Discover more from The Grey NATO
It’s the return of Cole! With Jason still rounding out his adventurous month in Sri Lanka, friend-of-the-show Cole Pennington makes the three-peat to chat about his recent adventures, the complexity of writing about watches, and his new series with Hodinkee, Watches In The Wild.
It’s always a huge treat to have Cole on the show and he always brings a refreshing and unique perspective. Be sure to show him some love on Instagram for filling in for Jason – big boots to fill – as we appreciate his company to no end.
Click here if you want to play episode 189 from your browser – thanks so much for listening.
1:00 Cole Pennington Instagram https://bit.ly/3kjQp83
3:00 The Gastown Fire https://bit.ly/3Mbljdw
4:49 Roldorf Instagram http://bit.ly/2nGJqYw
8:40 Yellowstone https://bit.ly/3JVPbZO
10:03 Leica TL https://bhpho.to/3OCmrJg
12:23 Alt-J https://bit.ly/3OtiHtc
16:25 Hamilton Khaki Titanium Auto https://bit.ly/3jZb4wO
19:21 “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” https://bit.ly/3vxInMX
22:07 Hublot “Not For Sale” story https://bit.ly/3v3k6iO
22:42 2022 Aquastar Deepstar Chronograph 39mm https://bit.ly/3ubdK07
27:28 How to take better photos of your watch with your phone https://bit.ly/2N166Cx
41:13 S2000 on Bring-a-Trailer https://bit.ly/3K5vj6u
44:28 Oris ProPilot x 400 https://bit.ly/3j5Peaz
48:47 Hirsch Pure rubber strap https://bit.ly/39XQhWz
55:58 IWC Pilot’s Top Gun Ceratanium 41mm https://bit.ly/3NQgkAp
59:02 Watches In The Wild https://bit.ly/3Mjbfzg
1:06:13 Voices From DARPA podcast https://bit.ly/3L5m2Nh
1:08:30 The Carmudgeon Podcast https://bit.ly/3xPGi1k
1:10:35 Original Carmudgeon feed https://bit.ly/3L2rwbF
The Grey NATO – 189 – Cole Pennington III
Another enjoyable episode. Cole provides a great lifestyle angle on watches and gear - much more interesting/entertaining than just watch nerdery backed by no other interests. I also enjoyed the Inside Baseball discussion on the genesis of Cole's Watches in the Wild series.
Speaking of watch nerdery, I totally disagree with James' impression that nobody cares about yet another watch dimension. After the episode I went back to look at watches I have that "wear smaller than their size" and "wear bigger than their size", and I think the dimension under discussion may in fact be the key to nailing down this phenomenon.
I'd like to submit that "stance" is too vague. Here's a suggestion: call it Springbar Standoff and measure it as follows: Take a watch head with springbars installed but no strap. Place the watch face up on a flat surface like a table. Measure how high above the surface the springbars are. This is the Springbar Standoff.
A few examples: My Seiko SPB183 wears smaller than its 42.7mm diameter, which I like. It turns out to have a very low Springbar Standoff. I have several Confusing Fall Warblers (aka Hamilton 9219 field watches) that just disappear on my wrist. They also have very low Springbar Standoffs. I have a Longines (modern) Marine Nationale that has both long lugs and a high Springbar Standoff. It wears much larger than its 38.5mm diameter would suggest.
So there it is... Thoughts?
Kudos to James for giving us another watch dimension to spend too much time thinking about. I expect all brands to give us measurements for "stance" by the end of the year!