Watches, Stories, and Gear: A Real Spy Watch from the Cold War (Sorry 007), an Airport Worthy of a Long Layover, and More

“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
For Your Eyes Only: The Secret Microphone Wristwatch Worn by Cold War Spies

This week, the top watch story was no doubt the introduction of the new Bond watch, a $9,200 limited edition Seamaster that will be worn by 007 in the upcoming No Time to Die. With that in mind, we thought we’d lead off this week’s “Watches, Stories, and Gear” with a story from our archives about some real spy watches. These “watches” can’t actually tell you the time, but they look the part, and feature recording capabilities that were at the heart of mid-century spycraft.

Read the full story here

New York Times
My 27 Hour Vacation in Singapore’s Changi Airport

If you’re a frequent traveler, you might not think of an airport as a vacation destination in and of itself. But in this piece for the New York Times, Stephanie Rosenbloom makes a compelling case for Singapore’s expansive Changi Airport, which includes not only high end dining and shopping (which are common enough at major airports these days), but a simulated tropical forest with “hiking” trails, free entertainment in the form of impressive sound and light shows, and a “Sky Net,” that lets you walk 82 feet above it all.

Read the full story here

Jalopnik
A Deeper Look at the Design of Tesla’s Cybertruck

If your office is anything like ours, there has been almost non-stop banter and sharing of memes on the topic of Tesla’s Cybertruck over the last few weeks. Love it or hate it, everyone has an opinion on Tesla’s futuristic pickup, as we all await the expected tug-of-war rematch between Elon Musk’s design and a Ford F-150. Until then, dig into analysis of the truck’s design from Jalopnik, which focuses on some of the ways the Cybertruck borrows ideas from 1970s kit-car culture, and elsewhere.

Read the full story here

Polygon
4 Ways a New Justice Department Decision May Radically Reshape Moviegoing

The movie business is changing dramatically right before our eyes. The competition among streaming services is arguably more important to the industry than week to week box office numbers, and the way we consume films seems to shift further and further from old-school movie theaters every year. This Polygon piece details the ways in which the Justice Department’s decision to undo the Paramount Decree of 1949, which kept the big movie studios out of the theater business, could change our movie going experience to an even greater degree. What happens, for example, when Disney owns the multiplex down the street? This is a must read for anyone who still enjoys being entertained while sitting in the dark with a group of strangers, with the smell of popcorn in the air.

Read the full story here

Leuchtturm 1917
Medium A5 Plus 2020 Weekly Planner

It’s hard to believe, but 2019 is just about behind us. That means you are quickly running out of time to purchase and get the most use out of an old-fashioned weekly planner for 2020. There’s something to be said for taking notes on meetings and appointments in writing, and if you have a predisposition to jotting things down instead of asking Siri to do everything for you, a good notebook or planner is a great daily tool. This one from Leuchtturm1917 will help you stay organized, and is well made enough to last through a year of being slung into various bags, and generally abused. The paper is also very high quality, and can easily take fountain pen ink.

Shop Leuchtturm1917 here

Delfonics
Wooden Ballpoint Pen

If you’re going to be taking notes in a planner next year, you’ll obviously need a solid pen. There are lots of great options out there when it comes to writing instruments, and it’s a space where plenty of bargains can be had as well. These small wooden pens from Japanese maker Delfonics are colorful, and feel like pencils in the hand. At under $10 each on Amazon, you can pick up a few if you’re having trouble settling on a color.

Shop Delfonics here