March 2021 // CORNEHL Watches

THE GIFT OF TIME 

“You have watches, we have time.” – African Proverb

Hearing this Proverb always makes me smile. I heard it for the first time when I was in Rwanda, a very small country in Africa. I remember waiting with a group of white people for a bus to take us on a tour to the country side. Of course the evening before I had asked for the time schedule in the morning. So ready to go with our backpacks we were standing in front of the guest house waiting. Nothing happened. My Rwandan friends were not nervous at all. They were still preparing, walking around, talking, having fun. After a while they explained, that the bus wasn’t to come soon. They were relaxed. I was not.

How should I spend the time waiting, if I did not know when the trip would start? I was afraid.

I imagined going back to my room, reading or doing something else and then missing the bus.  It was in this situation that I heard the phrase for the first time – “You have watches, we have time.” – It came with a great laughter and a big smile.

Years after this adventure I realize, my watch and my schedule were not helpful at all. I did not realize, that in this moment I had time. And that having time was a gift, I could have enjoyed. Back then, it made me frustrated and impatient. It felt like someone was stealing time from me. Although I could have simply taken it as a gift.

At the end of the story we left about two hours later for the trip as I had expected it. Today I can smile when I think back to this adventure.

By Julia Schnur

Cornehl CLASSIC BLACK

The counterpart to our Classic Silver model: Full of contrasts – the polished and rhodinized numbers and steel hands show off their beauty on the matte black background. 

  

On the basis of Unitas 6498 this movement has a handmade 3/4 bridge with gold chatons and swan-neck fine adjustment.