Watches, Stories, & Gear: Surfing the North Atlantic, a New Zine from MK II, and MoMA Loses a House

“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.

MKII Launches Guinea Pig Magazine

We’re absolutely thrilled to share the latest project from our friends at Mk II, the all new Guinea Pig zine. A zine, for the uninitiated, is generally defined as a low circulation, often “handmade” publication that’s frequently on a topic of some obsessive interest to an enthusiast culture (zine is short for “fanzine,” and they were commonly associated with underground music through the 80s and 90s). While a lot of brands have adopted the zine format and aesthetic to produce interesting marketing materials for the products they sell, that’s not what Guinea Pig is about. This first issue really isn’t about watches at all, but is more a celebration of the things that are important to Mk II and their various collaborators, and a great reminder that printed media can still be affecting in a way digital simply can’t. Check it out here.

Surfing and Adventure in the North Atlantic

In this new four part series entitled Lost Track Atlantic, surfer Torren Martyn and filmmaker Ishka Folkwell embark on a trek from the far north Atlantic to the tropical, equatorial coast of West Africa. In the first installment (watch it here), you’ll see Torren and Ishka start their surf journey by building out their mobile travel home and searching the Northern Atlantic for surfable waves.  As they make their way through Scotland and Ireland, the guys encounter plenty of adventure, including some obstacles in the form of car trouble, unexpected visitors and broken boards from heavy conditions. Filled with jaw dropping landscapes, soulful tunes, and epic drop-ins, Lost Track Atlantic is about more than just surfing, as Torren and Ishka immerse themselves in the various cultures in the countries that they explore. You can check out the trailer for Episode 2 right here and find more information on the series at Need Essentials here.

Hamilton Watch To Feature In Far Cry 6

The sixth installment of the Far Cry franchise has just received its release date, arriving October 7th of this year, along with some gameplay footage featuring the new locale of Yara and the protagonist, Dani Rojas. Also appearing in the game will be a familiar sight on wrist, a Hamilton Khaki Field watch. Hamilton is of course no stranger to the big screen, but this will be the first appearance of a branded watch in this video game franchise (which has featured unbranded watches in the past), and the watch will get a real world counterpart coming soon. The watch is an automatic Khaki Field in titanium, and we get a sneak peak courtesy of Hamilton right here. We’ll have more on this crossover soon, including a closer look at the watch itself. 

MoMA’s Disappearing House

How does a house disappear? That’s the tantalizing question you’ll be asking yourself at the start of this piece that caught our eye in the New York Times. The story tracks the unlikely history of a house built as an art installation by the architect Gregory Ain in 1950. The small home’s original location, the garden at the Museum of Modern Art, would certainly not be its final destination. At the end of the installation, the house (largely modular in nature) was disassembled,  and for a long time nobody could really say what became of it. The detective story behind finding what turned out to be a historically significant home is fascinating and surprising, and worth a read for anyone interested in midcentury architecture.

eBay Finds: Vintage Seiko Willard

You want classic? We’ve got THE classic Seiko diver for you, the vintage Seiko 6105-8110. This example from December 1976 looks to be an all-original survivor. So many of these out there, especially on eBay, are polished to death, or loaded with cheap aftermarket parts. This one is a true vintage beauty. The unmistakable 6105-811X case is unpolished and shows appropriate wear for a tool watch of its age The crystal is heavily scuffed, but it’s original as well, and easily replaced if you so desire. But look at the dial under that scratched crystal…..wow! Truly spectacular. And the hands too, not one bit of the commonly seen “black funk” on the lume. The red dot on the second hand tip is missing, but if that’s a detail you can look past, this is a real gem. For more info on this iconic diver, check out my article on the 6105- 811X here on W&W a few years back.

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