“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear.
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Header Image Via: NASA / James Webb Space Telescope
This week saw the release of the first batch of images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, and as heavily anticipated as they were, they somehow still managed to exceed expectations. The infrared space observatory launched late last year, after initial inception back in the mid-’90s to serve as a next generation telescope to Hubble, which launched in 1990. The first images to come from the JWST provide humanity with their clearest, deepest, and most detailed view of the universe to date, and signal high hopes for what’s to come.
The first image to be revealed takes a very deep look at a very small piece of the night sky. The view is of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, which had previously been imaged by the RELICS Treasury Program with Hubble (HST) over the course of nearly 2 weeks. JWST offers a much clearer, and indeed more populated image of the same cluster, which, by contrast, took the new telescope about 12 hours to capture. The view is unprecedented, depicting red shifted galaxies previously unseen, offering a detailed view of the early universe behind SMACS 0723. Additionally, dramatic gravitational lensing is clearly apparent, twisting and distorting light traveling through the immense gravity of the structure. In total, Webb’s First Deep Field offers a tantalizing glimpse of what we can expect in the coming months and years as science experience begins in earnest.
The Deep Field wasn’t the only image released this week, however. Other images depicting Southern Ring Nebula, Stephan’s Quintet, and the jaw-dropping Carina Nebula were also revealed alongside a transit spectrograph of the exoplanet WASP-96 that signified the presence of water. Each is stunning in their own right, and NASA is of course offering the data and full-resolution images freely and publicly for all to enjoy, meaning now might be the perfect time to refresh your desktop background (I recommend the ‘Cosmic Cliffs’ of the Carina Nebula). If you’re interested in seeing how these images stack up to those taken by Hubble, check out this nifty website made by redditor u/Charming_AntiQuirk. Keep up with the latest news from the JWST right here.
The Antikythera Mechanism is known as one of the oldest examples of an analogue computer. The ancient apparatus was used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses decades in advance. Not bad for a piece of tech that dates back to 178 B.C. We’ve come a long way since then when it comes to understanding the inner and outer workings of the universe (as evidenced above).
The Antikythera Mechanism was one of the many treasures found at the Antikythera shipwreck. Over the course of a century, divers and explorers, Jacques-Yves Cousteau being among the few, have returned marble statues, glass artwork, jewelry and more to the surface. Now an ongoing project dubbed the “Return To Antikythera” headed by Brendan Foley of Lund University in Sweden has recently discovered more artifacts at the wreck site including a large marble head of a bearded man that is believed to be a part of the Hercules statue. Since 2014, Foley and his team have been using various types of approaches and technologies to complete their dive survey that of which include mixed-gas closed circuit rebreather technology and an Exosuit that allows a diver to remain underwater for several hours and eliminates the need to decompress as they ascend to the surface.
Those with a keen eye might have recognized the Hublot Oceanographic 4000 on the wrist of one of the project divers. Hublot has been a sponsor of the project and has offered the support of their R&D department to find innovative ways to assist the team out on the Mediterranean Sea. The Hublot Oceanographic 4000 is a substantially sized dive watch coming in at 48mm and sports a surprisingly thick 5.5mm crystal. As the name entails, the Oceanographic is rated up to a whopping 4000 meters (13,120 feet) which provides more than enough water resistance for exploring the Antikythera wreck, which sits at a shallow (relatively speaking) 50 meters below the surface.
The Santo Cristo de Burgos was in the middle of its journey sailing across the Pacific Ocean when it mysteriously disappeared in 1693. The 17th-century Spanish galleon was carrying a cargo of beeswax when it was on its way to Acapulco, Mexico from the Philippines. Over the course of centuries, it’s believed that remnants of the shipwreck, including blocks of beeswax with Spanish markings and porcelain (made out of beeswax) have been washing up on the shores of Oregon. A recent discovery on those same shores by the Maritime Archaeological Society uncovered a group of timbers that are believed to be from the Santo Cristo de Burgos and has sparked the idea that the shipwreck could be closer than what was once believed and potentially discoverable.
The Spanish ship was actually an inspiration for Steven Spielberg who developed the idea for the classic film about a group of misfits on a journey to look for a long-lost treasure, The Goonies. The movie was filmed close to where the timbers were discovered, once again connecting the film to the shipwreck. The story of the Santo Cristo de Burgos is far from being finished, but this new finding brings it one step closer to bringing the story full circle.
Analog:Shift announced this week that they will be hosting an exhibition of the world’s largest collection of Patek Philippe electronic clocks. The 40-piece collection includes Patek Philippe master timing systems made for the Zurich Airport (circa 1975), Swiss Parliament (circa 1971) and Rolex (circa 1968). The Patek Philippe-Rolex wall mounted system in particular is special, as this was a moment in time where Rolex recognized Patek’s innovations and precision in the field, and is the only known timepiece that is double-signed by both iconic brands. James Lamdin, founder of Analog:Shift and Vice President of Vintage and Pre-Owned for Watches of Switzerland describes the collection as, “THE ‘analog shift’. They represent the actual moment in history in which the industry began moving from traditional analog mechanical timekeeping mechanisms into the digital age we all know today.” Schedule your appointment to visit the incredible and historic collection of Patek electronic clocks by reaching out to info@analogshift.
Here we have a fantastic vintage Delbana alarm watch that is in amazing condition and really has so much going for it. First off, it’s a mechanical alarm watch, which I always appreciate. Sure you can set the alarm on your iPhone, but why be bland when you can use the vintage alarm on your wrist?? The 34mm case is chrome plated with a steel back, and the chrome looks perfect, no wear or polishing that I can see. The dial is super cool, with a unique radial texture design that I honestly haven’t seen before. The 3-6-9-12 applied hour markers are a stylized Art Deco design, and the other markers are slim arrows. Lume filled dauphine hands and an applied gold “Delbana” logo complete the look. The dual crowns are signed, and I can only assume are original. The caseback engraving is crystal clear, this gem was definitely sitting in someone’s sock drawer for a few decades. Seller states the watch runs and the alarm works. If you’ve been pining for a vintage alarm watch but didn’t want to fork out the dough for a well known brand, here’s your chance to get a beauty for a relative deal.
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