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“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.
Leatherman’s New Product Family
When it comes to pocketable multi-tools, two brands pop into my head: Victorinox and Leatherman. Due to their distinct style, tool sets, and overall quality, many people have been loyal friends and supporters of each brand for years but Leatherman is looking to change it up. On almost every tool Leatherman produces, you’ll find some kind of knife, albeit Leatherman has rarely produced a dedicated, stand alone knife until now. Their newest collection, a family of knives, Leatherman has announced a total of five knives: two folders and 3 fixed blades. While each model is produced with Magnacut steel, and manufactured right here in the USA, the two folders are available with Steel handles whereas the fixed models incorporate g10 handles. While we’re still waiting to see these in person and to see the EDC community get these in their hands, the initial response has been interesting to say the least; many people have voiced complaints about the MSRP of the knives, all around $300 USD, whereas others have praised Leatherman for opening a new factory dedicated to knife production. At the end of the day, we’re hopeful that this new release represents a new chapter in the Leatherman story, one where both multi-tools and knives are available for those who will put them to work. A full overview of the new collection, along with more technical information can be found on Leatherman’s site and product pages.
Sony RX1R III
In late 2014 Sony announced the RX1R II, a compact, high resolution, fixed lens camera that would go on to become a favorite among photographers who began to yearn for an upgraded model as time went on. Now, almost 10 years later, Sony has announced its successor, the RX1R III. For this new release, Sony has incorporated a 61 mp sensor (the same one found in the Sony a7R V) alongside their Bionz XR image processor and a dedicated “AI” processing unit to improve autofocus performance. While these improvements are notable, many people have been quick to criticize the lack of In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS), fixed rear screen, and of course the price tag. With an MSRP of almost $5,100, the RX1R positions itself between the Fuji X100VI and the Leica Q3, with shipping expected to begin in late July. We’ll be following along to see how consumers react once these are in hand and just how well it compares to the Q series of cameras. If you’re interested, you can check out more details and initial thoughts here.
A New Official Timekeeper for the New York City Marathon
We think it’s safe to say that TAG Heuer is having a big year when it comes to sponsorships. Earlier this year they announced having replaced Rolex as the 2025 official time keeper in a 10 year deal, and have now announced they have become the official Timekeeper for the TCS New York City Marathon. First ran in 1970 with 127 participants, the annual New York City Marathon now draws in 50,000 runners, two million in person fans, with even more tuning in around the globe. In a recent press release announcing the sponsorship, Christine Burke, New York Road Runners Chief Commercial Officer states; ““Every athlete who lines up at the start of a New York Road Runners race embodies the ‘Designed to Win’ mentality, … We’re thrilled to welcome TAG Heuer back as a New York Road Runners and TCS New York City Marathon sponsor, and to partner with them to celebrate the transformative power of running, and the determination and triumph that define the running community.” The press release goes on to state that the winners of the professional athlete field will be presented with a TAG Heuer Connected, but we can’t help but wonder if there will be a dedicated collection like they did with the F1 Solargraph. As part of their sponsorship, TAG Heuer has secured two guaranteed entry slots for the 2025 marathon, you can enter to win one of these slots here.
Earth’s Shortest Day
Over the history of the planet, days on earth have been gradually getting longer, by a few milliseconds thanks to the moon’s position. With the invention of Atomic clocks, we’re now able to carefully track these adjustments, and even issue “leap second” corrections every few years as needed to correct time, with the most recent one being performed in 2016. However, recent positioning of the moon at maximum declination (farthest from the equator) resulted in the shortest recorded day since we began tracking it in the 1960s. On July 9th, the moon’s positioning sped up earth’s rotation resulting in a day that was roughly 1.5 milliseconds faster than the average day, and there will be two more days like it over the summer. While such a small change might not be significant on its own, if this trend continues then scientists may have to issue a negative leap second to correct timing back. Whether this trend continues or not, keeping time down to the millisecond sounds like the type of horological nerdery we all enjoy. If you want to dive into greater details about how this phenomenon occurred and how time is kept and measured, feel free to check out this recent article from Space.com.
