Family watch

Some objects rest quietly in an old family cabinet, as if patiently waiting for someone willing to listen to their extraordinary stories. Among them lies a watch — a small but remarkable timepiece that, as I was told, once rested on my grandmother’s old dresser. In this story, I would like to tell you about its journey.

In 1914, shortly after the birth of his only child, my great-great-grandfather, Jan Czupryna, was drafted into the Austrian army. There was no Poland on the map at the time, having been partitioned between neighbouring countries since the 18th century. He had only just begun building a family, dreaming of growing old beside them, when history pulled him away and carried him eastward with the advancing front. The First World War had just begun to cast its long shadow over Europe, but also to bring back independence for Poland.

Unfortunately, he was wounded in one of the early battles near Tarnów. A bullet pierced his lung. Gravely injured, he continued traveling with the troops, though in those days survival was uncertain and hope was fragile.

At some point along the way, in a small village, he asked for a pillow to ease his suffering. In exchange, he offered his Omega pocket watch to the local organist. The following day, still in critical condition, he resumed his journey.

Some time later, the organist arrived in Jankowice, where my great-great-grandparents lived. He brought the watch to Jan’s wife and requested payment for the pillow, having announced his visit beforehand in a letter.

Jan Czupryna never returned home. Despite his wife’s long and painful search, no trace of him was ever found, but the watch. No grave. No official word of his fate. One can only assume that his wounds proved fatal. It is likely that he was buried somewhere along the road he had travelled.

While writing this account, I had the chance to hold the watch in my hands. Even after so many years, it still runs — however with its own quiet, steady rhythm — because there's no way to set it. It seems to measure not only seconds and minutes, but memory itself.