Watches, Stories, and Gear: Hamilton and the Movies, the Perfect Summer Fabric, and Finely Made Panama Hats

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of some of our favorite watch content on Worn & Wound, great stories from around the web, and cool gear that we’ve got our eye on.

This installment of “Watches, Stories, and Gear” is brought to you by the Windup Watch Shop.

Worn & Wound
Watches on the Screen: Hamilton, the Movie Brand

On this week’s WSG, we’ve highlighted a story linked below on a big summer movie that has now been delayed several times. In that spirit, we thought we’d bring you this piece from the archives, in which James Enloe looks at some great examples of Hamilton’s association with the silver screen. We might be temporarily deprived of new movies to enjoy in theaters, but it’s a great time to dip into the past with some classics, and also an opportunity for plenty of vintage watch spotting.

Read it here

The New York Times
A Glimpse Inside the Workshops of the World’s Finest Panama Hat Makers

It’s no secret that at Worn & Wound we’re fans of well crafted things, and we like to bring you stories about those things from time to time. We’ve got a great one for you today, in this New York Times piece on the making of fine Panama hats. This is an incredibly worthwhile read, and if you’re not familiar with finely made hats and the culture around them, some of the specifics here (like the value of these hats, and the time intensive process to make them) will absolutely blow you away.

Read it here

Bloomberg
Swiss Watch Exports May Slide 30% This Year on Pandemic

This quick piece in Bloomberg from earlier this week is a reminder of the somewhat grim state of the watch industry in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. While some parts of the world seem to be controlling the spread of the virus, it remains quite out of control right here in parts of the US, and international commerce promises to be impacted for some time to come, regardless of shorter term measures to control the disease itself. It’s all part of the shifting landscape of the watch industry – which took another step toward radical change this week – that was set in motion even before Covid-19 struck.

Read it here

Delish
KFC is Working on 3D Printed Chicken Nuggets that Will Taste Like Traditional Chicken 

The headline on this one is worse than the end product it describes, but perhaps only marginally. We learned this week that KFC is stepping into the burgeoning world of “meatless” food, with 3D printed chicken nuggets, which seems to be straight out of science fiction. Of course, other fast food giants have already started to play in this game (the “Impossible Whopper” comes to mind), but the 3D printed nature of this KFC development sets it apart from the competition. We’re honestly not sure if that’s a positive or a negative. Bon appetit?

Read it here

Gear Patrol
This Great Summer Fabric Was Used in Prehistoric Times

Summertime, for many of us, means linen. The lightweight and breathable material is great for the season, and can be dressed up or dressed down as appropriate. While it’s certainly a hot weather staple, some might not be aware of the extremely lengthy history of the fabric, which literally dates back tens of thousands of years. Gear Patrol has put together a really interesting history of linen, and also offers some great suggestions if you’re looking to add some linen garments to the wardrobe.

Read it here

The Ringer
Tenet is Coming to a Theater Near You. Eventually.

Covid-19 has wreaked havoc on many industries, and the movie business has been among the most affected. News came this week that Chrisopher Nolan’s Tenet, which apparently features a very cool Hamilton watch, has been taken off the Warner Brothers release schedule completely after being pushed back several times from its original July release date. In this story in the Ringer, Keith Phipps discusses the implications of the continued delay of one of the most anticipated movies of this year, and, it seems increasingly likely, next year as well.

Read it here