Shopping for an engagement ring for my now-wife was not an issue in any respect. That’s as a result of I by no means supposed to take action. I’ve typically had issues with stereotypes and boxed options, so it’s no surprise I used to be searching for one thing totally different than an engagement ring. Guess what…
I google rather a lot. I google watches rather a lot too. Once I consider a present for somebody expensive to me, I attempt to put his or her identify into Google. At a sure level, only for the enjoyable of it, I began to google the names or surnames of my associates together with “classic watches.” Generally I get fortunate. Following this technique, I gifted a tiny diver branded Tara to a childhood buddy after I was searching for an authentic reward for her daughter named Tara. I consider the reward concept really moved her.
Kasper the dad
My spouse’s maiden identify is Kasper. The identify resonates with me and everybody in her household since that is what she calls her father. When my spouse’s sisters consult with their father, even when my spouse’s mom talks about her husband, they seldom name him Dad or Jan; he’s simply Kasper. It’s unusual, humorous, and authentic on the similar time. It was new to me; I had by no means recognized anybody who referred to as his or her dad by his surname. Simply as folks used to name all copy machines Xerox, my spouse calls her dad Kasper. Kasper isn’t just a reputation; fairly, it’s a class by itself.
Researching Kasper
I don’t bear in mind at what section of our relationship I first put “Kasper” and “classic watches” into Google, however I mustn’t have carried out that. Tons of attention-grabbing watches began to leap out at me. Together with boring time-only items, I noticed many funky chronographs and attention-grabbing dive watches with inventive dials and fingers. I didn’t have to be Sherlock to grasp that Kasper was no short-lived stunt however an precise producer!
A German historical past
Kasper & Co. was established in Pforzheim in 1911 by Karl and Christine Kasper, who started producing elastic watch straps. After Karl died in 1916, Christine led the corporate, which expanded into watch instances and straps by 1927. In 1932, Kasper turned the primary producer in Pforzheim to develop in-house actions with cylinder escapements. Regardless of vital setbacks throughout World Struggle II, together with the destruction of its Pforzheim facility in 1945, the corporate resumed manufacturing in 1946.
By 1953, Kasper had moved into a brand new constructing and expanded its product line to incorporate actions with each cylinder and Swiss lever escapements, in addition to full wristwatches. The workforce grew from 150 to 300 workers between 1953 and 1955, and exports performed an more and more essential position. Improvements continued with the introduction of the corporate’s first automated motion in 1955 and a second era in 1964. Within the early Sixties, Kasper co-founded Asika Time Industries in India to assemble German actions. Having confronted challenges in the course of the Quartz Disaster, nonetheless, the corporate ceased motion manufacturing and was ultimately liquidated in 1993. For extra info, try this fascinatingly detailed write-up by Andreas Kelz, which additionally features a deep dive into Kasper’s motion timeline.
Picture: Mikrolisk
Sidenote
Shortly after I found Kasper’s historical past, I tasked my brother, who’s a lawyer, with discovering out if the model or trademark was protected and may very well be purchased. Only for the enjoyable of getting it, daydreaming of reviving the Kasper watches once more. My brother received again to me rapidly, however I by no means took motion. I used to be too busy constructing three different firms and a household. Once I checked once more not too long ago, I found some trendy Kasper watches with quartz actions had come out. However please, I urge you, don’t look them up. They might injury your notion of pure watch evolution. They’re unhealthy…
Again to my spouse’s watch
I didn’t need simply any Kasper watch. My first Kasper watch was presupposed to be a present for my spouse, and I wished it to be a chronograph. There may be perhaps one Kasper chronograph to 100 boring Kasper watches and perhaps one first rate spherical chronograph to a handful of chunky, very ’70s chrono mastodons. After months of ready, nothing popped up. I needed to be inventive.
eBay gymnastics
I discovered one on eBay. The issue with the image you see above is that it was not me who purchased the watch. I made a decision to ship a really private message to the vendor, begging him to speak in confidence to whom he offered it. I noticed a 2% probability he’d present that data…however he did! He gave me the eBay identify of the client, who was the second to learn a heartbreaking message about why I wanted his watch. Nicely, I made his choice simpler by providing a a number of of what he paid for the watch. It labored. My spouse received her first classic watch as a substitute of an engagement ring. The remainder is historical past.
Kasper temptation
Checking Kasper watches on all public sale websites obtainable turned my random evening passion. To maintain my spending considerably sane, I made a decision to not purchase simply something branded Kasper however to deal with chronographs solely. This was important. In any other case, I might have already got 200 Kasper watches. Admittedly, although, I remorse not having purchased some attention-grabbing Kasper divers and time-only fashions.
Kasper ring watch
What I couldn’t flip down was a Kasper-branded ring that I gifted my spouse another day. I bear in mind I noticed ring watches in Seiko catalogs, and so they fascinated me. The motion in a single is so tiny, and so is the dial and crystal. I purchased this Kasper ring watch just because I discovered it cute. I’ve by no means nervous about how a lot finger time it will get.
Once I needed to {photograph} it final week, I put it on my finger as a result of I didn’t wish to lose it. I had by no means put it on my finger and even considered how fragile it was. In case you are not cautious, you possibly can simply find yourself washing your fingers with it on. It’s not sensible to put on, however nothing beats the model.
The subsequent Kasper watch — ahem, watches…
My Kasper story didn’t finish with an engagement watch and a hoop watch. Since I realized how troublesome it’s to attain Kasper chronographs, I made a decision to start out accumulating them. This turned one other attention-grabbing vintage-watch-collecting train. Two an identical Kasper chronographs rarely resurface, so each is authentic. Since they don’t pop up typically, discovering one is a trigger for celebration. I don’t anticipate to put on them typically, however I can’t assist it. I added one other yesterday…
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