“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 New York Times
Most climbers preparing to tackle Mount Everest have a rigorous training schedule, often having the entire day to dedicate to exercise, planning, and recovery. The lucky few have the financial power and backing behind them from well known sponsors to fund the entire expedition. But for Lhakpa Sherpa, who has summited Mount Everest 10 times which is the most for any woman, this isn’t her reality. She actually works at Wholefoods in a sleepy Connecticut town to pay the bills, keep a roof over her head, and to put money away for her daughter’s college education. And when she isn’t clocked in at the organic supermarket chain, she’s either training or away on an expedition to guide climbers with aspirations to summit the highest point on Earth. Lhakpa Sherpa’s story is filled with twists and turns, from cleaning people’s houses just to get by, to narrowly escaping death on more than one occasion in the mountains. It just seemed that she has never got the recognition she deserved, until now. Check out Lhakpa Sherpa’s entire story in this New York Times article entitled The Queen Of Everest Trains While Working At Wholefoods written by Bhadra Sharma and Adam Skolnick.
Believe it or not, there was a time when Nike played second and third fiddle to brands like Converse and Adidas. The young shoe company, formerly known as Blue Ribbon Sports, had no cachet in the world of sports, and the entire sneaker industry for that matter. But that would change dramatically when they started producing innovative sneakers, and more importantly, convinced up and coming superstars to take a chance on them as a sneaker sponsor.
The new comedy-drama biographical entitled Air tells the story of how Nike was able to create an entire franchise surrounding one of the most iconic sneakers of all time for arguably the best player to ever play the game – his air-ness, Michael Jordan. Matt Damon who plays Sonny Vaccaro plays a pivotal role in tracking down MJ and gathers a team to create the best basketball sneaker ever. Phil Knight, the visionary behind Nike, is played by Ben Affleck. In addition to these two, the film has quite the cast ensemble including Chris Tucker, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Viola Davis, and Chris Messina. You won’t have to wait long to catch this movie as Air is set to hit theaters on April 5th. In the meantime, check out the trailer above.
Although we’re still in the middle of Winter, it doesn’t hurt to start looking into how to spruce up your shoe game when the weather turns. This week, Rancourt & Co. announced their Spring pre-order which has an array of leather options including the likes of derbys, boat shoes and penny loafers. With the pre-order, each shoe is discounted from the full retail price. At the time of writing, these prices will hold for the next couple of weeks and shipment is looking like mid-June. Sure, we do still have a couple of months left here until we can pack away our parkas and boots, but until then, go ahead and check out some of these offerings from Rancourt & Co. to get you looking sharp for Summer.
As watch enthusiasts, we’re sure you’re all fascinated by the inner workings of any mechanical object. There’s something satisfying in seeing something broken down or taken apart just so you can appreciate how all the little mechanical components work harmoniously together. In this article from Robb Report, we get to experience step by step what goes into producing the Leica M6 film camera. The camera’s bare frame starts its journey at Leica’s Portugal facility and goes through a series of tests and calibrations between there and the company’s birthplace in Germany. Leica has some of the most beautifully designed cameras out on the market and seeing what’s underneath the leather hood, like seeing a movement inside of a watch, increases your appreciation for that fine piece of machinery that much more.
DJI announced a new addition to their Mini drone fleet with the DJI Mini 2 SE. The DJI Mini 2 SE’s camera comes built-in with a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor that’s capable of shooting 12 MP photos. The camera is mounted on an advanced gimbal equipped with a three-axis mechanical stabilization system that allows for smooth panning and transitions even in less ideal flying conditions. The main feature is the camera’s compact body which weighs an astounding 249 grams. As the saying goes, “Less is more.”
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