When age (doesn't) matter: turning fifty

Yesterday, I turned fifty. Some say, you are then officially old. Others say you just start to build up some experience in life. Anyway, I don't feel old (nor experienced for that matter) but what I do know is that I have some very special business associates and colleagues.

My business associates invited me for a lunch on Wednesday, the day before my birthday 'due to agenda conflicts' on the big day itself.

The weather was gorgeous and we met at a very nice restaurant in Egmond aan Zee. I saw two of them with little white bags from a well known clothing store nearby, suggesting something of a coupon.

Once we were seated though, a waitress showed up with a huge cardboard box, asking: "Who is the birthday boy?". I saw the others frown and telling her that was supposed to be delivered when they served the coffee at the end. The surprise was thus a bit ruined and they told me to go ahead and open up the box.

Since I'm posting on the IWC forum, I guess you can imagine it was something watch related but I was in no means prepared for the shock I was about to experience.

Maybe you've also already felt a bit uncomfortable when someone special offers you a gift but you don't know if it's really something you want and that's a bit how I felt when I saw the IWC box inside. So, I carefully opened the box and I really had to grasp for air because not only did they nail it with this one but I didn't expect something so special and prescious. I have no pictures of the moment of opening the box. There is a film of it but my vocabulary doesn't make it through the Youtube ethical scan so I can only use these shots to show you the watch:

To say I was flabbergasted is an understatement as you can probably understand. The rest of the lunch was great but I think the waitresses were getting nervous because I didn't stop looking at the time :-)

Later back at the office I took this nice shot:

And at home this one with the light of the setting sun:

As I wrote in the start of this post, all this happened the day before my actual birthday. I obviously had to wait to see the date change but I was a bit too late and took this shot way past midnight:

Then it was off to bed, not knowing what my colleagues had planned for me on my actual birthday, but that's something for a different story!

Kind regards,

Clemens

Stunning Clemens!!
You have some special friends indeed :o)

Happy Birthday

OMG that's amazing!! A fantastic, beautiful watch congratulations.
Best regards,
Jonathan

Hard to comment on this one, simply fantastic.

Once again, happy birthday, Clemens! I am happy to know you. Your post only proves how I feel in the way that I do not feel like it alone. That you are one very special person and character. The gift presented to you is the proof of it. Enjoy and wear it in good health for a long time to come!

Clemens, what a fantastic watch this is and made all that sweater by the circumstance of how it was presented to you. I wish you all the best for your 50th lifeyear - and of course many more years of wearing this watch in good health and happiness.

Now of course every watch tells a tale, and this watch is no different in that respect. In fact it has an amazing story behind it of enablement, friendship and collectors passion. I was present and right there next to you and Skuke in the Amsterdam IWC boutique when you first were smitten by übervirus on this piece. I knew then imeadiately that one day you would own this watch.

However, I also witnessed how effective you were at ensuring that you alone were not smitten by the virus on this one and how you then in-turn passed on übervirus to Skule ... And all that done within 5 minuets of watch talk between friends in front of a glass display cabinet.

Wonder how Skule handled his case of übervirus on this one?

gasp... what an amazing unbelievable gift from your associates.

a real testament to you as a friend and business partner i'm sure.

congrats clemens!

and happy 50th!

best wishes,
thang

What a fantastic story and gift from your colleagues. How do I apply to work for your company. I have my 75th coming up in s year. I wonder what IWC is appropriate for that milestone?

Congratulations. Wear it in good health.

Happy Birthday, Clemens! What a wonderful way to mark your 50th year!

haven't posted here for long time....but this is too incredible to be ignored....
wau..quite shocking....
Clemens, x3 congratulations-
1. for your birthday...
2. for the amazing present....enjoy that watch...
3. for being so lucky to have such colleagues...

all the very best,

yitzhak

What an impressive gesture of esteem and high regard. Wow
This tells a very clear story about how your associates appreciate you.

All the best for your 50th birthday and many years of joy with that very special Ingenieur.

Clemens!!! Gefelicislagroomtaart and WOW... what a gift and what a special colleagues you have;-)

I wish you at least another 50 healthy years.

Best regards,

Bob

Hi Clemens, this is a terrific watch, what a fantastic gift! Enjoy it to the full, no problem, I'm sure.

Kind regards,
Paul

Absolutely stunning Clemens, congratulations and Happy Birthday! Those are some beautiful photos of a special watch.

Phenomenal!

Firstly, happy 50th Clemens!

That watch is superb and it is a stunning gesture that speaks volumes about the friendship you have with your colleagues. May you wear it in good health for a long time to come!

Hi Clemens

I have read your story yesterday and to me it was kind of unreal. Such a great gift (watch) from your colleagues made me really speachless.
I think not knowing you, it tells a lot about you, amazing!

Happy birthday, good health and lot of fun with your knew timepiece.

Cheers Chris

PS. Greetings to your associates and let them read a few comments from this Forum ;-)

BIG, BIG, BIG Congrats on turning the big FIVE-O My friend!!!

And an even bigger congratulations on such a magnificient gift. That piece is so special, so technical, so cool and so great - and it is so you. Your business partners have not only realized this, but they have clearly realized what a man, person, friend, coworker and great guy you are!

I know that you have loved this piece for long, and it has found a home witha most deserving owner - I am very, very happy for you Clemens. Enjoy it for many, many years - as I know you will.

PS! I guess this means we have to have a BIPDDM (Big Ingenieur Perpatual Digital Date Month) GTG soon ;-)

Mark - to my suprise I feel like a man caught with his pants down :-|

Your post made me realize that I must have forgotte to share my acqusition of the BIPDDM here...

Well, thanks for the help - and I will never forget the help I received from Clemens that day in the Amsterdam Store in October 2014. I hadn't even thought about that piece before Clemens asked to see it (I had quickly dismissed it when seeing the pictures of it when it was launched) - and when I put it on it was simply the coolest watch I had ever seen. I left the store that day with a new number one on my wish list - and almost exactly a year later an opportunity presented itself that I could not resist:-)

Clemens - you are the master and I am the apprentice here - so glad to see that the Master now has the same wand on his wrist as your apprentice ;-)

Clemens, this is a great and touching tale- you must feel amazing to have such colleagues/friends! It is certainly a tribute to you!

You will always remember your 50th birthday, that's for sure. I wish you a great many more years enjoying your watches, family, and friends.

Nelson