Something weird has happened?

[Kiwigaz]

Something really weird has happened over the past day. Last night mother's watch stopped working at 17:50, it is an eco watch so doesn't need batteries. Now I bought it for her 13 years ago. She told me this morning and I tried the watch on myself and nothing, dead as a door nail.
I said to her that I have an eco watch which I bought in Australia and as I don't wear a watch these days I tried it on and it started working so said to mother that she should try it and it was fine until just now when she went to check it and it had stopped at 18:00 and is not working now.
Not sure what she has done to 2 watches in 24 hours but both are dead.
I am going to wear it tonight just to see if it starts.
?????.......
Well just got up and checked my watch and it is completely dead, still on the same time I put it on before I went to bed. Not sure what has happened, mother has worn that watch everyday since I bought it her and only takes it off to shower. My watch hasn't been worn in over 3 years but as soon as I put it on yesterday it started straight away. Must be something that has changed in her body?????
Mother was spooked about it last night also she has been saying that she felt someone on her bed the other night and that she was told in a dream to remember her granddaughters birthday which is in a few days

[Koala]

I didn't know what an eco watch was, so had to look it up. Wiki says "According to Citizen, experimental data showed the solar cell and secondary battery will last for more than 10 years." Could the ten years plus be up?

I want to ask if they're good and if you'd recommend these watches, but maybe this isn't a good time.

[madeliaette]

Taking a spiritual rather than practical approach - I have heard of timepieces - usually clocks/pocket watches - stopping in sync with two occasions: 1. death and 2. birth. I wonder if there has been any family births and deaths going on?

Back to the practical possibiltiies - has your mom started/stopped taking any meds? maybe the chemical composition of her body has affected it... or has her mood changed dramatically? I guess that takes us back to the spiritual side again...

[Kiwigaz]

Hi all,
There hasn't been any births or deaths that we are aware of?
Mother hasn't changed her meds at all for ages, so not sure what the problem is.

After I came back from my wee job this morning I thought I would have a fiddle around with my watch and it started up so am wearing it myself, then I asked mother where hers was, got it and had a fiddle with that and it has started up again.
Currently I have one on each hand and both are keeping good time?????

Koala, as I said mother has had hers for 13 years, mine must be 8 years (brought in Brisbane). I love them mainly because I have had numerous watches over the years mainly battery ones and I have always had problems with them, either running too fast or too slow and also my body tends to drain the batteries after a few months whereas with the eco drive watch never a minutes problem until mother had it last night. Here's hoping that now the watches will be fine - fingers crossed

[Sajehar]

Hi KiwiGaz

How do your eco watches actually work? I thought eco watches ran off light, do yours run off something else?
Sounds like your mother is predicting her own death. I know of two instances of this regarding elderly people. Sure enough, the both died when they said they were going to.
However, I also know of several instances where similar things happened and it was down to a change in medication.
If your mum is on medication, has it changed recently?
Several years ago I was put on Zyban; a drug to stop you smoking. Within a few days of taking it I became convinced I was being 'followed' before collapsing and having a fit, which necessitated a stay in hospital. Trust me to react so badly to a drug to help you stop smoking!
I'm not saying this will happen to your mum, but all medications carry side affects that affect a small percentage of the population, including hallucinations.

Also, this is just a thought so don't take it the wrong way, but has your behaviour to your mum changed recently? From previous posts, she sounds like a bit of an emotional black mailer. If you're falling less for this, it could be another, more subtle, ploy to keep you on board.

Or maybe these watches have just reached the end of their life span? Nothing lasts for ever. My car was MOTed earlier this month. It passed but I was told its catalytic converter was on its last legs and will need replacing before its next one. They're only supposed to last 10 years, apparently. Mine's 13 years old, just like your watches.
Regarding your mum's dream about her granddaughter's birthday, I wouldn't read to much into that. The subconscious is a weird and wonderful thing, and that happens to me too. I will have a dream a few days before someones birthday where someone (usually my dead nana) will tell me not to forget about it. Works a treat; much better than writing it down on a calender which, of course, you have to remember to look at in order to be reminded which, of course, I never remember to do. Thank goodness for dreams.

[Koala]

Kiwigaz, I wouldn't worry too much that a stopped watch signifies death. Apart from the song "My Grandfather's Clock", I've only heard of people who regularly have watches die for no apparent reason. I've included a link to a Straight Dope discussion on the subject. The consensus seems to be excess electricity or magnetism, or the debunking of that idea.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/sho ... p?t=545968

From what you've said, you seem to be a candidate for these theories,and your mother probably is too. But the discussion at the link usually describes one type of watch that works, so hopefully that's the eco watch for you two. If the watches keep working, just put it down to one of those annoying things that life throws at us now and then. And please, keep us informed, this is interesting.

And I think I might look at buying one.

[Kiwigaz]

What a subject eh!! I didn't mention this morning that also there was a light shining in my kitchen on the floor, what surprised me was where it was and the direction of the light as I walk around the house with no lights on this was quite a sight for me and I checked to make sure that there wasn't any lights coming through the window at such an angle to go onto the tiles as the light wasn't anywhere near a light source. Firstly I thought it was the light from my new oven but realised pretty quickly that it was about a metre or so away from the oven.
It was gone in a flash and I investigated inside and out as to the possible source, after nothing could be found to make a valid assumption as to what it could be I am putting it in the USO file, (unexplained shiny object) lol.

My new and most likely version of the watch episode came to me in a flash whilst in the bathroom (good thinking to be done room). As mother had been not well for 2 weeks and spent most of the time in bed with the blinds closed, plus not being out of the house for 3 weeks and we have had hardly any sun, plus my watch has been in a draw for a couple of years there hasn't been enough solar energy etc to charge the batteries sufficiently to keep the watches going and the fact that they stopped within minutes of each other 24 hours apart is just purely coincidence. Spent most of the day with the watches and when I went to work I left mine on the windowsill, so far so good watches still going.

You never know that some of these things can not be explained and you have to take them at face value, but if anything else happens like the cat waking up suddenly and staring without waivering at the stairs with the what are you doing standing there look I will let you know (twilight zone music playing in my head).

[crocus]

I think you are probably right about the watches - My son has one and they dont re-charge if there is not enough light

if anything else happens like the cat waking up suddenly and staring without waivering at the stairs with the what are you doing standing there look I will let you know (twilight zone music playing in my head).

Yeah, my cat does that too. Scares the living daylights out of me sometimes

[SheWolf]

Funnily enough I've had a similar problem recently with Dad's watch. It's one of those kinetic ones, which is self winding. It worked fine years ago when he was active, but has been unreliable since he slowed down - as Dad has wound down, so has the watch.

I recently bought him a battery operated watch, which he's very pleased with as it's keeping perfect time.

Solar powered watches are great most of the year, but will struggle to recharge without regular daylight. Is there a sunny windowsill it could be left on, to help keep it charged?

As for the mysterious light... spooky! Can't rule out some sort of spiritual presence, but then again, our minds can play daft tricks on us at times.

[bowlingbun]

My husband was a clock enthusiast. In the week he died we had terrible problems with all our clocks, just like the song. Even the clock on the gas boiler, new only a few months earlier, just went on strike. I'm the most down to earth person, and so is eldest son, but it sure was creepy. Spent £200 having some of the antique clocks serviced to sort them out in the end. This year, the gas boiler clock decided to start again entirely normally - without any servicing - we just got used to managing without a timer!