Watches, Stories, & Gear: Topo Designs x James Brand Utility Capsule, Couple Of Additions To Your Library, & A Fresh eBay Find

“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.

Topo Designs x James Brand Utility Capsule

This past week Topo Designs and James Brand linked up for another collaboration dubbed the Utility Capsule. The Topo Designs x James Brand Utility Capsule follows their first ever collaboration back in 2020 and combines two brand favorites with the Topo Designs Mini Shoulder Bag and the James Brand Redstone Knife. The Mini Shoulder Bag comes equipped with a DWR finish, detachable shoulder strap should you want to attach the bag to your bike or a bigger pack, and multiple compartments including a main storage section accessible by a top seam zipper, an internal pocket and a front zippered pocket. The James Brand Redstone Knife may look familiar as we carry several different colorways in the WINDUP WATCH SHOP. However the Topo Designs x James Brand Redstone Knife is a stand out, fitted with an eye-catching fire-blaze red hand-hold grip accompanied by an ambidextrous slide lock mechanism and a partially serrated Sandvik 12C27 Stainless-steel blade. The Topo Designs x James Brand Utility Capsule is a solid addition to your gear collection and a great option for all your on-the-go EDC needs.

A Very, Very Accurate Clock

How important is precision in timekeeping to you? Many of us set our watches to time.gov and take real pleasure in checking in periodically to see how close to a known accurate time signal they are after a day, a week, or longer. There’s a definite satisfaction in seeing those seconds hands match up just about perfectly, or to observe that your watch is only a few seconds off after a few days of use. Well, if you’re the chronometrically obsessed type, this article from space.com is worth a read. It seems that a new atomic clock has been developed that is expected to lose about one second every 300 billion years. That’s not a typo. Obviously, this atomic clock isn’t meant to time a frozen pizza – atomic clocks track the energy level of electrons, and are used to measure gravitational waves, find dark matter, and do a bunch of other things that a typical wristwatch isn’t really cut out for. This new atomic clock, developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin, is scarily accurate, and might make you think that 9F equipped Grand Seiko is slacking a bit.

Nasa // Past And Present Dreams Of The Future

Great photography has a way of illuminating the familiar in ways that tap into our emotional connections to them. It can also bring perspective and gravity to objects tied to an era or event. A new book from photographer Benedict Redgrove does just that, with objects from NASA’s storied history, and in the process provides an intimate look at the tools we’ve developed to aid us in our journey beyond this planet. The stark, simple yet powerful images are compiled in the book NASA: Past And Present Dreams Of The Future available now from the photographer’s website. The book showcases nearly 300 images compiled over 9 years highlighting the achievements of NASA and pointing to our broader goals in space exploration. From lunar samples to lander modules and everything in between, it’s presented beautifully in this 11.6 x 14.7 inch hardback book. Get inspired by this and more at Redgrove’s site right here.

Recommended Reading: Wayward 

Hey guys. Thomas here. Wanted to share with you all a book I recently just purchased and read, and thought that this might be a great addition to your coffee table and library. The book is entitled Wayward and is written by surf, adventure, travel and landscape photographer Chris Burkard. Wayward is a collection of stories and incredible photographs that recount Burkard’s rise as a surf photographer and his quest to document unsurfed breaks, particularly in cold-weather locations that include British Columbia, Norway and Iceland. Flipping through the book, you’re transported to the far corners of the globe and get to experience all the wild adventures first-hand. From the off-road trucks and helicopters taken to remote locations, to Burkard wading in freezing waters or blasting up a peak to get the untamed, powerful landscape shot he’s known for, Wayward promises to put a smile on your face with each turn of the page. Check out the book and the rest of Chris Burkard’s work here.

eBay Finds: Vintage Citizen 41 Parawater Alarm Date Diver Wrist Watch Oversize Rare Gilt

This week we have a gorgeous vintage Citizen 41 Parawater Alarm Date for your bidding pleasure. This one has it all: Functional and handy complication, black dial, dual crowns and large case! The steel case measures 38.5mm wide, which is great for a vintage piece, and looks to be unpolished with a little casual wear. The black dial is mint, with applied faceted steel markers. The date window at three is magnified by the original acrylic crystal with cyclops magnifier. The oversized crowns look original to me, although there is no side shot of them provided. Movement clean and the seller states the watch runs and alarm works. And the finishing touch is the Citizen branded beads of rice bracelet! The buckle top doesn’t have the Citizen logo, but the inner clasp part is signed.