Watch References in Jason Heaton’s Sweetwater (Spoilers)
Jason Heaton’s anticipated second novel Sweetwater follows the latest adventure for the underwater archaeologist Julian-Tusker-Tusk. Through discovering his father's military days, investigating the underwater wreck of a sunken plane and even getting stranded on a remote lighthouse, Heaton’s sequel to Depth Charge takes the reader to a crisp Lake Superior with 70’s flashbacks. This time, Heaton refers to wristwatches more frequently and with a little more detail than his previous novel. In this short piece, we try to deduce the watches featured in the novel, their significance for characterisation and sometimes their personal meaning to the author. (BEWARE SPOILERS)
Yuri Sokolov — Casiotron X-1
“Cheap Casio watch… the weak backlight illuminated the screen”
Yuri Sokolov is the KGB agent tasked with shooting down a US senator’s plane over Lake Superior in the first chapter of the book. We later find out that Yuri was recruited into the KGB from adolescence. A psychopathic yet sympathetic character, nostalgic for life by a huge freshwater lake and a lover of baking, but also cold-blooded, we can imagine his watch is practical, reliable and cheap, while in many ways being an icon of the 70’s, the Casio Casiotron X-1. Perhaps he bought it on a whim while settles in the US, or perhaps it was sent to him by the KGB themselves.
Tusker — Samanthi’s Seiko SKX009
Our hero, Julian Tusk, dons the watch worn by the love interest of the prequel Depth Charge. Heaton’s exposition explains how Samanthi gave him her old Seiko SKX009 to remember her by when they separated. We had guessed that Samanthi wore the smaller SKX013 when overviewing the watches in Depth Charge, though Heaton assures it’s the 009 with reference to the red and blue bezel. We still imagine it covered in scratches and engine oil from Sam’s diving and driving.
In Sweetwater, Tusker uses it over his fist as a hammer while stuck on a remote lighthouse on Superior. It becomes broken and lost at sea…
An SKX on the wrist of Robert Redford in ‘All Is Lost’ - hodinkee.com
Carl Sommers — Citizen Aqualand
“It was the same old Citizen Aqualand dive watch he’d worn as long as Tusker could remember”
Carl is Tusker’s childhood friend who not only helps him fix his father’s 1970’s International Scout 4x4, but also saves his life while diving the wreck of the shot-down Gulfstream II jet. His watch is of course a dive watch, but is also in many ways the precursor to the dive computer. Carl marvels at old mechanical things, including the old Scout 4x4 while helping Tusker fix it in his shed. A purely practical tool watch, though now outdated by dive computers, I see why the underwater engineer Carl wears the Aqualand.
The author actually owns an Aqualand himself and mentions it in a Hodinkee article he wrote back in 2019, calling it ‘the last true diver’s watch’.
Jason Heaton wearing an Aqualand while diving the reefs of Bonaire - hodinkee.com
Johnathan Tusk & Chester Basch — Tudor Ref. 7928 & Ref. 7016
For these characters, my mind instantly goes back to another Talking Watches episode from Hodinkee with the former UDT diver and Navy SEAL Moki Martin. Moki shows us two mil-spec Tudor Submariners from his time in the Navy in Vietnam. We can imagine Tusker’s father and military buddy were the same - issued a pair of big dive watches by the UDT.
“They both wore enormous wristwatches”
Chester actually uses the watch to strike the henchwoman as she attempts to kill him in his care home. Later, the watch is described as being on a cuff-bracelet, just like Moki’s. Only in the novel, the engraving is the word ‘Sweetwater’.
Moki Martin’s military-spec Tudor Submariners - hodinkee.com
Dr. Fuchs - Nike Apple Watch
“A pebble-shaped gadget on a perforated rubber strap”
Tusker’s therapist plays an important part in Sweetwater. Dr. Cassandra Fuchs is the one who gently guides Tusker to explore his father’s past to overcome some of his PTSD from Sri Lanka.
Her watch is assumedly used for running. The reference to a pebble shape makes us beleive this is an Apple Watch, while the ‘perforated strap’ fits the script of the Nike edition.
Senator Hockenheimer - Breitling Avenger 43
The corrupt senator is a character whose watch takes a little more guessing. It is big, predictable and masculine, and Tusker, a man of sensible taste, is uninterested in it.
“Tusker could see a large steel watch, a Breitling, slide down his wrist. It was a predictable symbol of machismo.”
We guess it’s something like an Avenger, big and boring. Without wanting to over-analyse, Hockenheimer’s watch is large, sterile and mechanical in the ugly sense, while Tusker’s inherited Tudor has those qualities in a more characterful and romantic sense.
Tusker Again - Tudor Ref. 7060
" “Battle Scars,” Tusker said. “If that watch could talk.” "
That brings us back to our protagonist, and back to Chester’s Tudor Submariner. The watch is bestowed to Tusker at the end of the novel to accompany him on his next adventure, which we very much look forward to reading… don’t hold your breath!
