Watches, Stories, & Gear: Drones That Smell, Negroni Tweed, and Safari 911s

“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.

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This installment of “Watches, Stories, and Gear” is brought to you by the Windup Watch Shop, which now offers home goods.

Remembering Fricker

If you started your watch journey at a particular period of time in the ‘00s, before well before IG and in the early days of the big watch forums, the name “Fricker” likely rings a bell. The German manufacturer of watch cases and other parts closed their doors at the end of 2020, ending an era for many watch lovers who cut their teeth on Fricker made watches. This week on Hodinkee, Cole Penington went in-depth on Fricker’s history, and particularly what they meant to the mico-brand community in its earliest days. This one is a must read whether you’re an old school enthusiast or brand new to the scene. Check it out right here.

Revisiting ’12 Monkeys’ With The People That Made It

This year marks the 25th anniversary of 12 Monkeys, an absolutely bonkers science-fiction cult classic starring Bruce Willis at the height of his fame and Brad Pitt at the start of his. The film’s time-travel laden plot and grime filled dystopian look made it something of an unlikely hit upon its release, and the fanbase around the film has only strengthened over time. In this oral history published on Inverse, director Terry Gilliam and others involved in the making of 12 Monkeys recall what it was like to produce, and reading through it, you realize just how unusual the movie really is, and how unlikely anything even remotely like it could be made today with a major studio budget and big stars attached. Check out the story here.

When Drones Get A Little Too Real

Just as we were starting to get comfortable with the idea of drones doing things like delivering pizzas, or delivering your Amazon packages, science has gone and created an all-smelling moth-drone cyborg. Yup, you read that right. A drone that can smell using the antennae of an actual moth. The “Smellicopter” (of course it’s called the “Smellicopter”) was designed to do things like sniff out bombs, which is certainly a noble use case, but we’re still not over the fact that this thing exists, and that according to researchers it works amazingly well, due the extremely sensitive antennae of the Manduca sexta moth that is used for this project. Check out all the details on Wired here.

Singer Reveals All-Terrain Competition Study As Modern ‘Safari’

Porsche is renowned for their on track performance, and with no less than 19 LeMans victories under its belt, alongside countless class wins going back decades, the reputation is well earned. It might surprise you to learn that the first factory-backed victory for a 911 came in the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally, with drivers Linge Herbert and Falk Peter taking a class win and 5th place overall finish in a 911 S (one of just 35 cars to finish out of 237 entrants). This would kick off a string of success for 911 based rally cars through the ‘80s, and the resulting “Safari” 911 models that it birthed are legendary among collectors. While we wait for Porsche to build a modern take on the Safar, Singer has given us the next best thing: a one-off design inspired by the Safari models of old called the All-terrain Competition Study. Like pretty much everything from Singer, it does not disappoint. More from Autoblog.

WOLF & WM Brown Release Tweed Lined Rolls and Boxes

Wolf has revealed a new collaboration with WM Brown in the form of a watch roll, watch box, and watch winder featuring signature design details of Matt Hranek. That means something called “Negroni Tweed ” appearing as a liner on these products, styled after Hranek’s cocktail of choice, which gets its distinctive orange and red color from the ingredients, namely the Campari and vermouth (which join your choice of gin, in equal measure). Even if you’re not a fan of the cocktail (nix the Campari and vermouth for Aperol and Lillet if this is you), the material is quite beautiful and looks rather fitting in these Wolf products. More from Wolf.

eBay Finds: Vintage Seiko 6139

While the Seiko “Pogue” 6139 chronograph may get all the attention, there are quite a few other 6139 models out there. This 1977 6139-7100 “Helmet” model is definitely one of the more unique variations. It doesn’t get any more ‘70’s chunk-o-funk than the model. Huge helmet shaped case with a tall, polished bezel and dramatically sloping sides that end in hidden lugs, definitely inspired by the iconic Omega Flightmaster. The clean black dial is low-key with the red numbers, but set off by the bright yellow chrono seconds hand. Comes with the correct fishbone bracelet (one of Seiko’s coolest bracelets ever IMO). Seller states it has a NOS crystal installed, and that the watch and chronograph work as they should, although it’s a tad fast. These are usually pretty banged up, and this example looks super clean and unpolished.

View listing here.