'AITA for refusing to sell my late boyfriend's golden Rolex to help pay for a house?'

"Am I in the wrong for refusing to sell my late boyfriend's golden Rolex to help pay for a house?"

Hi all, I met my late boyfriend many years ago while we were in grad school. He was my first boyfriend, and I shared a lot of memories with him. But he had heart rhythm problems from birth that never improved with age. I knew this when I started dating him and assumed those risks in our relationship.

He owned a golden Rolex that he loved to wear. He owned a few other watches, but there wasn't a time I saw him where he wasn't wearing that specific watch. His heart condition began to worsen over the next few years, and he mentioned that he wanted to leave the watch in my possession if he passed away.

I would always laugh it off because I thought he was just joking. But after he inevitably passed away, I realized he was serious because the court got in contact with me and gave me possession over the watch while the rest went to his family.

For the longest time I was afraid to wear it and hid it in my apartment, but I did some research and found out these things can take a beating and can tolerate daily abuse. So I ended up getting the watch sized to my wrist, and I now wear it every day as a way to remember him. Since then I've grown emotionally attached to the watch.

Fast forward to today and I'm happily engaged to my fiance. We're looking to purchase our first home in a few years and even plan on having kids.

We aren't in any financial struggles. We can comfortably save for a house in the next few years, but my fiancé insists we sell the Rolex to move in on the house once and for all and start a new future together. I told my fiancé I wasn't comfortable selling my watch because it was a gift from someone I shared memories with, and we aren't in need of the money. It'll just take us a bit longer to save.

My fiancé disagrees and thinks I'm still being overly attached to it. But I don't think I'm wrong for valuing and appreciating a gift that was a part of my past. If I had to choose between the watch and putting food on the table for us, of course I'd sell it, but we're nowhere NEAR that. Am I being rational? Or am I letting my feelings for the watch cloud my judgment and future with my fiancé?

This is what people had to say to OP:

InternationalOil540 said:

Which of his treasured possessions is he planning to sell to help buy this house?

OP responded:

LOL that's a good point.

thatfernistrouble said:

Wrong fiancé. Told the same thing to my sister. Her fiancé passed away in a car accident and her next relationship a year later, the guy said “why are you still so sad?” I told her “he can have all of you, even the grieving parts, or he can have none of you.”

She is now married to a man that celebrates her late fiancés birthday with her every year because he is grateful that he loved her when he could.

Entire-Tonight-1463 said:

He’s jealous of your past relationship as represented by the watch. I would be very careful moving forward with someone jealous of the past.

sharethebite said:

It’s not about the house. He should sell his car and commute by bicycle.

And DonJuan1977 said:

He is disrespecting your past. He's disrespecting your feelings. He's disrespecting your possessions. He's disrespecting you. Any person who cared about you would never want you to be parted from your watch. It's part of your life, and it's important to you. That's all that should be said.