Watches, Stories, & Gear: A “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” Reboot, Rose Gold EDC from The James Brand, and the Tesla Cybertruck is Here

“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.

Share your story ideas or interesting finds by emailing us at [email protected]

The Tesla Cybertruck is Here, and the Internet Responds

In a big piece of automotive news that quickly became cultural news and then followed even more quickly into Classic Meme territory, Tesla’s long awaited Cybertruck is finally here. The first vehicles were delivered at the end of November, and automotive journalists were also able to finally get behind the wheel. The reactions were…mixed. In a lengthy video that dives into the nitty gritty details of the truck’s pros and cons, YouTuber Marques Brownlee found plenty to like, but also some nagging issues carried over from previous Teslas. The whole video is worth a watch not only for Brownlee’s informed takes, but he also just gives us a great look at the truck that we haven’t seen before. 

And then there’s Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham. Again, his whole piece is worth reading, but in a review filled with potential potential pull quotes, we’ll highlight this bit from the opening: “It’s been four years since Tesla first announced the Cybertruck, a hideously ugly electric pickup truck that didn’t seem to actually improve on EVs or pickups in any meaningful way. Instead, the 6,600-pound mass of “stainless super steel” seems to be more the culmination of one man’s bizarre fantasy, and that man just so happened to own an entire company he could leverage to birth that fantasy, with all its sharp angles and unnecessary lighting bars, into reality.” Check out the full article on Engadget right here.

The James Brand Introduces a Collection of Gear in Rose Gold

If there’s an EDC enthusiast on your holiday gift list this year who might like a touch of tasteful bling, a new collection from the James Brand is worth a look. The Rose Gold Collection includes favorite items under the James Brand umbrella, including the Elko and Carter knives, the Stilwell pen, and a whole lot more, finished with a rose gold coating. It’s a surprisingly luxe look for the James Brand, but it really works, and adds a level of refinement and elegance to their simple but incredibly well made and thought out tools. Check out the whole collection right here.

The GTA VI Trailer Finally Arrives 

It’s possible that the new entry in the long running Grand Theft Auto series is the most anticipated video game release ever, and this week, after a long period of speculation and an unfortunate leak to social media, Rockstar Games released the trailer for GTA VI. The trailer confirms what many had predicted: for the first time in a GTA game, you’ll be playing a female character, and the action returns to Vice City, the franchise’s Miami stand-in. The footage in the trailer, as you’d expect, looks incredible, but unfortunately it’ll be awhile before we’ll be able to enjoy it more thoroughly: the game won’t be released until 2025.  

A “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” Series is Coming to Amazon Prime

A series based on Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the 2005 Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie action vehicle, has been in the works at Amazon for years, we finally got a look at a trailer this week. This looks like less of a remake, and more of a completely new take on the idea of married secret agents (stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine appear to be working together, and not kill each other, for starters), and the supporting cast is absolutely stacked with great character actors, and includes Parker Posey, Paul Dano, and John Turturro, among others. This first look, scored to a classic Shirley Bassey song, has us intrigued. 

The Vulcain Skindiver Gets a New Blue Dial 

Zach reviewed Vulcain’s throwback Skindiver earlier this year, and found a lot to like in the classically styled diver. There’s something unpretentious about it – it simply exists as a solid watch, not self conscious about hitting just the right vintage notes. It’s refreshingly straightforward in a way that a lot of watches aren’t, and in the early days of the relaunch of the storied Vulcain brand, shows consumers that there’s more to the marque than the alarm watches they’re primarily known for.

Now, a new Skindiver has turned up, working on the same platform as the black dialed variant introduced earlier this year. This time, however, we get a gorgeous matte turquoise dial, a signature color of Ocarat, the well known jeweler who is a collaborator with Vulcain on this piece. The new “Skindiver Lagoon,” as it’s known, is a limited edition of just 50 pieces. It’s available for pre-order now. More information here.