“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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Header Image Via: The Millennium Watch Book
If you’ve been looking to expand your horology library, this has been a great week to do so. First up, we’ve got the newly released work of Brendan Cunningham entitled Selling The Crown: The Secret History Of Marketing Rolex. The book sheds light on the advertising origins of the most valued and secretive watch brands on the planet, Rolex. Cunningham uncovers and goes into detail how a portion of the marketing and advertising tactics used by Rolex early on originated from what was learned through the use of war propaganda during World War II. Great timing may have also played a part with the early success of Rolex, as the country was in the midst of the largest consumer boom seen in a century. But it was their innovative campaigns and storytelling (Think, “If you were climbing here, you’d wear a Rolex.”) that sparked the connection with their customers and capitalized on those in the market for accessible (at the time) luxury. Selling The Crown is a true tale of espionage and secrecy that should make for a fascinating read and an addition to your bookshelf.
The Millennium Watch Book was released back in 2020 and covered everything that had to do with watchmaking since the year 2000. The book acknowledged significant brands and watchmakers, latest technologies, emblematic watches and trends all of which have occured since the new millenia. Following the success of The Millenium Watch Book, the folks of Idiome Agency and GMT Publishing decided to embark on a concept that would thematically publish a book every year until 2030. Following last year’s theme surrounding the Tourbillon, this year’s theme for the next volume of The Millennium Watch Book is the Dive Watch. The book focuses on the transition of the dive watch being used as a necessary tool to now being a quintessential part of every enthusiast collection, as well its evolution in the new millennium. The Millennium Watch Book: Dive Watch Edition is currently available for pre-order with a delivery window expected in November of this year.
Earlier this year and here on WSG, we covered the news of a sequel coming out to the iconic crime epic, Heat, but in novel form. Don’t worry, we won’t belabor you with anymore “book talk”. This post is actually about a couple of recent statements made by director Michael Mann opening up the possibility for a Heat movie sequel to be made. As in the novel, the film would take place before and after the original Heat film, which puts Mann in a predicament since actors Robert Deniro and Val Kilmer would have to look 6 years younger to reprise their roles in the sequel. Mann still believes in the staying power of his 1995 masterpiece and its fixture in modern day culture is all the more reason to commit to making the sequel a feature film. There are some strong opinions about the potential Heat 2 movie within the Worn & Wound office, but at the end of the day, this might be something we’ll end up checking out.
We all have that one or two things in our homes that gives any visitor into our humble abode an inside look into our interests, tastes and maybe a bit of our personality overall. It could be a piece of art hanging on the wall or a book on the coffee table. So let us ask you this. What does it say about a person that has a fully sized dinosaur fossil standing in the middle of their living room? There might be a lead on who to get this answer from, as Sotheby’s announced earlier this week that they are auctioning a 76 million year old fossilized Gorgosaurus. This fossil in particular was discovered in 2018 in the Judith River Formation in Montana. The Gorgosaurus might look somewhat familiar to the Tyrannosaurus Rex, just in a slightly smaller package. The tyrannosaurid theropod is actually a relative of the T-Rex and predates the iconic carnivore by 10 million years. Whoever plans on winning the auction better have some deep pockets and a large enough space to display it. The fossilized Gorgosaurus is estimated to sell between 5 and 8 million dollars and stands 10 feet high and 20 feet long.
Caravelle was a more affordable sub-brand of Bulova, but that doesn’t mean they were short on quality, especially when it comes to divers. The vintage divers that Caravelle put out were well made and in a variety of great designs. This Caravelle 666ft diver is probably the most classic of their designs and has become quite desirable for collectors. The 37mm stainless steel case is unpolished with nice sharp lines and clear engraving on the caseback. The black ‘Explorer’ style dial is superb, with lume that has a beautiful patina. The original acrylic crystal could use a polish to show that gorgeous dial. The aluminum diver’s bezel insert is in great shape, and the oversized crown is signed with the Caravelle ‘C’ logo as it should. The watch is powered by a 17j manual wind movement that looks clean and runs well according to the seller. Overall great and classic vintage diver that should end up going for a reasonable sum.
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