned a cell phone.

[Mad Kudu Buck]

Also, Higgins used the alarm on his watch (seen in "Photo Play") [...]

Well that's odd... considering that his watch doesn't have an alarm. It only has a light and dual time zone. Possibly, by that time (6th season) he had a different model.

That would have been one of the advantages of having a digital watch though. Mechanical watches rarely have alarms and the ones that do are usually extremely expensive.

[K Hale]

Also, Higgins used the alarm on his watch (seen in "Photo Play") [...]

Well that's odd... considering that his watch doesn't have an alarm. It only has a light and dual time zone. Possibly, by that time (6th season) he had a different model.

That would have been one of the advantages of having a digital watch though. Mechanical watches rarely have alarms and the ones that do are usually extremely expensive.

I just checked the scene and can't tell if it's the same watch as that one. But it definitely beeps right after they get done talking about Owen Kirk. Higgins presses a button on it and says it's time for the 32nd frame to start in his snooker game.

Also, the button he presses is not the stem one in that photo. It's further towards the band.

[Mad Kudu Buck]

Higgins presses a button on it and says it's time for the 32nd frame to start in his snooker game.

That reminds me - that's another thing I have in common with Higgins: I've always been a "snooker snob" and looked down on people that preferred to play the simpler 8-ball.

(Even worse is the annoying 9-ball or pathetically simple "straight pool". I never actually played "straight pool" in my life and always thought that term meant 8-ball.)

[K Hale]

OK, here is his watch from "Photo Play." Definitely a different model than the one in the link you posted. The face is silver, not black, and it has two buttons instead of one.



The "topmost" button (as it would appear when he looked at the watch on his wrist; i.e. the one further left in this screen grab) was the one he pressed to make the alarm stop.

[Mad Kudu Buck]

Nice work! I always thought Higgins had the same watch for the whole series.

Now where's the "Rick's Watch" thread? He had about 15 different watches.

[K Hale]

You know what, on closer inspection I believe this watch has four buttons, not two. I am pretty sure there are two buttons on each side.

It might be this watch in a silver colorway: http://www.digital-watch.com/DWL/1work/seiko-a359-5010 or something similar.

[K Hale]

Two more views. Definitely four buttons.

[perfectlykevin]

Excellent work! It is a different watch! Looks to be an 80's model Seiko digital.

Watched "Home From The Sea" the other day and thought how Higgins' watch must have bought the farm when he leaped in the water. I don't think those early model were more than splash proof against water.