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Isn’t sharing memories the best way to start a good evening?
They often start with a “do you remember when…”. And at that moment a space-time portal opens and the hours fly by while you relive a part of your life. A moment suspended between friends where beers are drunk, without getting drunk, because you are in another world. The wonderful world of your memories.
Let me share one of my memories with you.
Paris, April 2022.
On this morning of spring, the sun is shining and nature is decked out in a thousand and one colors when all of a sudden, my phone rings. William from Yema informs me that a new product will be announced soon.
“You should like it,” he said, and told me it would be arriving at my house soon. Not a photo, not a piece of information, the mystery remains. Staring into space, I try to imagine what they could have created. The possibilities are endless. The brand dates back to 1948, its partnerships are numerous and prestigious, and the field of expression of the novelty can be either the land, the sea, the skies or the space.
Once the emotion has subsided, I call Christopher Bôle to try to get some information from him. After some banalities, I start.
– Christopher, I know something new is going to be announced, at least tell me what universe it fits into?
– I have two clues to give you: Think Ayrton Senna and Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
For this kind of adventure, I know who to turn to. Thibaud is my best friend. 6 days older than me, we’ve done everything together since childhood.
“Thib, prepare your bag, in a few days we leave for the adventure”. All additional information would have been superfluous, we waited only for the delivery: the arrival of the mailman!
If Amazon delivers in 24 hours, you have to be a little more patient with the Post Office. One day passes, then a second. By the third day, impatience is at its peak. I have packed my bag again at least ten times and since William’s call, my mind is elsewhere. So when my phone rings and the number isn’t in my contacts, I’m already at my door, ready to go downstairs to get my package. This time, it’s the right one. Not a moment to lose.
“Hey Siri call Thib!” As the ringtone ticks away, I change my clothes at full speed.
– Hello?
– Dude it’s time, I’m at your house in 10 minutes.
– Great! See you then.
I love this efficiency! The package is opened and I discover two boxes. My hand dives on the left one. I would later learn that I had just put the Meangraf Sub-Marine R60 on my wrist. Its sister, the Meangraf Sous-Marine Y60, is in my bag.
In these moments, there are two scenarios. Either everything goes very well, you just arrive on the platform of the subway and it arrives. Not a strike, not a delay, everything is perfect. You are even lucky to have a seat. Or everything goes wrong. Fortunately, fate chose the first scenario today.
As soon as I arrived at Thib’s place, we are on his bike, heading west. As the kilometers go by, I think about what Christopher told me. If I remember correctly, Yema registered the Meangraf brand in 1965 and its first model was born in 1969. Recognizable thanks to its special bezel for the calculation of car averages, the symbol of a vanishing road and slightly centered indexes. If on the first Meangraf the road is horizontal, it is vertical on its little sister that I have on my wrist.
The sun is down when we arrive. What a pleasure to be back in my dear Brittany! After a good dinner, we sit down in front of the fireplace, our eyes get lost in the flames and our evening begins with: “Do you remember when…”
Impatience has given way to excitement and after a good night’s sleep, our adventure can finally begin.
The sky is clear, the grass is wet with dew and the sun is slowly warming the still fresh atmosphere of the night.
After a good breakfast, we go to my Renault R5. Real oven in summer and real fridge in winter, it is at perfect temperature in this month of April.
Our things are put in the trunk and we take the road towards Locquémeau. In 20 minutes, elbow to the door and hair in the wind, we reach this magnificent little port.
Thibaud wears the Meangraf Sous-Marine Y60 and I the R60. During the trip, the sun does its job by recharging the blue SuperLuminova present on the hour markers and indications on the bi-directional bezel inlaid in the case. Easy to handle, it will allow us to know how long we have been in the water.
If we came to this small paradise, it is to dive there. Without tanks, everything will be done with mask and snorkel. It will be the baptism of the Rubber bracelet and a moment out of time for us.
As soon as we arrive, we are already in our wetsuits. The water is 14 degrees but the 7 millimeters thickness of our suits will keep us warm.
The double dome sapphire glass allows a better readability underwater and when we start our first fathoms, it is 10:25. I set the bi-directional bezel and the exploration can begin.
Neither you nor I are professional divers. It is unlikely that you will find yourself scratching the seabed at 300 meters. Or even that you’ll go beyond 20 meters of depth. And yet the Meangraf Sous-Marine is waterproof to 300 meters, where less than one percent of the light passes through. Now you can see why the SuperLuminova and the helium valve are so important.
The eyes full of stars. My body swaying to the rhythm of the waves, I am pensive. I already understand the clues given by Christopher. The Meangraf Sous-Marine is at the crossroads between a diver and a chrono.
The 24 hours dial is directly inspired by the first Meangraf of the 70s. But what’s the point of a 300 meters waterproofing and a helium valve?
When this question crosses my mind as I approach a small ban of mackerel, I have two images that come to mind. The first one is the dashboard of the R5. I can assure you that you will hardly reach 180 km/h with this car. Sure, the engine has power, but you might end up with only the steering wheel in your hands after the car has played Tom Thumb on the road.
And the second one, me swimming. I could very well have written a simple review article while sitting behind my desk. And yet here I am. I look at the watch, it’s 12 o’clock, it’s time to go home. Our skin is salty, our bodies dry but cold, and we are sitting in the trunk of the car looking at the landscape, with a good sandwich in our hand and a beer at our feet. We couldn’t have asked for anything better.
So yes, I’m not about to dive to 300 meters, but my Meangraf Sous-Marine R60 won’t stop me.
But when I look at it, I have this memory that comes back to me and that will be shared at many evenings and nights that started with “do you remember when…” Because after all, that’s life.
Our watches are only simple collection of memories which return to us when we plunge our glance there.
Here begins our best night ever and it’s your turn to share one of your memories.
