If you’re a fan of the 2003 anime series Fullmetal Alchemist, or its 2009 remake, you hopefully remember the pocket watch. The watch belonged to the main protagonist Edward Elric, and it held a lot of symbolic value.
Let’s take a look at this watch, and its layers of meaning. We’ll also show you where you can buy your own Fullmetal Alchemist “Don’t Forget” pocket watch.
Table of Contents
- What is the Fullmetal Alchemist “Don’t Forget” pocket watch?
- Where to Buy the Fullmetal Alchemist pocket watch
- ZenPlus
- ZenMarket
- Amazon.com
- Ebay
- Etsy
What is the Fullmetal Alchemist ‘Don’t Forget’ Pocket Watch?
The Fullmetal Alchemist “Don’t Forget” pocket watch is an important item from Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist manga series. It shows up in both anime adaptations — Fullmetal Alchemist (2003-2004); and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009-2010).
Edward received the watch when he became a State Alchemist. Even without its inscription, the watch serves as an identification badge proving his status as an official alchemist, and “Dog of the Military.”
On the inside of the watch’s cover, Edward scratched the message “Don’t Forget 3.Oct.11.” That’s the date when the Elric brothers set fire to their childhood home, dramatically demonstrating that there would be “no turning back” for them. (The date is written European style, with the day first.) On Oct. 3, they started their long journey to find the Philosopher’s Stone.
Where to Buy the Fullmetal Alchemist Pocket Watch
1. ZenPlus
Yes, ZenPlus is one of our sponsors, but I think this listing is worth mentioning regardless. For $39.49, you get a three-piece set. Of course, you get the pocket watch with Edward’s inscription inside. The message is written with raised letters. (Many copies of the watch have raised or embossed letters, instead of etched, engraved, or scratched like on the show.)
Secondly, it comes with a necklace of the Fullmetal Alchemist logo. Finally, it includes a nice ring. I don’t remember the ring from the anime, but it might come from the manga. The three-piece set also comes in a nice storage box.
Note that the watch here says “3.Oct.11,” which places it in the manga/ Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood continuity, rather than the 2003 FMA series. In the 2003 series, Edward and Alphonse left home a year earlier. As a result, the 2003 version of the watch says “3.Oct.10” instead.
2. ZenMarket
ZenMarket is the Japanese company which operates ZenPlus. The difference is, you can use ZenMarket to search ZenPlus, Y! Auctions (Yahoo! Japan’s auction website), Rakuten, Amazon, Y! Shopping, and the Super Delivery Wholesale Market. Buying takes a couple of extra steps, because ZenMarket checks the price after you put it in your cart, and will give you a quote.
A quick ZenMarket search found the watch at ZenPlus for $31.49, with a 105 yen ($0.91) cash back offer. The webpage also states that you don’t have to pay ZenMarket’s 300 yen ($2.61) fee if you buy through ZenPlus. According to the watch’s webpage, they will also check to see if there are any international shipping restrictions.
ZenMarket also found the watch for $20.69 through Amazon Japan. The seller, Haochu, seems to be selling a couple of different versions of the same watch. For example, the clock face shown is slightly different in some photos; and the metal looks different.
ZenMarket has other listings for the “Don’t Forget” watch, but those are probably the best offers.
3. Amazon.com
Jeff Bezos’ multibillion-dollar, global e-commerce company Amazon should require no introduction. Amazon sells everything. But for anime merch, you’ll probably end up buying from an independent company that sells through Amazon.
For example, Amazon has several different sellers (and prices) for what appears to be the same watch. There are differences, so pay attention when you buy. It’s mostly a question of whether you prefer bronze or silver color. (Silver is more series accurate.)
However, this one from Chinese company WuHu Ren Store caught my attention for being unique. The cover is cut up, so you can see through it. It displays Edward’s name and title on the front. They don’t show the inscription, but the design doesn’t seem to allow room for it. Amazingly, it is only $9.99 with free (but somewhat slow) shipping. It’s not show-accurate for cosplay purposes, but it’s an interesting design.
4. Ebay
Ebay started out as an online auction house. But many sellers skip the whole auction part, and go straight to direct sales. As with Amazon, you can buy from a lot of different people, and not all watches are the same.
Some of the sellers are individuals with only one, often pre-owned (not new) watch, available only for a limited time. Others are suspiciously bad about not describing or photographing the merchandise. But with a little hunting, you can probably find a reasonably-priced pocket watch, often from a seller in your area (for cheaper and faster shipping).
If money is no object, you may be interested in the limited-edition 2009 Fullmetal Alchemist watch. Square Enix created this collectible item to commemorate the new series.
5. Etsy
Etsy specializes in “unique and creative goods.” TimepieceBoutique, a South Korean watch manufacturer and exporter, offers a couple of different versions of the watch.
For $45, you can get the matte plate version. It is one of the few FMA watches I have seen which gives the date as “3.Oct.10,” same as the 2003 series. It comes with a leather case. One reviewer on Etsy says that the matte version is smaller.
The company also sells a shining plate version for $55, which has the “3.Oct.11” date on it. You can also get it in bronze. For $70 you can get a personalized version of the watch.
At the moment, some of the watches come with a metallic sticker, cleaning cloth, and face mask strap. The strap looks similar to an anime convention lanyard.
Although the company is Korean, they seem to have a U.S. shipping location, which should speed things up.
Final Thoughts
I have not listed every single Fullmetal Alchemist watch for sale, as that would take too long. Also, some deals may not last forever. You should always be careful when buying online, and be wary of suspicious-sounding deals. With some prudent shopping, a Fullmetal Alchemist pocket watch can be yours.
