Watches, Stories, & Gear: Artem Loop-less Straps, the Minimilians, and a Big Change for Southwest

“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 with us by emailing [email protected].

Artem Loop-less™ Straps

When you’re done fidgeting with traditional keeper loops on your traditional watch strap, check out Australia’s own Artem’s Loop-less™ range. With an innovative design to conceal excess strap length under a clasp, the series is offered for 18mm, 19mm, 20mm, 21mm, and 22mm as well as a Standard of extra small length option. Pair the strap with Artem’s 316L stainless steel Loop-less™ deployant clasp or a similar OEM Omega clasp for a discerning design on wrist. Loop-less™ is suitable for water use thanks to Artem’s signature combination of synthetic materials, silicon over the adjustment holes on the upper material married with leather base coated with a natural rubber layer, called caoutchouc for durability and comfort. Choose from sand beige, gray, khaki green, navy blue, and black for your next Loop-less™ in the Artem online shop today.

Meet the Minimilians 

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I wish my watch had a corresponding action figure”? Well, if you’re lucky enough to own an MB&F, you now have the opportunity to obtain one that will bear an uncanny resemblance to your watch. Never let it be said that MB&F isn’t the most whimsical of the high end independents – the Minimilians figures are alien-like creatures with heads that resemble the iconic shapes of MB&F creations. If you own an MB&F and register it with their official owner’s group, you can claim your very own Minimilian figure. The figures are 3D printed from a durable and shock resistant nylon, and are available to owners of watches that have been purchased through MB&F retailers or on the secondary market. This is just a lot of fun from one of our favorite high end brands that consistently demonstrates that it’s important not to take “serious watchmaking” too seriously. More information can be found here.

The First Trailer for A Complete Unknown 

When we heard that James Mangold, director of Ford vs. Ferrari and the most recent Indiana Jones film, was working on a Bob Dylan biopic, our honest reaction was that this hardly seems necessary. Dylan has been in the public eye for well over half a century and his story is so well known it would seem to defy dramatization. But Mangold is also the man behind Walk the Line, which told the story of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, and is one of the better old-fashioned biopics made in recent memory, so there was some hope that this Dylan project would follow a similar trajectory. The first trailer for A Complete Unknown dropped this week, and we’ve gotten our first look at Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, who also sings in the film, and the clip seen above. The jury is still out, of course, but we’re cautiously optimistic. If nothing else, the recreation of 1960s era New York looks great, and Edward Norton as Pete Seeger is an unexpected but welcome bit of creative casting.

Southwest Ditches Open Seating 

Some people love it and some people hate it, but there’s no denying that Southwest’s open seating policy on all of their flights is a one-of-a-kind unicorn of a process in the airline industry. Unlike virtually every other airline that assigns you a specific seat prior to boarding, Southwest makes passengers line up by boarding number (determined by check-in time, rewards points on a Southwest credit card, and straight up black magic) and then it’s free-for-all once you’ve made it through the jetway. Well, news broke this week that Southwest is doing away with the practice, and will soon begin assigning seats. Southwest says the reasoning behind this is customer feedback, but you can also expect the airline to charge more per fare if they adopt similar practices as other airlines, who offer those passengers willing to pay the chance to upgrade their position on the plane. Truly the end of an era. 

The M.R. Tape Dispenser 

This one is in the category of “I can’t believe that didn’t already exist.” A Kickstarter project for the M.R. Tape Dispenser (the “multi radius” tape dispenser) has shattered its funding goal with a proposition for a product that will solve one of our most prolonged household annoyances: a difficulty in dispensing tape from a roll. This is an underrated but fraught problem. Tape, of course, is sticky, so it can become difficult to separate it from itself when it comes time to use it. The M.R. Tape Dispenser can hold multiple rolls of tape of different dimensions, and uses tension to keep the tape taught and ready to dispense. It’s an ingenious and attractive design, and if you find yourself reaching for tape frequently (for example, if you’re selling lots of watches on the internet and need to pack up boxes before dropping them off for shipping) it could be a game changer.