The Greatest Watch You Will Never Own
I would like to introduce you to the greatest watch you will never own. The particulars of the watch will come later...
Like all great things, there are remarkable stories not too far behind. Where the idea was spawned, how it got to production, the way you look at it with such admiration, that whatever it is, ends up on your list of experiences you hope to have in your life at some point.
This watch belonged to Donald J. Kraemer. He grew up in rural Minnesota on a farm which today is not so remote anymore. Then it was nothing but farmland as far as the eye could see, filled with honest people, putting in an honest day of work. Donald always knew what he was supposed to do – find a piece of land, start his own farm, settle down with a beautiful wife, and raise a family.
This is where we find Donald and where he and his watch enter our story.
Like so many of The Greatest Generation, Donald did not set off in life to be a soldier. And like many others from that time, his dream was put on hold. Donald heeded the call to serve his country in the Great War. Enlisting in the Army in 1943, new Wyler Incaflex Watch on his wrist, he was Private First Class, Infantry Unassigned Sharpshooter and Marksman. But this hero you have not heard of, did not serve in the great theaters we read about in Western and Central Europe. Donald instead was sent to defeat and expel imperial Japanese forces in the Philippine Campaign (1944-1945). War of any kind isn’t pretty and like any war, especially any war during those times, it was unfair and ruthless. When the enemy began to run low on ammunition, they crafted bullets out of wood. The bullet itself would not kill you most times, but the splintering of the wood inside of you would find it is way to your heart or another vital organ, leading to your undoing.
He was on the island of Mindanao, a foot soldier, when struck by a mortar shell, causing him to lose both legs above the knee. This was the best option at the time with the hopes of survival. And survive he did. But instead of looking down and saying well this is it, he returned to the US and spent a year in a hospital in Salt Lake City, healing, and re-learning almost everything. Your body's center of gravity is completely different without legs.
After about a year, he was able to return home to his dream—interrupted of his farm, found that girl, and had two children. The Army gave him prosthetic to use, several different times. True to his character he tried to use them with the help of a cane, but in the end, he hated them.
Instead, wearing some hybrid of winter and leather working gloves, he spent his days moving from task to task on his fists. Donald started his day by hoisting himself into his wheelchair, eating his breakfast that had to have toast and the honey that came in the bear. Breakfast done, he wheeled over to the door, lowered himself down and scooted his way on his fists from the house to the barn (roughly 50 yards). Once in the barn was his other wheelchair that he would hoist himself into and tend to his chores among which, were horses. Ever resourceful, he made all his own leather gear for the horses…the reins, saddles, bits, all of it. There were tractors to be driven with hand controls, his wife’s precious gardens to guard against the deer and rabbits in the evenings and it would all start again the next day. All the while wearing the watch that he left that state with years before to go and fight the good fight.
What makes this watch the greatest watch you will never own, is that Donald J. Kramer is my grandfather and my hero. I got to grow up watching this great man carry out everything that he did from his fists. If there was something to be done, he made sure I was there to be a part of it. If you ask me, he will tell you his greatest accomplishment was being a grandfather. He taught me to drive (far too young, but hey it was a tractor), I would spend about every summer I could at the farm. The most valuable thing he taught me, I realized later in life was perseverance. Never complained (at least that I ever heard). I did not care what the chore I was helping him with, all I knew then and now, was I got to spend time with him. Thankfully, I did. We lost Grandpa Don when he was only 56 from complications stemming from his injuries in the Philippines (up until he died, he would occasionally still find little bits of shrapnel and pull it lose like a splinter). I was young…but through memories, family stories, and family pictures, I was able to fill in the holes and it made it feel like he lived for 100 years.
To some, watches are a representation of their status and there is nothing wrong with that. But to most, what a watch represents is a memory. A snapshot of a life from a long time ago, or a vintage watch that is purchased not because of the name on the watch, but the name and story behind the watch. Every little scratch and imperfection came from somewhere. And then the book opens in your mind, and you begin to imagine the great adventures this watch has been on. There are the watches that you inherit from a loved one and it means everything to you because you saw them wearing it every day, but then that watch comes with a series of little notebooks where that loved one wrote down experiences that they had while wearing that watch, no matter how big or small, it went into the book. It is now not just a watch, but a living, breathing storyteller. The watch given to you for an anniversary, wedding, first child, promotion, or making it home from a tour to be with the ones that you love.
Watches are much much more than a shiny piece of metal that tells you the time. They are a part of your story. So yes, it is just a watch, but this particular watch is the greatest watch you will never own. Every night when I walk by my watch caddy and see it there, I get to see my grandpa again.
This is the belt he made me from leftover leather, that I still have to this day.
As promised, as far as we can tell with the worn face, this is a Wyler Incaflex that he wore before, during and after the war. The Wyler Watch Company was founded by Paul Wyler in 1896. It was known for its rugged and shockproof movements and models. Paul Wyler gained several patents for his innovations. In 1927 he invented the “Incaflex balance spring”, which was resistant to impact, and in 1932 received a patent.
I would like to thank SBWC for the opportunity to share this story. If you enjoyed this article, lets us know, and if you would like to learn more about my grandfather, let us know that too.
Thank You
-CJ