Watches, Stories, & Gear: Mechanical Keyboards, the Werwulf Trailer, and a Stunning New View of the Milky Way

“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.

Fixing the Biggest Problem With Mechanical Keyboards

I don’t think it would be fair to classify me as a luddite, but I would say I’m more of a nostalgist. While I have made a nice little career for myself online, I do miss when things were a bit simpler. You know, when tech oligarchs didn’t rule the world and I could play my little Flash games on Neopets and it would take four hours to download one song onto my Microsoft Zune. Sure, I have an office now, but it doesn’t have the same charm as a computer room. 

This, of course, is bootstrapped by the physical memories, too. The soft grey ball inside the computer mouse, for one. Turning the computer on with my big toe while balancing my dinner plate on my lap. And, of course, the clickity-clackity of the keyboard. It was elevator music to the millions of AOL messages I sent throughout my high school years and the bane of my father’s existence, who swore he could hear it from all the way down the hall. Now I use a Macbook and it’s a soft and gentle tap on my fingertips. Not to quote Joni Mitchell here, but you really don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone.

All the same, I’m glad I’m not alone. It seems there is a flourishing community of like-minded folks, all with the same aural fixation. And while I need another item on my desk like I need a hole in my head, I have added the Seneca from indie keyboard brand Norbauer, to my Christmas list. Who knew that there was so much that went into getting the elusive clickity-clackity just right? Well, not me. Nor, it seems, Adam Savage, who visited Ryan Norbauer to learn about his design process, his background, and the improvements his Seneca model has made where other competitors fail.

Werwulf Trailer

I can’t tell what’s freakier to me, the trailer that recently dropped for Robert Egger’s next film, Werwulf, or the fact that Willem Dafoe was born in Appleton, Wisconsin. I have to tell you, finding out that Dafoe is American was like finding out Santa isn’t real. That’s the same town as that Bath & Body Works video from 2013! He’s probably been to a Kroger – on purpose!

In any case, I’m sure this shock will wear off (I’m currently on the “bargaining” stage of grief as we speak), and I can give more attention to Werwulf, which has the same tone (and half the same cast) as Eggers’ 2024 film Nosferatu. From what we can see so far, Eggers’ version goes deeper into the werewolf mythos to 13th-century England, with a village in terror of the creature that Aaron Taylor-Johnson becomes. It’s set to come out December 25, which is a very good excuse for me to avoid my in-laws this year. A true Christmas miracle. 

Euclid View of Milky Way Heart Previews Core Survey by NASA’s Roman

Like fun facts regarding Willem Dafoe, I find space to be equal parts terrifying and fascinating. So to find that Euclid, the European Space Agency’s telescope, took a 6-gigapixel view of the heart of the Milky Way, replete with a crystal-clear view of over 60 million stars, immediately piqued my interest.

The image was taken over the course of one day and gives scientists an early look at the same region NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will study after its launch. Roman will repeatedly observe the galactic bulge, watching for changes in starlight that can point to planets, rogue worlds, isolated black holes, and other difficult-to-detect objects. While we still have some time before we get Roman’s deeper survey, Euclid’s image gives astronomers a head start – and maybe somewhere we can ship Elon Musk to before he begins colonizing Mars. 

Vintage Watches: The Modern Guide by Eric Wind & Charlie Dunne

One of the most-shared books on my little corner of the algorithm has been the upcoming release of Vintage Watches: The Modern Guide by Eric Wind and Charlie Dunne. Now available for pre-order (with a release date of November 17), the 320-page book covers the brands, references, stories, and collecting knowledge that shape the vintage watch world, from Rolex and Patek Philippe to OMEGA and Audemars Piguet. Along with essays and more than 250 photographs, the book also gets into practical questions around buying your first vintage watch, a comprehensive guide to watch patina, how to spot fakes, and caring for vintage watches. 

Lucky for you, this will ship with plenty of time to be the welcome gifts for your Werwulf watch party during the holidays

Former Audemars Piguet CEO François-Henri Bennahmias launches new Swiss watch brand

This week, it was announced that former Audemars Piguet CEO François-Henri Bennahmias is set to launch his own brand, called N3W5. I can only assume it’s pronounced like News, but “en-three-double-you-five” does have a nice ring to it. 

In any case, don’t let the London postal code-adjacent name distract you from the heft this new brand will bring to market. Backed by CHF 30 million in private investment, N3W5 (which actually stands for North East West South) will focus on mechanical watches starting around CHF 20,000, with its first designs set to debut at Dubai Watch Week in 2027. The brand is also expected to work with high-end Swiss suppliers and has tapped Anita Porchet, an enamelist known for her work with brands like Patek Philippe and Hermès, as one of the notable names now tied to this project. With sales expected to begin in 2028, there’s still plenty of time to consider rebranding with some of those millions, if you ask me.