Bird Remembered Through Time

Here’s the most subtle tribute to saxophonist Charlie Parker I’ve ever seen. Not an album or a music festival, it’s a wristwatch made by Oris, the folks who in the past brought us time-telling tributes to Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis. The face of this smooth-looking, Swiss-made accessory looks just like a watch face should, except that the “4” position reads “bird” instead. That’s because Charlie “Yardbird” Parker was typically out in the clubs playing his horn until four in the a.m. Cute, huh? The backside of the watch’s stainless-steel casing features an engraved picture of Bird and his sax and an imprint of his signature. And each watch is also engraved with a unique number, as the watch is being made in a limited-edition run of 1355-a numerical “Bird” code. As the product literature states: “1 for the number one of modern jazz, 35 for his age and 55 for his year of death.” For more information on this item, visit Oris’ Web site.

Originally Published February 7, 2004