Yep, I remember getting that watch, down on Broadway, trolling the shops in my then-current state of perpetual broke-ness, looking for a bargain. And there it was: black denim overalls. Just $15. And all purchases that day came with a free wristwatch.My recollection is a little foggy (heh) but I'm pretty sure that was late summer 1985. I had just quit job number seven of the summer (but was keeping one of the ice cream vendor gigs -- would later sell gelato at a Squeeze concert on the pier, then roasted corn at San Gennaro). School was about to start, and with it would be other jobs: I'd later get a job at the campus publishing office, then late in the year make $200 doing a drug study.
Yeah, it was madness but that's why I always looked for a deal and this was a deal. I got lots of miles out of those overalls; in those days of lax-laundry and commando tactics I think it's fair to say that was one horribly abused piece of clothing -- but it always came back for more.
And the watch -- what a cheap piece of crap. I loved it. Wore it for years. I think at one point the electronic innards got roasted, so I transplanted a working LCD timepiece into it. Super-glued the case. Replaced the strap. The watch was a champ -- it outlived Canal Jean itself (not sure when that store closed -- I think it moved to Brooklyn for a few years before going fully defunct).
Anyway, it's all ancient history. Wristwatches, that is.