Remembering when Jenson Button’s dad put a Rolex through his washing machine.
readers. On one hand, car obsessives tend to indulge many fascinations beyond diffs and pistons. Vintage stereos, racing bicycles, lever-operated espresso machines, the list goes on. On the other hand, it’s tough to separate watch enthusiasm from the appearance of snobbery; these are often expensive and glitzy wrist baubles, jewelry by most definitions. That’s off-putting to some readers. I understand.
Button bought a second Daytona to underline the occasion, a matching piece in stainless steel for his father, John Button. John was a former rallycross driver who endowed his son with enough talent, discipline, and support to produce an F1 title. No small feat. Anyone who tuned in to F1 from the turn of the century through the following decade will have seen John, usually embracing his son after one star-making performance or another. John was there for Jenson’s first race in Formula 1.
Do note that Rolex watches are generally rated to survive the intense pressure which occurs beneath hundreds of meters of water. Yet arguably no mechanical watch will survive the heavy rinse cycle. The watch was destroyed during its trip through the washing machine. In the blur that is life, John set aside his broken watch and moved on.
The bad part of the story came shortly after. John passed away that same year from a suspected head injury, though the particulars of his death will never be known. John Button was just 70 years old. I was struck by how simple yet deep, specific and universal Button’s story was. The watch reminded him of his late father, of shared triumphs, of an entire lifetime lived. It is a physical manifestation of memory.
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