Watches, Stories, and Gear: Even More Michael Jordan Documentary Footage, the Joker Through the Ages, and a Vase for Rolex Fans

“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
Making a Tool Watch: A Basic Guide to ISO, DIN, and Related Industry Standards

Sometimes, the design of a watch is somewhat arbitrary, and left to the whims of whoever is in charge of finalizing a watch’s look and feel. But in the realm of serious tool watches, everything you interact with on the watch has a purpose, and the watch may have to meet certain technical standards to be properly classified as a pilot’s watch, for example. In this week’s Watches, Stories, and Gear, we’re bringing you a story originally published nearly two years ago, in which contributor Oren Hartov takes us through the ins and outs of how tool watches get certified by the various standards organizations that control such things. It’s a good reminder that there’s a reason your watch has a particular resistance against magnetism, and why that running seconds hand could actually save your life. 

Read it here

The Ringer
The Jordan VHS Collection

Last week, ESPN started airing The Last Dance, their long anticipated documentary about the final championship run of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. Any basketball fans who are old enough to remember this period are sure to get a major hit of nostalgia over the next month as the doc unspools from week to week, and this Ringer piece only adds to it. Certain obsessive 90s era basketball fans no doubt remember the many, many home videos made by NBA Entertainment, material made to satisfy fans during the offseason and act as promotional material for the league at large. This deep dive by Jake Malooley takes a close look at the Jordan and Bulls centric programming to come from the NBA during this time, and the original long form videos are actually embedded in the piece. With apologies to Knicks fans, get ready to spend your weekend reliving the Jordan years. 

Read it here

Pedro Demetriou
Joker Through the Ages

The UK based artist Pedro Demetriou (on Instagram @pedro_demetriou) has a clear love of comics, and this recent creation, available to purchase from his Etsy shop as a poster, is an homage to one of the most iconic of all characters: the Joker. This simple design, consisting of Demetriou’s impressions of the many versions of the Joker to appear on the page and screen over the years, begs the question, “Which Joker is your favorite?” While the look of the character has shifted, sometimes dramatically, over the years, Demetriou always captures the menace that is inherent to Gotham’s ultimate super villain. 

Shop Pedro Demetriou here

Limited to One
VANS Foot the Bill 

Limited to One, a New York City record store specializing in limited edition vinyl, is partnering with VANS’ Foot the Bill initiative. Foot the Bill is an initiative that establishes partnerships with small businesses, who design a custom VANS sneaker, with sales of the shoe going back to support the small business. In a time of such great economic uncertainty, it’s a great way to support the little guy, and you wind up with a completely unique sneaker in the process. Limited to One is currently closed on orders from the New York state government, so sales really do help keep the lights on.

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A post shared by Limited to One (@limitedtoonenyc) on Apr 21, 2020 at 6:25pm PDT

Shop VANS here

Hypebeast
VASE BY SU Immortalizes Rolex Submariner with Latest Vase

If you were wondering where horology and horticulture meet, I think we’ve found the answer. Hypebeast alerts us to a new vase in the VASE BY SU series modeled after the iconic design of the Rolex Submariner. VASE BY SU takes popular cultural objects and turns them into vessels for flowers, so the Submariner seems like a natural choice. Unlike the Sub you’re likely to find on the wrist, however, this one is likely to be a bit more fragrant. It’s also meant to be hung on a wall, and functions as a clock.

Read it here

Dissim
Inverted Lighter 

Dissim’s Kickstarter campaign for this ingenious lighter has already raised almost $84,000, well ahead of their $3,200 goal. It just goes to show that the market for convenient fire is alive and well. This lighter, unlike most, can be easily and safely used upside down thanks to a grip at the bottom, making it convenient for a range of tasks. With cast metal components, an exterior refill valve, and a flame adjustment wheel, the Dissim lighter seems like it could be a useful addition to an everyday carry.

Shop Dissim here