Watches, Stories, & Gear: Miami Vice, Forgotten Watches, & Baseball Cards

“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 our Managing Editor at [email protected]

This installment of “Watches, Stories, and Gear” is brought to you by the Windup Watch Shop, which now features an EDC section.

Assessing the Value of Forgotten Watches

You’ve probably heard the term “barn find” thrown around if you pay any attention to the vintage car world. It describes a classic car that’s been forgotten to time (perhaps in a barn) and rediscovered unexpectedly years later. The fantasy of a valuable, hyper-rare car just sitting somewhere waiting to be discovered is enticing for sure, and there’s a clear parallel with watches. After all, if a car can be misplaced, a watch is even easier to lose track of. This item in WatchPro explains that a pre-owned watch dealer in England is leaning into the idea that there are likely a boatload of potentially valuable luxury watches out there waiting to be found. Are there really $56 billion worth of discarded watches out there as this article reports? Tough to say for sure, but if you happen to have an uninspected barn near you, it might be worth checking out.

Miami Vice 15 Years Later

If you haven’t seen Michael Mann’s Miami Vice, well, see it. Watch it on the biggest screen you can find, turn up the volume as high as you can stand, and let it wash over you. Then go and read this reappraisal in Vulture of what many believe is Mann’s overlooked masterpiece. Miami Vice is a tough movie to crack. It’s all style – the plot is almost impossible to make sense of, largely because the dialogue is impenetrable and tough to understand through long stretches of the film. But it doesn’t really matter. All that matters is the breathtaking digital video shots of Miami, and Colin Farrell taking that speedboat to Cuba, and the wall to wall music that the film is scored with. At one point in this piece, writer Bilge Ebiri lists other movies by great directors that are similarly weird and misunderstood: Eyes Wide Shut, Casino, Bamboozled, In the Cut, Strange Days, Speed Racer, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. If you love even a few of those movies and somehow haven’t seen Miami Vice, once again, you owe it to yourself to check it out this weekend, mojito in hand.

House Of The Dragon Gets First Official Teaser

A lot of us are still mad about the way Game of Thrones ended. It’s understandable. A critical consensus has emerged that the massively popular series ended with a bit of a thud, as the production values increased, but storytelling took a backseat. Now, just a few years after the GoT finale, HBO has released an initial teaser for House of the Dragon, a prequel series that follows the House Targaryen hundreds of years prior to the events of Thrones. Fans of the original series (and books) know that there’s a lot to unpack about the Targaryen family history that could potentially be explored here, so we’re cautiously optimistic about re-entering the world of Game of Thrones when House of the Dragon premieres in 2022.

Grand Theft Auto Remasters Coming This Year

Here we go again. Get ready to return to Los Santos, Vice City, and Liberty City in the Grand Theft Auto – The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition coming later this year. In celebration of the 20th anniversary since the release of Grand Theft Auto III, Rockstar is bringing their most beloved worlds back to life. The trio will receive more modern controls and some graphic updates, but will retain the overall look and feel of the originals. All we’re hoping for is the OG soundtrack to VC (and maybe the ability to swim?). The remastered games will be available for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and the Rockstar Games Launcher on PC, as well as mobile devices beginning next year. Keep an eye out for more details from Rockstar games imminently.

Topps Celebrates 70 Years of Iconic Cards With Project 70

This may come as a surprise to you, but sports cards are back. Sports cards as in – stick of bubble gum in the pack, mid ‘90s obsession, sometimes used in the spokes of your bike – sports cards. One name you’ll surely remember is Topps, a brand that’s been around since 1938, and making cards since 1951. In celebrating 70 years of making cards, they have announced a limited run of Project 70 cards, which has invited prominent artists and brands to help design new cards based on iconic designs of the past. The special cards will be available for a short period of time, ending on October 10th, so take a scan for your favorite player or classic design and snag a few before they’re gone forever.

eBay Finds: Longines Admiral 

Wow, this one is a no-brainer. Vintage 1960’s Longines Admiral in stainless steel…with the original bracelet with signed buckle. 34.5mm wide steel case looks unpolished with nice sharp edges on the thin lugs. This dial is fantastic, with a two-tone silver bullseye style and applied steel markers. Applied Longines logo and 5-star logo as well and best of all…no date to mess up the symmetry! Classic Longines lume filled ‘skyscraper’ hands are excellent and super cool. Original signed crown, and original mesh bracelet with signed buckle. One piece case, so no picture of the movement, but the seller states the watch runs and keeps time. Seriously, how can you NOT love this watch?

View auction here.