Kafka on the Shore (2002)

Kafka on the Shore

Haruki Murakami's novel of a runaway teenager, a cat-finding old man, and parallel journeys through memory, myth, and violence. (Penguin Random House)

Watches

Rolex Sea-Dweller

Kafka considers taking his father's Sea-Dweller Oyster Rolex before deciding the flashy watch would attract too much attention. The publisher's opening excerpt places this decision among the items Kafka packs before leaving home: a lighter, knife, flashlight and sunglasses. He returns the Rolex to its drawer and chooses his own inexpensive plastic Casio, whose alarm and stopwatch seem more practical. The Sea-Dweller is considered and left behind; this passage does not describe Kafka wearing his father's watch. (Penguin Random House excerpt)

Source text: "I think about taking my father's favorite Sea-Dweller Oyster Rolex. It's a beautiful watch, but something flashy will only attract attention." (Penguin Random House excerpt)