Watches, Stories, & Gear: a 90s Throwback from Timex, a Trailer for the Anthony Bourdain Biopic, and a Deep Dive into HBO’s The Dark Wizard

“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.

Space Jam 30th Anniversary x Q Timex Limited Edition

I can only imagine the experience I had seeing Space Jam for the first time, at five-years-old and living in Kentucky, is akin to others’ experience seeing Casablanca or Star Wars: A New Hope. Having previously grown up on a diet of Barney and Disney VHS tapes, I thought that Space Jam was pure cinema (so much so, I used to cover the fact that I was gay by saying that Lola Bunny was my first crush on a girl).

Having since revisited this classic in recent years, I can now only assume there was a gas leak at Warner Bros. And yet, I’m happy to say that others must similarly hold a soft spot for this movie, since Timex has just released a limited-edition Q Timex to celebrate the film’s thirtieth anniversary. What’s particularly lovely about this release is how they didn’t try to modernize or upgrade the graphics or design language of Space Jam – this watch could have easily been released in 1996. Bugs is seen shooting a hoop at 9 o’clock while a basketball attached to the second hand slowly rotates around the dial, coming into contact with a basket at 3 o’clock. With this edition limited to just 1,000 pieces and a sub-$300 pricetag, this is surely a watch which will gain some attention during the 90s renaissance that’s currently happening across social media.

Tony Trailer

In a way, Anthony Bourdain was like saffron. You could never quite put your finger on what it did to a dish (or, in his case, a TV program), but it’s most definitely missed without it. Since his passing in 2018, food media hasn’t been able to replicate the wit, open-mindedness, and humor that Bourdain brought to his hit shows like No Reservations and Parts Unknown. Now, there is a spark of that grit and emotional grounding that made Bourdain so endearing to viewers with the first trailer of Tony, a biographical drama based on Bourdain’s teenage years, particularly the summer he took a restaurant job in Cape Cod. Given the tragic passing of one of America’s most distinct voices in food media, there will undeniably be a lot of emotions surrounding the film – but lead Dominic Sessa is surely up to the task if his performance is anything like his breakout role in The Holdovers.

From the Archives: Bravur

Like looking at old journals from high school, it’s occasionally fun to read through the archives to see how much times have changed. Take Swedish brand Bravur, for instance, who just this week unveiled their latest release. Back in 2014, we first reviewed the brand for Worn & Wound, focusing on Bravur’s first five models and a particular focus on the minimalist and simple design that defined the brand in its nascency. Since then, Bravur’s focus has shifted to more cycling Grand Tour and Team Heritage collections (as well as their Cycling Couture section – though I don’t think a tote bag can be called “couture”). In any case, it’s a nice surprise to see that Bravur, now twelve years on, may have shifted gears, but never lost their momentum.

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2

I would never classify myself as an audiophile and I highly doubt I need all the bells and whistles of a high-end pair of headphones when, 99% of the time, I’m listening to a podcast on dinosaurs or the news. And still. I seem to always go back to Bowers & Wilkins when I’m shopping around for the inevitable AirPods replacement. Their Px8 S2 release is an over-the-ear model that nods to Apple’s AirPods Max, but with a slimmer profile that isn’t so ostentatious. And with all the tech upgrades you’d come to expect in a pair of headphones that retail at $800, they’re definitely up to the task for work calls, endless Zoom meetings, that podcast you told your friend you’d listen to, and endlessly scrolling on YouTube for a dopamine hit (or is that just me?).

HBO’s The Dark Wizard

With HBO’s docuseries exploring the life and legacy of Dean Potter, one of climbing’s most magnetic and divisive figures, wrapping this week, this article “The True Story Behind The Dark Wizard, HBO’s Docuseries About Free Climber Dean Potter” by TIME works as a great companion piece to anyone who has seen the series. Potter was considered by many to be something of a hero in the climbing community, a free soloist, highliner, and BASE jumper who often performed unimaginable feats of skill. But what both the HBO series and TIME article help to do is at once examine the mythos of Potter, while humanizing him at the same time, all culminating to May 16, 2015, when Potter and fellow climber Graham Hunt died upon impact while wingsuit flying in the Yosemite Valley.