Confession time - I did not start reading Tintin until I was in my early twenties, about two weeks before Wendy and I got married. Tintin had not made huge inroads to the Midwest, and this Northern Youth had certainly heard of him, but never taken the time to actually read any of Hergé's works. But my wife being Canadian born and raised by a bilingual mother had been steeped in Tintin from an early age, perhaps in an effort to impart the French language in a more agreeable manner. Needless to say, 18 + years on, we are still married, and I still really dig Tintin.
It goes without saying that everyone can identify with and appreciate Tintin. But I think we can also all agree that we have a soft spot for Captain Haddock! Not unlike the favorite uncle who comes by to share stories of his days in the Merchant Marines over what starts out as a coffee, progresses to beer, and caps off with bourbon with perhaps a a brief interlude for a few rounds of "Geralds" (sandwiches).
So Haddock is a bit of a free spirit - but you also know that he is a man of action! Ready to do battle with Rastapopoulos, Doctor Müller and Allan. A man of a certain charm - just ask Bianca Castafiore. And despite all of that, still a man of peace who even made time for some nation building with my all-time favorite populist leader - General Alcazar. Being descended from Aaron Burr myself, I sort of identify with the unquenchable determination to lead a country - even if it is a profoundly bad idea!
But let's get back to Haddock. A man of the sea, a "doer of daring", the sort of guy you would want with you when the going got rough. What watch would he wear? Well, once he discovered his fortune in Marlinspike Hall I think he would have gone for one of these -
This is Girard-Perregaux's new Sea Hawk.
One thing you'll notice in the evolution of Haddock's character in the Tintin series, is once he could afford the finer things in life, he began to truly appreciate them. But along with whisky, he never lost his taste for adventure - and I can't help but see him sporting one of the finest sports watches he could lay his hands on.
It goes without saying that everyone can identify with and appreciate Tintin. But I think we can also all agree that we have a soft spot for Captain Haddock! Not unlike the favorite uncle who comes by to share stories of his days in the Merchant Marines over what starts out as a coffee, progresses to beer, and caps off with bourbon with perhaps a a brief interlude for a few rounds of "Geralds" (sandwiches).
But let's get back to Haddock. A man of the sea, a "doer of daring", the sort of guy you would want with you when the going got rough. What watch would he wear? Well, once he discovered his fortune in Marlinspike Hall I think he would have gone for one of these -
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| Courtesy of Girard-Perregaux |
One thing you'll notice in the evolution of Haddock's character in the Tintin series, is once he could afford the finer things in life, he began to truly appreciate them. But along with whisky, he never lost his taste for adventure - and I can't help but see him sporting one of the finest sports watches he could lay his hands on.
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