The Grey NATO – 189 – Cole Pennington III
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
Over $100k for a S2000 that's been sitting since 2009?
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?