HELSINKI, Finland — Keijo Paajanen was bewitched by a watch.

So much so that his life became deeply intertwined with the Vulcain Cricket, a Swiss timepiece known as the first mass-produced mechanical watch to successfully incorporate an alarm.

But there was another part of the watch’s past that attracted Mr. Paajanen even more: Released in 1947, it has been presented to many American leaders, earning it the nickname “The President’s Watch.”

Mr. Paajanen grew up in the Finnish capital, the son of a jewelry store owner, and lived and worked here until his death last year at 54. But were it not for him, a tradition of presenting the watch to U.S. presidents might have ended, too.

Source: New York Times

Powered by NewsAPI.org