“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: The Verge
Electric vehicles are becoming something of a norm now. Whether it’s on your block, on the highway, or parked at a designated charging station at the mall, EVs have become omnipresent. In the past couple of years, more automotive brands have started to fall in line by redesigning flagship models to fit the EV standard, or creating brand new models all together. In regards to the latter, we’ve covered classic cars like the Ford Bronco and the Dodge Challenger that have gotten the EV treatment here on WSG. Some of you may have winced at the designs and others might have totally blocked it out due to the lack of mechanical spirit. It’s an old story we’ve seen in watches as well (mechanical vs. quartz), but we can assure you an EV based on a classic design is not the worst thing in the world, especially with the new Chevy Corvette E-Ray.
It’s been seven decades since Chevy first introduced the Corvette Stingray. Over the years, we’ve seen an evolution of the design to the point that the latest Corvettes on the road like the C8 look a lot like a Ferrari at a glance. With the announcement of the Corvette E-Ray, Chevrolet is ushering in a new generation of Corvettes that come built-in with the first ever hybrid engine and all-wheel drive. Don’t let “hybrid” fool you because the E-Ray is no slouch in the horsepower department, boasting a total of 655 hp, 585 pound-feet of torque, and can get up to 60 mph in a little more than two seconds. For all the mechanical purists out there, you won’t be listening to a fabricated exhaust sound like you would in other fully electric sports cars. Looks like with the Chevy Corvette E-Ray, you can have your cake and eat it too. For a comprehensive look at the new Corvette E-Ray, check out the latest article written by Andrew J. Hawkins posted on The Verge here.
Compared to the Corvette E-Ray, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a more pedestrian electric vehicle. Sure it doesn’t come close in terms of sport design and raw power, but there is something that the latest Ioniq 5 prototype can do that the E-Ray can’t – drive sideways. During this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Hyundai unveiled their e-Corner system, showing off some insane maneuverability you wouldn’t expect to see from any ordinary car. Hyundai Mobis, the car parts division of the South Korean based automotive brand, has been working on the tech since it first debuted in 2021. In their recent demonstration, we finally get to see where this tech is headed. Not “forward,” but actually sideways, diagonally, even pulling off zero-turns. You’re going to have to watch the video yourself to understand what we’re trying to describe. As for when we should expect to see this tech incorporated into your favorite Hyundai EV, Hyundai Mobis has stated that the roll-out of the e-Corner system should start in 2025.
We close out our automotive coverage this week with a New York Times article that digs deep into the recent rise of Tesla accidents while using the self-driving mode. According to the article, there seems to be a few bugs with the software that makes it difficult for the vehicle to decipher what’s what on the road. More specifically with cars that have flashing lights on them like police cars and ambulances. We’re all for electric cars and their positive impact on the environment, but giving a vehicle 100% control is something we’ll likely avoid. The questions and crashes seem to be stacking up, with not a lot of answers from the multi-billion dollar automotive manufacturer. This is quite the long read and an interesting piece of investigative journalism from Christopher Cox. Check out the entire article here.
In a recent editorial piece for the Huckberry Journal written by podcast alumni and friend of W&W, Zach Piña sheds some light on the incredible work Andy Mann and his colleagues at Sea Legacy are doing to protect our oceans. If you’re unfamiliar with Sea Legacy, they’re a small group of well-known photographers and filmmakers that use their platform to educate, spread awareness, and to enact change in regards to marine conservation. They call themselves “an agency for the ocean” and judging from the impact they’ve already made and all the talented creatives involved, that seems pretty spot on.
The article takes us to an island in the middle of the Sea of Cortez known as Isla Espriritu Santo. We’re treated to photos of life on the rocky island and below the ocean’s deep blue surface. And who better to tackle this type of terrain than, climber, diver, storytelling extraordinaire, Andy Mann. The story goes back and forth between the history of the island, the work being done to preserve the surrounding areas, and a specific piece of gear that Mann takes along with him. With Piña behind the lens, you already know that the photos alone are worth checking out the entire spread. Rest assured, Piña did see a man, about a watch.
In a world of nicely designed steel and titanium knives, it’s refreshing to have a blade that feels more old-world in hand. You know, something with a nicely crafted wooden handle that would feel at home while sitting fireside as you whittled a piece of wood. We’ve featured something akin to this on WSG before, but typically the price range on these types of knives can reach upwards of $100 to $200. We recently stumbled across a gear review video from Adventure Journal talking about the No. 9 folding knife from Opinel. The knife itself looks to be of a sturdy build, with a twist locking mechanism, and folds into its wooden handle. But get this, the No. 9 knife retails at just $19.99. If that specific knife looks a bit too big for your liking, they also offer a wide range of different sizes from their No. 2 knife retailing at $11 to their No. 12 knife coming in at $27. We’re all about value here at W&W and it seems like the Opinel knives have it in spades. And plus, if it’s good for Adventure Journal, then it’s good for us too.
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