NPS Graduation gift idea?

[navyfamilyof4]

has anyone ever given a graduation gift to graduating/surviving Nuke Power School? Id like to give something meaningful but i have no ideas... (is there a NPS coin?)

 

[severn]

... Rolex.

 

[severn]

... Rolex.

... saw a Rolex for MilSub.

 

[navyfamilyof4]

ok so googled some watches for sub people and one showed up called TENACITY that has some kind of fish (dolphin?) logo on the face? is that appropriate for a newish ensign/ JO? i know getting your "phins" comes later so dont want to give something he cant wear now

 

[severn]

... just googled search Rolex Submariner, price range- $83,550-$9,595.

 

[severn]

... yeah I thought about this often for DS graduation presents, C/O 2026.
* Military Issue Timex Watch - Olive Strap.
-$39.00
* USMC Ka-Bar Knife
-$93.50
* Breitling Watch - Endurance Pro
-$3400.00

 

[NavyHoops]

ok so googled some watches for sub people and one showed up called TENACITY that has some kind of fish (dolphin?) logo on the face? is that appropriate for a newish ensign/ JO? i know getting your "phins" comes later so dont want to give something he cant wear now

Might save that until he earns his dolphins. Might be a little taboo to wear something with dolphins before you earn them. It’s like an aviator wouldn’t wear brown shoes or anything with wings until they earn them. But that could just be me.

 

[5centsmom]

Might save that until he earns his dolphins. Might be a little taboo to wear something with dolphins before you earn them. It’s like an aviator wouldn’t wear brown shoes or anything with wings until they earn them. But that could just be me.

Definitely. Nothing with dolphins yet, DS is afraid of jinxing!

Assuming your kid is already settled in an apartment look for something in Charleston to do: during prototype there are several 3-4 day periods of free time for shift transitions. SC weather is relatively pleasant, so gifting sailing or surfing lessons is one way to go. Fly a college friend to visit them (or them to visit friend). And there’s always the food delivery or uber gifts which will be used!

Congrats btw!! Very exciting accomplishment!!

 

[navyfamilyof4]

Definitely. Nothing with dolphins yet, DS is afraid of jinxing!

Assuming your kid is already settled in an apartment look for something in Charleston to do: during prototype there are several 3-4 day periods of free time for shift transitions. SC weather is relatively pleasant, so gifting sailing or surfing lessons is one way to go. Fly a college friend to visit them (or them to visit friend). And there’s always the food delivery or uber gifts which will be used!

Congrats btw!! Very exciting accomplishment!!

thanks! so helpful!!

 

[Dadof2]

Sub dad here of an officer who earned dolphins a couple of years ago. Agree with others about nothing with dolphins yet. Service or uniform related items as gifts is tough for a parent, especially parents (like me) who do not have a military background. Some of the things we think would be cool or useful our military kids would not want or use.

 

[ders_dad]

Unless specifically requested, we do not give service/Navy related gifts. Nor do we give anything that cannot be jammed into a 17 year old sedan with his other worldly possessions. As impersonal as it sounds, gift cards to grocery stores are our go-to. That and cash - always the right size, always the right color.

 

[DevilDog]

... just googled search Rolex Submariner, price range- $83,550-$9,595.

I hope no one takes this the wrong way, but, my cousin jumped off the Delaware Memorial Bridge (suicide) on Jan 3, 1983, whan they found his body 4 months later, his Timex was still functioning.

If it wasn't so gory, it would have made one great commercial.

I never saw the purpose of spending a lot of money on a watch.

 

[Just Dad]

“And it’s still ticking”. I went looking for a video of an old timex add.

I found one (and only one). It was perfect ……. Except that it involved a cliff diver with a timex on his fist . It seems that it already has made a good commercial. BTW: It's actually nice that 4Oyrs latter your cousin still has a place in your memory Mr. Dog.

I do agree with you DevilDog. I was gifted a Rolex, Iit was a grand and much appreciated gesture of love/respect/affection. It resides in a dresser-drawer, (probably a tiny boat anchor now because its not on an auto-winder). If I ever attend a costume party as James Bond I will wear it. For me, its hard to make a functional case for Rolex as a time piece post 1965.

DW keeps trying to get me to wear an apple watch she bought me…….(she hasn’t figured out that I don’t really like the idea of being constantly available to her through my watch).

I have developed an affection for Citizen Ecco Drives. No battery, they charge on sun-light OR artificial light, and they keep far better time than a Rolex and just flat always work. I have a light comfortable titanium cased Ecco I wear all the time ($180-200). I’ve had to replace two-of-em over the years, but only because I misplaced them.

We did this OP:
When DD was done with school and off to her first 8-9mth deployment we picked up a Brennan B3 (pictured below). Small enough to fit into a sea bag and her cabin shelf space onboard, this thing rips CDs and stores COMPLETE data files captured from CDs. The digital music files we carry on phones and other library devices capture a pretty small amount of the actual recording on a CD or record. This thing gets it all, I’m not an audiophile, but side by side the difference is significant, even to me. The music file access on the thing is pretty good too (easy).

We had it delivered to our home and then copied almost our entire library of the music DD grew up on into the Brennan (used about 1/5 of the Brenna’s storage). This took awhile but DW did that part (if she wants a job done right…..). We gave DD a nice ($$) set of headphones and off to sea she went. The Brennan+headphones delivered better music reproduction for her "alone time" on-board than our system at home can deliver…….. and Farrrr better than other portable digital music devices .

When she returned to DC from Deployment DD just plugged the thing back into her little shelf top system and had all her music available again. New command, new roll, DD is getting ready to deploy again. She has just started to rip some of her new CDs onto the Brennan to take with her. Honestly, I am a talk/news radio kinda guy, but If your DS/DD is into music and will be aboard ship, you might have a look at one of these. I think the one we bought was around $800 and HeadPhones were $250-300.

Severn: No offense intended, reasonable minds can differ. I’ve had a few smart/funny/competent/steady friends who wear.
Rolexs every day………………………..I’ve just never understood why (thought you were kidding with your first post).

Nice inquiry OP. This is just my put, I am interested to see what others have come up with.

 

[OldRetSWO]

I have developed an affection for Citizen Ecco Drives. No battery, they charge on sun-light OR artificial light, and they keep far better time than a Rolex and just flat always work.

My Citizen Eco-Drive "Blue Angels Model" has automatic time sync and I only have to put it in the sun to recharge every few months.
For a couple of years though, my daily wear has been a "smartwatch" that shows my texts, emails, etc. I can't abide with frequent
charging so can't use Apple or Samsung so I've used some lesser brands but just switched to a Garmin that is supposed to go 28 days between charges AND can get boosted with sun-light. I leave it in the sun for a couple of hours and get a day or two's additional charge on it. As a Garmin, it also has pretty robust GPS and workout/activity tracking. I've had it for 6 weeks or so and really like it.

 

[ProudDad17]

Definitely. Nothing with dolphins yet, DS is afraid of jinxing!

Assuming your kid is already settled in an apartment look for something in Charleston to do: during prototype there are several 3-4 day periods of free time for shift transitions. SC weather is relatively pleasant, so gifting sailing or surfing lessons is one way to go. Fly a college friend to visit them (or them to visit friend). And there’s always the food delivery or uber gifts which will be used!

Congrats btw!! Very exciting accomplishment!!

Sailing or surf lessons, I love that idea. DS just got to Charleston, so this is going in my gift ideas for B-day in March. That or maybe a scuba refresher course.

 

[nuensis]

Don't bring nice things onto the ship.

Nice things aren't necessarily good for shipboard/industrial environments. I've seen class rings and Rolexes get messed up, G-shocks get zapped by RF, stuff get lost or stolen (yeah, it does happen, and no, there will be no witch hunt to find it). The ship claims many things, sapphire-coated glass, titanium alloy, whatever it may be made of.

You can get a decent quality Casio or Timex for $20-$30 with five alarms, a chronograph function, a light, and accuracy that surpasses any Rolex. Easy to synchronize for time checks. It won't cause any heartache when it gets smashed or gouged.

I used to keep at least one cheap Casio in my rack as a spare--it is rather inconvenient to not have a wristwatch while underway. Everyone has one, so no one cares too much to keep wall clocks in sync, and the computers are not always in the right time zone.

I would recommend something with a fabric/velcro strap. Generally more breathable and comfortable. Quick to remove or cut away if necessary.

That said, a graduation gift need not be something they use on the boat. Could easily be just a nice keepsake for all the other times they'll spend off duty.

 

[Sealion II]

Sailing or surf lessons, I love that idea. DS just got to Charleston, so this is going in my gift ideas for B-day in March. That or maybe a scuba refresher course.

We go to Charleston quite a bit. I'd also suggest kayaking. We paddled up to an oyster bed and get it as fresh as you can. Or if they are daring, kite sailing. Winds are pretty consistent.

 

[5centsmom]

Don't bring nice things onto the ship.

Nice things aren't necessarily good for shipboard/industrial environments. I've seen class rings and Rolexes get messed up, G-shocks get zapped by RF, stuff get lost or stolen (yeah, it does happen, and no, there will be no witch hunt to find it). The ship claims many things, sapphire-coated glass, titanium alloy, whatever it may be made of.

You can get a decent quality Casio or Timex for $20-$30 with five alarms, a chronograph function, a light, and accuracy that surpasses any Rolex. Easy to synchronize for time checks. It won't cause any heartache when it gets smashed or gouged.

I used to keep at least one cheap Casio in my rack as a spare--it is rather inconvenient to not have a wristwatch while underway. Everyone has one, so no one cares too much to keep wall clocks in sync, and the computers are not always in the right time zone.

I would recommend something with a fabric/velcro strap. Generally more breathable and comfortable. Quick to remove or cut away if necessary.

That said, a graduation gift need not be something they use on the boat. Could easily be just a nice keepsake for all the other times they'll spend off duty.

Yup yup yup
And no smart watches.
Selecting what spares to pack is in art form, but this is a good call according yo DS.