Watches, Stories, and Gear: A Watch Worn by Spies, Award-Winning Drone Photography, and More

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

This week’s “Watches, Stories, and Gear” is brought to you by NOMOS Glashütte. NOMOS has just unveiled two new models under their Aqua series, which is a collection that focuses on watches designed for use both above and below water. Rated to 200 meters, the new Club neomatik and Ahoi neomatik—both in siren white—feature bright white dials with nautical flourishes, rendered here in vibrant red and blue. Powering both watches is NOMOS’ DUW 3001, a thin, automatic caliber produced by NOMOS in-house. It features NOMOS’ swing system, the brand’s proprietary escapement. Each watch comes with a grey textile strap adorned with NOMOS’ winged buckle—a great pairing for a dip. To learn more about these two watches, visit NOMOS.

Watches

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

Blake Z. Rong tells the story of the wristwatch that wasn’t really a wristwatch, but was, in fact, a recording device worn by Cold War-era spies.

“There was no watch movement inside (an auction listing claims a quartz movement inside, which would have been impressive a whole two decades before Seiko invented it). One dead giveaway for agents, I’d imagine, would be to ask the wearer to check the time. The pushers weren’t functional and the second hand was permanently fixed to 12 o’clock, but judging by the myriad of photos available online, one could still adjust the time to be right twice a day.”

Click here to read more.

“100 Signs That You’ve Become a Watch-Head”

Do your friends and family turn to you for watch advice? Have you paused movies, televisions shows, or sports games to examine a watch? You may be suffering from a major case of Watch-Headitis. But don’t worry, we got you. We’ve put together this handy diagnostic tool to determine if you’re in the clear, or if you’re simply too far gone, or somewhere in-between.

Click here to take the test.

Stories

Drone Awards Photos of the Year

After reviewing over 4,400 entries, the inaugural Drone Awards have selected the top aerial photos of the year. Taking home the top prize is Florian Ledoux for his stunning photo, Above the Polar Bear, which you can see below.

Click here to see all the winners. 

The New York Times; “Annoyed by Restaurant Playlists, a Master Musician Made His Own”

“Last fall a friend told me a story about Ryuichi Sakamoto, the renowned musician and composer who lives in the West Village. Mr. Sakamoto, it seems, so likes a particular Japanese restaurant in Murray Hill, and visits it so often, that he finally had to be straight with the chef: He could not bear the music it played for its patrons.”

Click here to read more. 

Gear

Todd Snyder x Champion Classic Pocket Sweatshirt in Crimson

It’s hard to reinvent a sweatshirt, but Todd Snyder has managed to create one of the best ones around in collaboration with Champion. It’s perfect for those chilly summer nights.

$69—Shop here

Muji Plantation Paper Note B5 5pcs/set

Muji stationary is legendary—it’s cheap, it’s well-made, and it makes you want to stock up. This 5-piece notebook set is perfect for all your note-taking and doodling.

$3.50—Shop here