Watches, Stories, and Gear: Watches Worn to the ISS, Photographing a Black Hole, and More

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

This week’s installment is brought to you by the Windup Watch Shop.

On Kickstarter – Ventus: Northstar 300m Heritage Diver Automatic

Ventus has a solid track record of putting out affordable, well-spec’d divers, and the Northstar 300m Heritage Diver looks to be no exception. This ever-so-slightly vintage inspired diver measures 40mm across (with a lug-to-lug of just 45mm), comes in a variety of dial colors, and can be had in either a stainless steel or brass case. Current pledges begin at just $299, and delivery is expected in September. 

Check it out here

Worn & Wound – Watches in Space: We Asked Three Astronauts What Watches They’ll Bring With Them to the ISS

In case you missed it, our own Mark McArthur-Christie recently wrote about a flown (by Cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin) Speedmaster X-33 that’s about to go to auction. His story reminded me of the time we hit up three astronauts during a live Q&A to ask them what watches they’d be wearing to the ISS.

Check out their answers here

Astronomy – The Event Horizon Telescope May Soon Release First-Ever Black Hole Image

It might come as a surprise given their ubiquity in popular culture, but we’ve never actually seen a photo of a Black Hole. That’s because they’re basically invisible — their gravity is so off the charts that nothing can escape, including the very electromagnetic radiation that would make it possible for use to see them. But thanks to the Event Horizon Telescope, or EHT, we’re about to see the first-ever image of a black hole’s event horizon, with the team behind the EHT expected to show their “groundbreaking” work on April 10 here.

Read more about it here

Topic – Murder, She Drew

Marilyn Church has been a courtroom artist for 40 years, using paper, crayons, and colored pencils to capture some of the most infamous NYC trial moments. Topic spoke to her about her career and what it’s like to sit across and sketch out mobsters, serial killers, and everything in between.

Read it here

Huckberry – Zodiac Aerospace GMT

Zodiac’s Aerospace GMT was one of this year’s most surprising hits at Baselworld, and the super-limited run is almost entirely sold out. As of this writing, Huckberry’s still got a few left in stock, so if you’re feeling this retro-cool watch, then now’s your chance to pick one up.

$1,695 – Shop here

Epaulet x Individualized Oxford Cloth Button Down Shirt

Epaulet has teamed up with New Jersey shirtmaker Individualized to manufacture these meticulously crafted oxfords. The best part? The dramatic collar roll that gives the shirt a vintage American flair.

$165 – Shop here