My tried and true Casio watch died after almost a decade of constant use. The buttons wore out and I could not find an obvious way to repair them. This time, when shopping for a new watch, I decided to really go for it. I figured at the age of 45, I deserve to finally buy a watch that is perfect for me, no matter what the cost.

I researched watches in all price ranges, from ten dollars to ten thousand dollars. My only main criteria were:

• It has to have a stopwatch function, because I use that for solving Rubik's cubes and timing Kai when he wants to race.
• It has to have a countdown timer function, because I use that for cooking or figuring out when a kid should turn off a device.
• I have to be able to see the date at a glance, because I can never remember what day it is.
• It has to have a metal band, because I can't stand plastic or rubber bands.
• It has to have a light, because I often check the time in the dark when I'm putting kids to bed.

I never realized how convenient this feature was until I had it! For example, the parking shuttle at work leaves at exactly every half hour, down to the second. The driver is extremely precise. So, now I can know as I walk down the stairs whether I'm going to miss the bus or not.

Fun fact: I still have my "poor man's soft box", which I made almost ten years ago to take a picture of my previous watch. I was able to use it again to take this photo!

Technical Details: This picture was taken with my 5D Mark II + EF 100mm Macro at ISO 100, f/16 for 1/4 of a second.