While Sherman McCoy is the main character of this book, Edward Fisk III is essentially his incarnation, a naive, overprivileged idealist in his youth, and Sherman also in his youth. Probably looked a lot like him. For me, the cheap watch Sherman has at the end of the story symbolizes the main character’s downfall compared to Edward’s fine watch.
Edward’s watch is said to contain “enough gold to read a meter”. There were two watches worn by young men like him on Wall Street in the 1980s. It could be a gold Datejust or a Gordon Gekko-style Cartier Panthère. I choose the Panthere, which is reminiscent of old money. It’s not modest, but it’s not as flashy as a solid gold Rolex. Edward considers himself a man of the people.
Towards the end of the novel, Sherman’s privileged life is fully revealed. Before taking him into custody, the arresting officer takes his shoelaces, belt, and watch. At first, Sherman said he didn’t care because the watch was cheap. It is described as having a plastic case and a nylon band. But as soon as it was taken away from him, he panicked and demanded it back, but to no avail.
Although inexpensive, given Sherman’s Park Avenue sensibilities, his watches were probably fashionable. I think it was very similar to Swatch New Beach. These affordable watches were all the rage in the 80s. The strap is nylon, so I think it was a sporty waterproof NATO. New Beach is wallet-friendly, yet totally preppy with its bright nautical aesthetic. (After all, McCoy seems like the kind of guy who played crew at Yale.) The fact that he wants his low-priced watch back makes me wonder if it means something. I think so. He finally came to understand the value of things that money cannot buy.
Buy Cartier Panthère at The RealReal
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