Worn & Wound’s 2019 Holiday Gift Guides: Zach Kazan’s Picks

The temps are dropping, the days are short, twinkling lights are everywhere, and the local radio station is playing “Jingle Bell Rock,” “White Christmas,” and literally nothing else. That’s right folks, the holidays are here. Since it’s the season of giving, and we know many of you are like us and need help figuring out that perfect gift, we thought it would be fun for Worn & Wound team members to share some holiday gift ideas. Over the coming days you’ll see suggestions in a range of price points and categories, with a few great selections from the Windup Watch Shop thrown in for good measure. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

The holidays can be stressful, in no small part because gift giving is tough. I can’t claim to be an expert on what your loved ones will enjoy this holiday season, so I looked back on some of the best gifts I’ve ever received and used that as inspiration for my list. And if you happen to have a record-collecting nerd in your life, who also happens to be obsessed with the space program and never puts down his iPad, I think I just might have you covered. (In case you missed it, check out Ilya’s picks here).

Rega Planar 1 Turntable

 
You think watch collecting is a rabbit hole? High-end home audio, particularly analog home audio, is a hobby where people go deep. For the budding home audio enthusiast in your life (or, you know, for you, if you want to treat yourself) the Rega Planar 1 Turntable is a great analog base for old and new record collectors. A distinct step up from the mass produced turntables at your local big box electronics store, the Planar 1 represents a great introduction to “real” analog sourcing, with a low noise motor, and a high mass platter built for speed stability. Most importantly, the Planar 1 includes an RB110 tonearm with pre-set bias force. What does that mean? Basically, that the end user doesn’t have to meticulously balance the tone-arm prior to spinning a record, a sometimes frustrating experience even for vinyl veterans.  Based in England, Rega has been a leader in the audiophile space for years, with a reputation for building products to last a lifetime.

$474 — Shop Here

Brydge Pro iPad Pro Keyboard

If you’re giving an iPad as a gift this holiday season, don’t forget this all-important accessory. To squeeze the most utility out of the latest iPad Pro, a keyboard is basically a requirement. Brydge’s solution is an elegant, compact design, that turns an iPad into a compelling laptop substitute. The keyboard features a great selection of iPad specific function keys that are incredibly intuitive to learn and use, it folds onto the screen (so it can be used as a case), and it has a “tablet mode” enabled by simply flipping your iPad to face the opposite direction. It’s versatile, well made, and uses a lot less plastic than many of its competitors, giving it a high-end feel.

$169 – Shop Here

Moonfire by Normal Mailer

As has been written about and commented on endlessly, 2019 is the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, and there is absolutely zero end to products of all kinds released to celebrate the momentous achievement of putting a human on the lunar surface and bringing him back alive.

Moonfire is based largely on “Of a Fire on the Moon,” Norman Mailer’s collection of reporting completed for Life magazine between 1968 and 1970 on the Apollo 11 mission. Chunks of that volume are excerpted here, and if you haven’t read Mailer’s work in this area, it’s an absolute must. But the real draw of Moonfire is the treasure trove of incredible photography from the Life magazine and NASA vaults, as well as the personal collections of those who lived through the Apollo years. Moonfire is a great gift not just for Speedy fans, but history buffs and NASA nerds as well.

$31 — Shop Here

From the Windup Watch Shop: Worn & Wound x Schon DSGN Clip Pen

Even in 2019, when everything from paying your bills, to ordering take-out, to communicating with friends and family is done digitally, and often silently, a pen is a must have item. To that end, you should have a nice one, that you’ll want to keep on you at all times (because we all know the cheap Bic variety are among the most easily lost items on the planet — where they all go, nobody can say). It might seem counter-intuitive, but I speak from experience: if you’re constantly losing something, just get a nice version of that thing. You’ll make a point of hanging on to it.

The Clip Pen from Schon DSGN, available in the Windup Watch Shop, is made of lightweight aluminum. It’s not heavy, but feels great in the hand, and is built to be robust and durable. It easily clips to your clothing, and the ingenious clip doubles as a tool to unscrew the chamber housing the ink cartridge. It’s attractive and well made enough that you can be fairly certain it’s never going to disappear and become community property in some pen graveyard.

$85 — Shop Here