Watches, Stories, and Gear: the First Day of Spring, Desert Island Discs, and a Jacket Fit for a Watch Lover

“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
The Coolest (and Strangest) Omega Speedmasters From Japan

On Thursday we ran a story about an unusual space watch so we thought we’d take the opportunity this week to highlight a piece from the archives about some unusual versions of the watch most of us think of when it comes to exploring the final frontier. Some of these Speedmasters from Japan have become more widely known since this story ran in 2017 (that racing dial is highly sought after) but some are still very much under the radar and worth exploring. 

Read it here

Vox
The Spring Equinox is Thursday: 8 Things to Know About the First Day of Spring

Spring, at long last, is finally here. Thursday marked the official start of the season, and the end of a long cold winter. This fun article from Vox goes through some of the science behind the equinox and the changing of the seasons. It includes an incredibly cool photo from a pinhole camera that highlights the change of seasons visually in a way you’ve likely never seen before, and also answers a question as old as time: can you really only balance an egg on its tip during the equinox?

Read it here

The New Yorker
Join Me in My Obsession with “Desert Island Discs”

Contemplating the music (or books, or movies) you would want to be left with on a desert island is a pastime that is perhaps as old as criticism itself. The thought experiment is perhaps best represented in the long running BBC radio series, “Desert Island Discs,” which has been interviewing notable musicians, sports icons, and other notable personalities about the music they’d want to be deserted with since 1942. Over the course of nearly 80 years it’s been a fascinating window into what we value and our changing tastes, and has proven to be a surprisingly important and durable interview format. This essay in the New Yorker by Hua Hsu is really an appreciation of the long running series, and if you weren’t already familiar with it, will likely inspire you to check out some of the classic interviews highlighted here.  

Read it here

The New York Times Style Magazine 
How Two Children are Keeping Their Father’s Design Legacy Alive

Anyone who has an interest in traditional craft and a dedication to design will appreciate this piece from the New York Times Magazine that takes a close look at noted furniture maker George Nakashima’s studio, preserved in the thirty years since his death by his children. The photos in this profile are a testament to intentionally designed, functional objects meant to be used, and the story of how Nakashima’s family is honoring his legacy is more than a little inspiring. 

Read it here

American Trench 
MK II x American Trench Crewman Jacket

Our friends at Mk II have partnered with American Trench to create a jacket that should be right up the alley of many watch nerds currently reading this. Meant as a sort of companion jacket to the Series 3 Tornek-Rayville dive watch, this three season jacket is designed in the classic U.S. military deck/tanker jacket pattern. The “3” on the front commemorates the third version of the Series 1 TR-900, while the back features a “Tornek-Rayville U.S.” property mark. Like we said, this one’s for the watch nerds.

Shop American Trench here

Grant Stone
Ottawa Boot Bourbon Suede 

Grant Stone is another Worn & Wound favorite (we had the brand’s founders on podcast last year) and if you’ve been thinking about picking up a pair of shoes or boots from their website, now is quite possibly the best time to do that, as just about everything in their shop is on a steep discount – the Ottawa Boot pictured here is just one example. Grant Stone footwear features Goodyear-welt construction and plenty of hand-stitching, representing a great value for high quality shoes and boots that are truly made to last. 

Shop Grant Stone here