Gold Watch

Maker unknown, ca. 1960

Gold, glass

Dimensions variable

Purchased from a jewelry store in Peru

Collection of Maribel Bozolasco

This gold watch is a family heirloom, belonging to the personal collection of Maribel Bozolasco, my mother. This petite accessory is a timeless treasure, having originally been purchased by Maribel’s maternal grandfather, Manuel Cruz in 1960 in Peru as a gift for his wife, Felicita Cruz, to commemorate their eldest daughter’s wedding day. After the passing of Felicita in 2012, her jewelry was distributed amongst her three daughters, Hilda, Olga and Luisa (listed from eldest to youngest), and two of her granddaughters, both daughters of Hilda, Maribel Bozolasco and Jenny Barros.

Maribel inherited the gold watch, and remembers the love her grandmother had towards the sentimental gift. Felicita wore it everywhere for every occasion, missing her husband dearly as he had passed on 14 years earlier in 1998. My mother continues to honour the family memories and traditions associated with the watch, protecting it and wearing it as her grandmother did. This small accessory, potentially undervalued by strangers, represents a connection between familial lines, embracing and commemorating our passed relatives dear to our hearts and honouring their memory in the present, and future.

Restricted to our individual properties during this pandemic, the presence of time can be easily forgotten. While the world has been put on pause, however, it does not mean our lives are on hold. We can take this time of self-isolation to reflect on our past, our present state of well-being and look toward. Although separated from one another, approaching this as a self-reflective opportunity has the power to alter this experience as a whole. Time is an inevitable construct of the universe, felt and watched by all of us. This golden watch is a gentle reminder to the human race that time is a golden gift - one we often fail to acknowledge.

Bettina Bozolasco