I want you to meet Francis and and his son Kevin Mitchell from Dundee, Scotland. Actually, I wanted you to meet them in person today, but that’s not going to happen unfortunately. It’s a long story, so bear with me, but I promise you it’s worth reading. You can’t make this kind of stuff up.

It all started several weeks ago with a giveaway contest organized on the famous Hodinkee watch blog. The contest generated massive interest, and close to 300 entries were received. This yielded tons of comments about Marvin and I read each one individually. In the midst, there was a note from this guy Kevin Mitchell who claimed that his 80 year old dad had owned a Marvin watch from the age of fifteen.

Now, Marvin prides itself on 160 years of heritage and history. So when I read Kevin’s post, I thought to myself, this is too good to be true. Here’s a real, live, breathing example of this legacy! I immediately contacted Kevin and told him we needed to talk. He was happy to oblige, and what ensued was an amazing trip back in time and new friendships.

When Kevin (left) ran to his dad telling him Marvin was being revived – and online as well no less – Francis got ecstatic. He finally had an opportunity to continue the family tradition and acquire a Marvin for his son! They settled on a gorgeous Valjoux 7750 M103 chrono. And I decided to give Francis his very own “classic” Marvin M112 because I thought he deserved it after all these years of loyalty to our brand.

Kevin’s dad is not in the best of health, but he was kind enough to dictate his entire Marvin history to his son one night, who promptly sent me the transcript via email. For the full story, check out this online presentation. These are his own words, unedited. I’ll be posting video of this amazing reunion between a man and Marvin on our Youtube channel as well so stay tuned.

By that time, I had already planned to fly out to Scotland to meet these amazing people in person and deliver the goods. But Kevin called me up and said listen, I usually take my dad out on a trip once a year, would you mind very much if we showed up at Marvin Castle instead of your flying out? Thinking of the VIP Program we had just put in place, I happily obliged and suggested they take advantage of it as well. A perfect opportunity indeed.

We made plans and arrangements. Hotel rooms, tour of the facilities and Castle, video crews, press, luncheon, an official ceremony with our CEO Cécile giving away the two watches, signing of the Marvin Golden Book, tour of the Museum, a bottle of vintage Marvin Pinot Noir 2009, all ending with a wine tasting session at the Keller winery (owner Boris happens to be my neighbor). And then disaster struck.

You see, a couple of days ago, Kevin called me with the bad news that his dad had been admitted to the hospital with a really bad infection. His dad insisted on Kevin traveling without him, but we both agreed that wasn’t even an option. Luckily, Francis seems to be getting a bit better and it looks like they might release him in a week or so.

Not wanting to disappoint my two new friends (and hoping it would cheer Dad up), I had both watches shipped ASAP to the hospital where they arrived safely last night. Kevin was kind enough to assure me there would be plenty of pictures, plenty of video, and more importantly, plenty of joy.

If there are two people I’ve met in the past six months who have really lived and breathed Marvin for decades, it’s got to be Kevin and Francis Mitchell. Three generations of Mitchells have now been involved with Marvin. Because Kevin’s ten year old little girl is also quite a watch aficionado. And so the tradition continues.

Much like our brand, their family is resilient enough to withstand the ups and downs of life through time, handling the bad with the good with determination, genuineness, and humor. That’s what it has meant to be part of the Marvin family for now over 160 years.

I ask all of you to keep Kevin’s dad Francis in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery. If you want to send them a personal note, just send it to me and I’ll make sure they get it right away.